Swordtember: Orc Raider siege falchion

 Orc Raider siege falchion

Siege Falchion: These massive, thick-bladed swords are an ungainly combination of a lance, an axe, and a falchion. Orc worg riders can skewer slow foes with the point of the blade in a charge, or they can use the edge-shaped blade to make short work of wooden structures favored by the exploratory armies invading the Orc steppe.

Finding out Orc raiders did siege damage in Warcraft 3 was fairly disappointing. You’d think a blade longer than a human would make quick work of a footman, but the blade moves too slowly, apparently. Those raiders were great for just wrecking an enemy's expansion base.

Swordtember is a month-long sword-themed art challenge created by Faith Schaffer.

How to support me:

Ko-fi: Donations and Digital shop

Patreon: Sustaining support and Digital shop 

Red Bubble: Buy a sticker or magnet

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

The Minish Cap: The Vorpal Blade

The Minish Cap: The Vorpal Blade

White Sword with three elements: By infusing the white sword with the additional element of water, Link enhances the white sword further. With the power of earth, fire, and water the white sword is more powerful and it can summon up an additional copy of Link when slashed in a circle about a place of power. 

With a snicker-snack this blade cuts through almost anything and slays even the most fearsome beast in one stroke. What if the blade is just an ordinary blade and the scabbard magically put a lethal edge on any blade sheathed for  a night and a day? Imagine what a well placed assassins could do with a vorpal butter knife or a keen edged icicle. 

----------

I will always look at vorpal weapons with nostalgia. My first DnD character was a human fighter who wielded a keen vorpal mercurial greatsword and was focused solely on criting as much as possible. That fighter was dominated by an aboleth and beheaded the monk my friend was playing. 

I also looked to the vorpal blade in the Fables comic series for inspiration when thinking up this simple blade.

Since you’re enjoying 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

Swordtember: Buster Sword

Buster Sword

Buster Sword: Cloud's iconic blade from Final Fantasy VII.

----------

I have never played a 3D Final Fantasy game. My only experience with anything Final Fantasy was the handheld releases on the Gameboy systems, especially Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced.

Since you’re enjoying 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

Swordtember: Amiri's Ginormous Bastard Sword

 Amiri's Ginormous Bastard Sword

Amiri's Ginormous Bastard Sword: This sword was taken by a young barbarian girl as a trophy after slaying a Frost Giant in combat.

----------

I'm a big fan of the Pathfinder Iconics and I've been playing Owlcat's Pathfinder: Kingmaker on Steam lately, so this big sword was getting drawn sooner or later.

Since you’re enjoying 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

Swordtember: The Trollhunter's Sword of Eclipse

The Trollhunter's Sword of Eclipse

Sword of Eclipse: If your giant troll-sized troll-slaying sword wasn't cool enough, why not give it a dark and edgy alternate manifestation after having a near-death experience fighting a god-like villain?

----------

More Trollhunter fanart for swordtember.

Since you’re enjoying 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

Swordtember: The Trollhunter's Sword of Daylight

The Trollhunter's Sword of Daylight

Sword of Daylight: The Trollhunter's blade is sized for a troll, not a scrawny teenager who somehow got their hands on a magic amulet with a legendary destiny.

----------

More big swords for Swordtember.

Trollhunters is a delightful show that is good enough to actually watch and not so complicated as to not be worth putting on in the background while drawing. Shows like this are very important for the modern artist. If you have suggestions let me know.

Since you’re enjoying 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

Swordtember: Greenflame Blade

 Greenflame Blade

Greenflame Blade: This sword has been cursed with obscurity. Once an infamous blade, now entirely forgotten.

----------

Swordtember is a month-long art challenge themed around swords. I don't have a full month of new drawings in me, but I do have swords that I haven't posted, so I might as well just post some finished swords that haven't seen the light of day.

Since you’re enjoying 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

Swordtember: Dragon Slayer Sword

Dragon Slayer Sword

Dragon Slayer Sword: Guts' ultra-greatsword from the Berzerk manga. 

