The Minish Cap: Mirror, mirror on the wall…

 Mirror, mirror on the wall…

Mirror Shield: If Link can find his way to the Biggoron atop Veil Falls, he can offer up a small shield to the giant and receive the Mirror Shield in return once he has completed a truly valiant deed. The mirror shield blocks all projectiles and reflects back a searing beam of light. Its mirrored surface is also strong enough to deflect melee attacks easily.

A powerful seer displeased their sovereign so greatly that their spirit was cast into a mirror so their gifts might serve whoever sat the throne. After generations serving the bloodline that cursed them, the mirror can now answer questions honestly, while contriving situations that eventually cause the family to suffer dearly. If the seer was so great, could they not have seen this future and avoided it or did they perhaps choose this fate for themselves?

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This was supposed to include a sad face and a split happy/sad face, but drawing faces is still far outside of my comfort zone. Even if those faces are simplified masks. I got done enough with this item and moved on.

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Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

WInd Waker: A soldier’s shield.

 A soldier’s shield.

Mirror Shield: The Mirror Shield of Wind Waker is found in the Earth Temple and is guarded by the dungeon's mini-bosses, three skeletal warriors. With the Mirror Shield, Link can reflect beams of light to solve puzzles and stun certain undead enemies.

This antique bronze shield must be taken down on the first day of every month for cleaning and polishing. The shield is treated with such care as it is the home of the family’s guardian spirit. If the family has not kept the spirit’s home in good order, the spirit will not arise to defend the family.

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Get ready for a few weeks of siege equipment.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Not an artist: Five items from Oracle of Seasons you can find on a long voyage

Five items from Oracle of Seasons you can find on a long voyage

Master Sword: Just like in Oracle of Ages, the master sword can only be obtained by passing a secret in a linked game. Link’s sword is upgraded upon passing the secret from King Zora of Labrynna to the Zora in the Hero’s Cave in Holodrum. If Link has not yet obtained the noble sword, he receives that and then sets up the finding of the master sword in the hazy lost woods at the conclusion of the trading quest.

I should note that this is obviously not a sword, and isn’t very reminiscent of the master sword in any obvious way. My inspiration was that the weapon’s sprite was blue and blue is often associated with water. With that in mind, I drew the first water weapon that occurred to me.

This harpoon belonged to the captain of a whaling ship that had become obsessed with slaying the greatest whale in the seas. The captain’s obsession doomed the ship and all of its crew, save one sole survivor. The harpoon was last seen buried in the flank of the behemoth whale as it pulled the captain and their ship down into the inky depths of the ocean.

I'm not an artist: Five items from Oracles of Ages used by gladiators fighting in an intergalactic arena.

Five items from Oracles of Ages used by gladiators fighting in an intergalactic arena. 

Iron Shield: In a reference to the opening of Link’s Awakening, Link is caught in a storm while sailing in the open sea and washes ashore a strange island. When he wakes up, he finds that he has lost all of his belongings to enterprising gecko-folk thieves. To recover his things, he must chase down the thieves who went to ground all over Crescent Island. When he confronts the thief who took his wooden shield, they give Link a more durable iron shield instead of the wooden shield he actually took. 

Nomad scavengers are credited with the first use of the duranium bulkhead as an improvised battle shield. As duranium is nearly indestructible these shields are able to survive almost any hazard in the arena. A few of the shields in circulation are among the first few brought to the arena by nomad champions eager for glory. 

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 could find in the Grand Bazar.

Five items from Link’s Awakening you could find in the Grand Bazar.

Magic Powder: Link is by no means an accomplished mage so he needs this magic powder to cast even the most basic feits, such as lighting a torch without a spark. 

The Grand Bazaar is a major nexus for the wealth of many countries and even a few planes. Many people come to the Bazaar looking to make their fortunes. Of course not everyone find their fortune. In fact, many people lose everything and end up having to find creative methods to earn their next meal. Some of those methods involve earning a living through pickpocketing and purse-cutting. Visitors to the Grand Bazaar are often warned to never carry all their coin at once and to always make sure to bind their purse with a stout cord or sturdy chain.

I'm not an artist: Swords and stuff from A Link to the Past

Three swords and some useful items from A Link to the Past. 

Magic Mirror: This magic mirror can show you your true self. Unfortunately, it does that by teleporting you to a dark reflection of reality where everyone is a caricature of their true self. The only way to avoid being transformed into an impotent reflection is to carry a powerful protective ward.

This mirror does not have to be a link to another dimension. This mirror could be the hand mirror of fey royalty. Allowing any who gaze at their reflection to change their appearance by shrouding their true self in a glamour. To ensure any would be thief is punished, the item carries a curse. Any user other than the true owner runs the risk of becoming so enamored with their own reflection that they are unable to look away. Adventurers finding a mirror locked in the decaying fist of a skeletal corpse should be wary of looking into the mirror lest they fall prey to the mirror's enchantments. 

This could also be a device that allows access to Spyke™, the fantasy video calling service that connects you to the entire world, and many others, for secure and reliable communication over the high speed ley line connections. Terms and conditions apply. Void where prohibited.

I'm not an artist: Shields from A Link to the Past

Three shields and two jewels from A Link to the Past.

Red Shield: This shield is an upgrade from Link's starting shield. I think the way Link obtains the shield is the most interesting part of the item. If Link throws his original shield into a lake, the fairy that lives in the lake will appear holding an upgraded version of the shield. She will ask Link if the shield she is holding is his and remind him that she likes honest people. If Link is honest and answers no, the fairy rewards his honesty by giving him the upgraded shield. If Link is dishonest, the fairy punishes Link by keeping the shield he threw into the lake. This is a direct reference to the tale of the Honest Woodcutter in Aesop's Fables. Aesop's fables are full of great stories to pull out and use almost entirely whole cloth in your games. Since they are almost as old as dirt, you can also read them for free because they are in the public domain. 

One could also have this shield be dropped by mask raiders that abandon all honor and attack a village in the dark of night. When it is discovered the shield bears the colors of an allied clan, the village elders send a small party to discover the reason for the attack. Hopefully they can discover the truth before the prospect of all-out war is inevitable.

I'm not an artist: A few useful items from The Adventure of Link

Here are five items from The Adventure of Link. 

Raft: I had just drawn what I feel is a pretty good raft, so I didn't want to just draw another bundle of sticks. This is supposed to be an inflatable raft emergency raft, but it could represent many things since it doesn't have many anchoring details.