Drewly: Wraithguard

 Wraithguard

Wraithguard: The third and final piece of Kagrenac’s Tools allows you to hold Sunder and Keening without suffering a mortal wound.

With drewly day 3 in your possession, you can finally siphon the divine power from the heart of a fallen trickster god. 

What is Drewly, you ask?

#Drewly is the month-long art challenge for July, where you don’t have to make any new art. Just post art you’ve already made and celebrate all you’ve accomplished.

Rules:

Share art you have already made.

Share as often as you want.

When you share, tag your art with #Drewly and #Drewly2025

I will be posting art every day of Drewly, so check back in tomorrow for something new.

Check out everything I’ve shared for past Drewly’s here: #Drewly #Drewly2022 #Drewly2023 #Drewly2024

Since you’re here, please consider supporting:

Make a one-time donation with Ko-Fi:  https://ko-fi.com/theeasyspeaker

Become a sustaining supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ItemCardswithTheSpeakingSquid 

Buy a sticker: SpeakingSquid.redbubble.com

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Drewly: Witch King’s helmet

 Witch King’s helmet

Witch Kind’s Helmet: Worn by the Witch-king of Angmar, leader of the Nazgul, and overly proud wraith until their just demise at the hand of Eowyn, shieldmaiden of Rohan and woman.

The final week of Drewly begins with my take on the film’s version of the Witch-king. I was shocked at how quickly this drawing came together and I think it looks pretty good over all.

What is Drewly?

Drewly is a month-long art challenge for July where you post art you have already made. No new art just for Drewly.

There are three rules:

-Only post art you have already made.

-Post as much or as little as you are comfortable with.

-Tag your posts with #drewly and #drewly2024

If you enjoy my work, please consider donating:

Make a one-time donation with Ko-Fi:  https://ko-fi.com/theeasyspeaker

Become a sustaining supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ItemCardswithTheSpeakingSquid 

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Drewly: Leshy Decoction

 Leshy Decoction

Leshy Decoction: This powerful potion mirrors wounds to any who harm the Witcher. A deterrent for the observant or an end for fools who misunderstand the endurance of these mutants.

Happy second day of Drewly!

What is Drewly?

Drewly is a month-long art challenge for July where you post art you have already made. No new art just for Drewly.

There are three rules:

Only post art you have already made.

Post as much or as little as you are comfortable with.

Tag your posts with #drewly and #drewly2024

If you enjoy my work, please consider donating:

Make a one-time donation with Ko-Fi:  https://ko-fi.com/theeasyspeaker

Become a sustaining supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ItemCardswithTheSpeakingSquid 

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Four Swords Adventures: A shielding charm.

 Four Swords Adventures:  A shielding charm.

Blue Bracelet: This bracelet offers brief magical protection to any Link that can find it. Having the bracelet halves the damage that Link takes in the stage the bracelet was found in. Like all power-up items in Four Swords Adventures, the protection offered by the bracelet only lasts for a single stage. 

This shielding charm’s enchantment is entirely contained in its polished piece of fossilized shell. While the nature of the fossil resonates with the abjuration magic of the spell, there is a limit to what the spell can intercept. If the blue glow dims, the protective shield has been spent, leaving the wearer vulnerable to attack.

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Welcome to the items from The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures. There aren’t many items, but I did end up drawing quite a few cards as the theme for the set was dual/duel which meant most cards had a second version or at least a partial color swap.

Check back in every Sunday for more item cards to tickle your imagination and spice up your inventory.

If you enjoy my work, please consider donating:

Make a one-time donation with Ko-Fi:  https://ko-fi.com/theeasyspeaker

Become a sustaining supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ItemCardswithTheSpeakingSquid 

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Amphora: Five items from my home game.

Five items from my home game.

Rod of Bouncing: Channeling your spell through this focus allows a spell that would otherwise strike a single target to ricochet between multiple targets.