----------

Swordtember is a month-long art challenge themed around swords. I don't have a full month of new drawings in me, but I do have swords that I haven't posted, so I might as well just post some finished swords that haven't seen the light of day.

Since you’re enjoying 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: Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker.

 Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker.

Thunderfury: The essence of a slain elemental prince of air was forged into this blade. The power of the blade is at its greatest when wielded against the forces of the offending Firelords that slew the prince.

Drewly 24th brings with it a classic from Vanilla WoW that I only know about because of the people who took o.g. WoW really seriously still liked to show the thing off even after there were far better weapons to be found. This was in the days before transmogrification and your gear just looked like the model it was given.

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: Aerondight

 Aerondight

Aerondight: A silver sword of legend given to only the deserving by the spirit of the water. 

Drewly day 12 gives us an example of why I really enjoy rpg’s with deep item pools. I had no idea where this strange sword’s name came from until I went and researched it after earning it as a reward for a nobility-themed quest given by a person in a lake.

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: Ciri’s Sword

 Ciri’s Sword

Ciri’s Sword: The gnomish blade belonging to Ciri, child of surprise and heir of th eelder blood.

Happy 7/11! Get a slurpee to celebrate all the hard work you have already done.

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: Witcher’s Silver Sword

Witcher’s Silver Sword

Silver Sword: The second of the pair of swords carried by Witchers on the path. The silver sword is wielded against magical or supernatural beings that need to be disrupted by the silver to be slain.

Drewly day 10 is about one third of the way through Drewly. I’ve got 21 more pieces of art to post that I had already finished and weren’t made for posting during Dewly. I hope you too have some art you’d like to get shared and I hope you tag that art with #drewly and #drewly2024,

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: Witcher’s Steel Sword

 Witcher’s Steel Sword

Steel Sword: The first of the two swords carried by Witchers on the path. The steel sword is carried for dispatching threats that do not require silver to harm. 

The 9th day of Drewly brings us the reason this whole set exists. I’ve been doodling swords for as long as I can remember, and I think I am getting okay at drawing them.

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

Wind Waker: The greatsword of a tyrant’s ghost.

 Wind Waker: The greatsword of a tyrant’s ghost.

Phantom Ganon Sword: We covered Phantom Ganon’s Sword last week. Info about the sword can be found in that post. 

Ghosts don't need to slash or cut to harm the living, they need only touch living flesh to corrupt it with the chill of the grave. Knowing this, the mad king commissioned a massive club-like blade to be interred with him upon his death. No one could imagine that he had planned all along to return as a vengeful ghost to rule his kingdom for eternity with an ethereal fist. 

----------

I just didn’t feel right not drawing the sword from the game, so even though I already have two item cards for Phantom Ganon’s Sword, here is a third one showing the in-game sword for anyone who wants to use such a strange-shaped weapon in their games.

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

Wind Waker: Nifo’oti from the thousand isles of the Master Navigators.

 Wind Waker: Nifo’oti from the thousand isles of the Master Navigators.

Phantom Ganon's Sword: Phantom Ganon is the first manifestation of Gannondorf’s power that Link must face in his adventure. When Link is ready to face the ultimate evil threatening the Great Sea, he must defeat Phantom Ganon repeatedly to find his way through a maze. At the end of the maze, Link must take up the vanquished phantom’s sword and shatter a barrier blocking his way.

In the Isles of the Master Navigators, there is little enough metal to make tools and too much wet salt air to keep metal tools safe from rust. Instead, the craftspeople of the islands turn to wood, stone, shells, and teeth for their tools. With tools and weapons that exist in harmony with the seas, the Master Navigators have successfully beaten back the self-important metal-clad invaders for generations.

-

Nifo'oti are real Polynesian cane knives made in various forms by the many different Polynesian peoples. The Pacific Islands were first discovered and settled by humans using navigational techniques that include knowing what types of clouds form near or far from land and how birds behave near and far from land. The Polynesian explorers accomplished incredible feats earning their status as master navigators.  