Helm of Telepathy: This strange metal helmet amplifies its wearer's mental abilities and allows them to communicate psychically with nearby intelligent life. It also protects the wearer from unwelcome psychic intrusions.

Mighty Amulet of Icy Fists: This stone amulet is far heavier than it looks and is always cold. Communing with the amulet allows the wearer to wreath their hands and feet in bitter cold and strike with the strength of an ice giant.

Arctic Bow: This bow belonged to a ranger of the Ice Wastes. The supernatural cold of that wasteland permeated the bow, imparting arrows it fires with the draining chill of its frigid homeland.

Vambraces of the Effreti: These metal bracers were once used to bind an efreet in service. They were given as a gift to the person who freed the proud genie and were imbued with a mote of the efreet’s supernatural command of flame.

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Here are five items I drew specifically for my home game. Since they weren’t drawn with a large audience in mind, they could be a bit silly or a bit obvious in their reference to other universes.

If you enjoy my work, please consider donating:

Make a one-time donation with Ko-Fi:  https://ko-fi.com/theeasyspeaker

Become a sustaining supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ItemCardswithTheSpeakingSquid 

Thank you for your support.

Next week we will start looking at the items from The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Drewly 2023: Shadowy leather armor.

Shadowy leather armor.

Shadowed Leather Armor: Magically dark leather armor for your sneaky rogue-like characters. It helps you blend seamlessly into darkness, but you stick out obviously in the light. 

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Thanks for a great Drewly. The only metric for success each Drewly is that we celebrate the art we have already made. I do that by posting every day to empty out my backlog of finished work. You can do that any way you please.

Check back each Sunday for more item cards. My current project is drawing an item card for each item in every Zelda game. I’m currently drawing Minish Cap and am posting my set for Wind Waker.

Be excellent to everyone.
-Ceph

 

Drewly 2023: Belt of the Weasel

Belt of the Weasel

Belt of the Weasel: Donning this belt makes the wearer as agile and flexible as a weasel. The supple leather is lined with black fur and emblazoned with the face of the titular weasel.

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This is a reskin or the belt of strength I drew for the Oracle of Ages.

Sometimes I feel a bit self-conscious about posting light reskins of art, but not during Drewly. If I made it, it can be posted, doesn’t matter how original or unoriginal I think it is.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

 

#Drewly: More loot from a storm samurai

More loot from a storm samurai

Rod of Silent Spells: I can’t think of a great in-world reason why the storm samurai has a rod of silent spells. It was a random loot roll, these things happen.

Fearsome Visage: This highly reflective shield is inhabited by a bound oni that can be commanded to animate the shield in defense of its current master.

Great Armor of the Soaring Heron: The samurai’s ō-yoroi was lost in the cataclysmic explosion that ended the warrior’s life.

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Drewly day two is in the bag. Tomorrow we will be celebrating Drewly with a normal post of items cards for the Wind Waker set.

Drewly is all about posting art that you have already made. Post as often or as little as you’d like. It is a “challenge” to let you celebrate what you have already done. If you post for Drewly don’t forget the tag #Drewly.

If you appreciate my effort, consider a donation at my ko-fi.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Wind Waker: Antique diving equipment from Wind Waker.

Wind Waker: Antique diving equipment from Wind Waker.

Magic Armor: The magic armor in Wind Waker is an arcane barrier that drains either Link’s magic bar or his rupees, original game and HD release respectively, when activated. Link is protected from harm while the barrier is maintained. If Link’s magic bar or rupees run out, the barrier drops. The magic armor is an optional item and can be obtained from Zunari the merchant after completing enough of the trading sequence.

The thrill of being the first person to discover the ruins of a sunken city that could be Atlantis was greatly diminished in discovering a derelict submarine and an antiquated diving suit in the entry of the city’s central temple. While you may not be the first person to rediscover the lost city, it seems you will be the first person to tell the tale, as the diving suit contains the skeletal remains of the sunken city’s first visitor. With your modern diving equipment, you are sure to have more luck than that poor soul.

Spoils Bag: This bag is used to hold the various minor treasures dropped by defeated enemies across the Great Sea. With the spoils bag, Link can hold up to 99 of each of the different treasures to be traded or sold. Link must pass the rope swinging challenge aboard Tetra’s pirate ship. If Link can finish the course, Niko awards him with the spoils bag.

It will take time to prepare before you are able to explore the vast interior of the main temple, but you were able to explore the submarine during the preparations. Unsurprisingly, the vessel had experienced significant mechanical failure which left it to drift to the bottom of the sea. Searching through the contents of the submarine, there are no human remains, so you are left to piece together the final story of the ship from the journals, letters, and baggage left by the long-dead crew.

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This week’s item mini-stories were inspired directly by The Temple by H.P. Lovecraft. It sort of satirizes nazi self importance, but, knowing H.P. Lovecraft was super racist even for his time, I’m not 100% sure where the satire ends and the author’s voice begins. Read or listen at your own risk.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Seas of Amphora: Four magic items my players have earned sailing the high seas.

Four magic items my players have earned sailing the high seas.

Shell Armor: This armor was made for a leviathan hunter who risked being swallowed whole by the great beasts they hunted. The edges of each panel are razor-sharp to cut and scrape anything that enveloped the warrior. Unfortunately, the armor did not protect from paralytic octopus venoms, nor did it protect from the flesh-eating swarms of fish that devoured the helpless hunter after an unexpected visit from an octopus.

Poisoner’s Jacket: This slick leather jacket emblazoned with a cobra belonged to a notorious poisoner who was never officially connected to any of their alleged victims. Their secret was a jacket with magical pockets where they could hide the tools of the trade. The jacket’s extra-dimensional pockets can only be accessed by its rightful owner.

Chaotic Grasp: After direct exposure to primordial chaos, your arm has begun to act strangely. Without realizing it, you find yourself flipping switches, throwing levers, and stealing knives. It is almost as if it has a mind and goals of its own.

Swan’s song: A double-barrelled pistol engraved with musical motifs was made specifically to commit murder. Fortunately, the lengthy process of making the gun was long enough for the murderous passion to fade. Now the gun is simply an ugly reminder of a time the gunsmith would rather forget. 

Thank you all for checking out all the work I put into the item cards from Four Swords. Next week is another week of items from my home game and then after that, we will start to explore the items from Wind Waker.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a terrible tragedy of Russia’s making. I hope we can find a way to move past bloody-handed war before we wipe ourselves off the face of the Earth.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

 

Skyrim 10th Anniversary: The iron helmet from Skyrim.

 

The iron helmet from Skyrim.

Iron Helmet: The iconic helm of the dovahkiin, scarred by the fangs and claws of dragons terrorizing Skyrim.

Happy 10th anniversary Skyrim!

I am a huge fan of the Elder Scrolls series and just had to sit down and draw some of the iconic items from the fifth installment of the main series.

Check-in every day for the next week to see a collection of items from Skyrim, and to enjoy my wonderful and wholly original song.

On the first day of Skyrim,

tenth anniversary,

a helmet of iron and horn.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Four Swords: A crystal gem apple from Four Swords.

A crystal gem apple from Four Swords. 

Armor Seed: The three seeds in Four Swords are consumable power-ups that can be found by cutting grass. Picking up an armor seed increases a Link’s natural defense and decreases the amount of damage they take from attacks and traps.

If you believe the rumors shared in the many kitchens of the world, the rarest and most desirable of all apples is the Crystal Gem Apple that only grows at the heart of truly evil forests. Only liars and fools claim to have tasted or even seen this mythological fruit. That hasn’t stopped generations of hopeful seekers from throwing their lives away in the many wicked forests of the world.

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I love Adventure Time. I think it found a perfect balance between banal childishness, abstract introspection, and absurdism. I haven’t watched or read any of the spin off material but I really appreciate the love Pendelton Ward, and everyone else who touched Adventure TIme poured into the show. 