Trying to unlearn the "colonialism is a good thing" lessons I was taught as a kid is hard work. Taming an “undiscovered” land of savages is often a default plot that still bubbles up, but there are some cool inversions of that story that show the experience from the indigenous people’s perspective.

A cool world concept and art project that would be a great game setting is the Orken World from SixMoreVodka that shows the various tribes of orcs uniting to resist the colonial expansion of pale-faced humans that are the most thinly veiled reference to actual colonial invaders. 

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

Wind Waker: A two-handed falchion of the finest steel.

 Wind Waker: A two-handed falchion of the finest steel.

Darknut Sword: Heavily armored Darknuts wield these massive swords with one hand. If Link can disarm or defeat a Darknut he can just wield the bulky blade with both hands. Link can use the blade to battle enemies and to shatter certain stone pillars.

The city of Damshuk is famous for its miraculously fine steel. Its forges produce such awe-inspiring steel that some foreigners believe the blades to be enchanted. The merchants of Damshuk do nothing to disabuse the ill-informed buyers of such ideas while being very sure to never directly state the steel they offer is magic.

----------

Damascus steel was truly impressive to everyone in the age of sword and steel. Honestly, it still is. The iconic layered patterns in the steel come from many layers of steel with different carbon contents that respond differently to an acid etching that reveals the amazing luster once the forging is finished.

A low fantasy setting could have equipment forged from Damascus steel be legendary rewards worthy of legendary heroes.

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

Wind Waker: A whaler’s cleaver.

 Wind Waker: A whaler’s cleaver.

Machete: Another of Wind Waker’s oversized enemy weapons, the machete is a less common weapon wielded by Bokoblins. This large curved blade isn’t pretty, but its swing is mighty enough to destroy wooden barriers, making it an invaluable puzzle-solving tool for Link. 

Butchering a whale is just like butchering any other meat, except you have to walk inside the thing to make your cuts. This massive size difference creates the need for giant specialized butchering tools. This heavy cleaver must be used with two hands, but a skilled whaler can make enormous cuts with ease.

----------

Whaling can be an unsettling topic to explore. Especially the industrialized whaling of Moby Dick, Avatar 2, and Dishonored. This is based on a real whaling tool, but it could just as easily be a menacing axe if you’d like.

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: Corrupted Ashbringer, traitorous blade

Corrupted Ashbringer, traitorous blade

Corrupted Ashbringer: In an act of fratricide, the radiant blade became a corrupted vessel for the necrotic powers it once opposed. The blade now serves the forces of the walking dead.

-----------

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.

See you tomorrow for more Drewly posts. 

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

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

#Drewly: Ashbringer, radiant avenger

Ashbringer, radiant avenger

Ashbringer: The holy avenger wielded by Highlord Morgaine in the Silver Hand’s crusade against the forces of the undead. Its radiant power smites the undead, leaving only ash.

----------

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.

See you tomorrow for more Drewly posts. 

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

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Not an artist: Five items from Oracle of Seasons that are tools of the apocalypse

Five items from Oracle of Seasons that are tools of the apocalypse 

Magnetic Glove: Found in the Unicorn’s Cave, the magnetic gloves allow Link to push and pull metallic objects based on their weight and polarity. Every time Link activates the gloves, they switch polarity from positive to negative which means the object, or Link if the object is heavy enough, is either repulsed or attracted to the glove. I have used a similar mechanic in my games, but I just gave the glove the ability to manifest a limited form of telekinesis that only works on magnetic metals.

This mechanical fist is a poor replica of the hand of an immortal watcher. With this approximation of the divine, gifted mortals might focus their limited abilities enough to momentarily pierce the veil separating the mortal world from other realms. The wearer might lure a lesser being from the other realms into our world, but even a lesser spirit has the power to unleash untold destruction in the mundane sphere.