This is another drawing that is not my favorite. I struggle to draw transparent materials and crystalline objects in general. It is a growth edge I’m still working on, but I still keep giving myself the task of drawing semi-transparent objects made of crystal and glass.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

I'm not an artist: Six rings from the Oracles games found on the hands of influential crime families.

Six rings from the Oracles games found on the hands of influential crime families.

Power Ring 1: The first level of the power ring increases the damage of Link’s attacks but also increases the damage Link takes when hit. Link must conquer the Explorer’s Crypt in Oracle of Seasons or the Spirit’s Grave in Oracle of Ages to unlock the ability to find this ring in his adventures.

The Sarconni family officially runs a somewhat successful seafood company, but it is a well-known secret that they are also in charge of all organized crime in the wharves. Sarconni officers are given a single pearl on a band of silver and they are expected to wear it at all times. What lower level Sarconni officers may not know, is that the pearl rings subtly push wearers to meaner, harsher, and more violent behaviors.

I'm not an artist: The final five masks from Majora’s Mask that were worn by legendary individuals.

The final five masks from Majora’s Mask that were worn by legendary individuals.

Giant’s Mask: Donning this mask causes Link to grow to giant size. This mask is found in the Stone Tower Temple and can only be used in the Stone Tower Temple in fighting the dungeon’s insectoid boss. It totally makes sense from a balance perspective that you don’t want to allow your player unfettered access to being a giant, but it would have been cool if they did.

The story of the gladiator is known to many, but the original identity has been lost in the uncountable retelling. Nowadays it is not uncommon to hear that the legendary gladiator grew up just down the street from where the story is being told. The core facts of the story do not change. They were born into common people, conscripted as a foot soldier to die in their country’s wars, and they rose to a high rank through skill alone. Then they were betrayed, all they had worked for taken from them, and they were sent to die in the arena as entertainment for the very people who betrayed them. It was in the arena that the masses discovered the skill and tenacity of the one remembered only as the Gladiator.

I'm not artist: Six items from Ocarina of time made by Turtle Shell Ablatives, a ProtecCo company.

Six items from Ocarina of Time made by Turtle Shell Ablatives, a ProtecCo company. 

Deku Shield: I think the Deku Shield is the game’s most thematically interesting shield as it is made from the bark of the Great Deku Tree and inscribed with the Kokiri symbol. Those two facts really ground the shield in the lore of the world. It's only usable by child Link and is extremely vulnerable to flame so it is often relegated to being a basic or starter shield rather than a memorable item.

I remember really liking how this came out when I drew it but looking at it now I'm not impressed. I guess that is the march of progress. 

For the holy warrior more concerned with venerating the gods of nature then personal protection there is the Ironwood Buckler. Bark harvested from sanctified ironwood trees is inscribed with the symbol of your choice and then treated with resins and holy oils to keep it as hard as iron. Don't let prohibitions against metal armor keep you from safely spreading the will of the gods to even the most hostile of audiences. 

I'm not an artist: Five Items from Link's Awakening you can use this Labor Day Weekend.

Five items you could use this Labor Day weekend appearing in Link’s Awakening.

Small key: A minor key with plenty of uses. I drew this one as a more modern house or lock key. I don't think many people would be too offended at this apocryphal key shape appearing in their pseudo-medieval fantasy settings. If you are one of those offended people, I guess stay out of my topsy-turvy genre blending universe. 

With summer unofficially coming to a close, racers are scrambling to secure spots in the last big race of the season. Alejandra Ricco has had a great season, but with her recent disasters on the track she needs something like a miracle to finish the season on the podium. While working under her car after hours, Alejandra heard what sounded like footsteps approaching her workbench and then her keys falling to the ground. Alejandra didn't see anyone when she came up from below the car, but she found nine identical keys on her keyring that weren’t there early that day. Each key was warm to the touch with “wanna race?” etched into its face in a script she could barely decipher. Ever curious, Alejandra stuck one of the keys into her ignition and the car roared to life. In the same instant, the key was consumed in a gout of flame. For a few hours after, the car was in pristine condition but it slowly deteriorated into the same mess it was before and now also smelling of Sulphur. With nine races left in the season, has she just wasted an opportunity she can’t get back or can she find a way to win the season on her own without the help of the mysterious benefactor?

I'm not an artist: Five items from A Link to the Past needed for a ritual

Five items from A Link to the Past needed to create soulbound armor.

Red Mail: The final major item found by Link in his quest to defeat Gannon. This armor provides improved damage reduction on top of the Blue mail. It also provides another pallet swap for Link that includes a swanky purple hat. This drawing is my rendition of the Stone Armor set from Dark Souls. 

Any armor can be used as the vessel in the soul binding ritual. The process is much less costly and difficult when the soul had a deep personal connection to the armor. Armor that a warrior fought many battles in and eventually was slain in provides the most natural connection for the displaced soul. In fact, soulbound suits of armor can spontaneously form if the restless soul’s connection to the armor is deep enough.

Stone armor is cumbersome but offers unparalleled protection. Otherwise lethal blows bounce harmlessly off this personal fortress. This armor would be more common were it not so difficult to obtain. One must venture into the forbidden gardens and capture one of the guardian golems without damaging the construct enough to deactivate it. If the golem can then be dragged outside of the forbidden garden and its animating energies, the creature’s stone skin can be harvested and worked into a fine suit of armor.

i'm not an artist: Items from A Link to the Past a Ranger Scout would have.

Five items from A Link to the Past any Ranger Scout would be proud to own.

Boomerang: A basic boomerang that stuns enemies, grabs items, and flips switches from afar.

The wide open plains seem to open up infinitely in all directions. Many areas are devoid of anything that could provide meaningful cover or act as a landmark for reference. Ranger Scouts earning their plains patches can take advantage of the open air to master the boomerang. The returning nature of the boomerang also helps Ranger Scouts not lose their tools in the long grasses.

Stories of the hero in green have been passed from one generation to the next since the hero first appeared to save the world from the forces of darkness. When children hear that the hero often employed a boomerang in their adventures, many inevitably wish to learn to use the weapon. It is not uncommon for children to embellish their first boomerang with images of creatures and symbols from the stories that inspired them to learn the boomerang in the first place.

I'm not an artist: Five super items from A Link to the Past

Five items from A Link to the Past. Each with an adventure seed from the super powered city of New Metropia.

Blue Mail: The blue mail offers Link increased damage reduction and a cool new pallet swapped sprite. The armor is found in an ice themed dungeon and it really only connects with the dungeon’s theme via the color blue. The symbol on the chest is based on various images from color theory so I’m thinking about colorful as a concept when I see this breastplate.

Rainbow Defender became the first openly homosexual crime fighter in New Metropia almost seventy years ago. The citizens of New Metropia were not always accepting of Rainbow Defender, but they have always defended the rights and liberties of each and every person. Always appearing in their distinctive rainbow colored armor, they are all but invulnerable to harm. Some theorize that the armor has actually been passed down to a new generation allowing the original Defender to retire.

 The Radiant Raiment was bestowed to a particularly devout paladin in service of the Searing Light. This crusader of the light was last seen traveling towards Sengiriztan, a land avoided by all but the bravest or most foolish due to its fearsome reputation for being secretly ruled by a vampiric oligarchy.

I am not an artist: Penultimate items from the Legend of Zelda

The second to last set of items from The Legend of Zelda.

Food: An unrealistic hunk of meat on an anonymous bone. It is easy to use this as a distraction or monster bait in the same way it is used in the game.  It could also be a snack of healing after taking too many hits, one of the many food items in ICRPG, or a novelty weapon perfect for a flesh eating monster.