Exarch vs. Nightspinner

Here's another illustration showing the battle between an Exarch and Nightspinner. Exarches of the heart are influential members of the Seelie court and are Oberon’s most trusted advisors. They are pious and good-natured when among their friends, but when confronting their enemies they are renowned for their powerful and righteous anger. They protect Nevermore and its inhabitants from those that seek to corrupt its lands and inhabitants and are frequently found on a mission for the Seelie court or undoing the tangled webs of the nightspinners.

Nightspinners on the other hand are the nefarious followers of the fallen angel Lilith. In return for their obedience Lilith grants her followers power over darkness and shadows. They seek to ensnare the world of Nevermore in the insidious machinations of their patroness and bring about the extermination of the mortals and their allies. They weave their way throughout the dreamlands serving their mistress and themselves. They are insinuate themselves into the circles of influence every domain and realm. They manipulate and orchestrate their way into positions of power. These positions need not be official, but they are often just as effective.

I like this piece of art because it does a good job of showing the ongoing struggle between these two organizations and reflects their supernatural aspects. The exarch is a lion-hearted defender of the good and innocent, while the nightspinner is a creature of darkness bent on the corruption and ruin of all the dreamlands.

Exarch vs. Nightspinner--Art by David Esbri, copyright Expeditious Retreat Press.

Dreamers

Here's another piece of art from The World of Nevermore book:




The dreamers at the beginning of Chapter 1--Art by Joan Guardiet, copyright Expeditious Retreat Press.

The thing I really like about this piece is how well it gets across the concept of dreaming and portrays the surreal and nightmarish on opposing sides of the page. I also like how the two dreamers have different expressions on their faces and how their hair mingles together dividing the two sides of the illustration.

Look for more preview art in the coming days as well as updates on how the novel is going.

Nevermore: The Land of Dreams

Hello everyone,

Here's the stylized map of Nevermore from The World of Nevermore campaign setting book. I drew the original map and then turned it over to Scott Purdy, who did an amazing job of accentuating its surreal features into the map below. It should be pointed out that the map is not meant to portray the dreamlands in their entirety, but rather to exaggerate the realms mentioned in the campaign setting book. I thought it was important for a map to the Nevermore to also have an ethereal feel to it and love how Scott created a misty border around the map to make it feel like there is more to explore in this world of dreams. So without further ado here is the (mini) map of the Nevermore campaign setting book.

The map of Nevermore-Art by Scott Purdy, Copyright Green Ronin, used with permission.

"The Big Bad Book!" is in My Hands

The World of Nevermore campaign setting book for the True20 game system is in my hands and the .pdf now available at YourGamesNow.com for only $15.00 (you can get the .pdf here: World of Nevermore).

"The Big Bad Book" weighs in at about 200 pgs and contains some awesome artword by Joan Guardiet, David Esbri, Scott Purdy, and V. Shane. For those who like words to go along with the artwork, the book also has 13 chapters (how appropriate!), which in order are:

1) The Nevermore Gazetteer.
The chapter that started it all by winning a slot in Green Ronin's Worlds of Adventure contest and then got nominated for Best Electronic Book and Best Free Product at the ENNies!

2) The Heartlands: Land of Reverie.
Seelie, Unseelie, and Glaseelie fey... oh my!

3) The Wyrd: Land of Lore.
You want surreal! I've got surreal right here!

4) The Dreadlands: Land of Nightmares!!!
This was my favorite chapter to write... and my editor even mentioned how especially evil the place is

5) The Hedge: The Land that Lies Between.
This is a place in-between other places and it does not like to be crossed.

6) The Eye: Land of Hope.
Looking for a respite from the schemes of the Unseelie fey, the plots of the diaboli, and the predations of nightmares... this is a fine place to rest and relax... sometimes.

7) Playing in Nevermore.
All the rules you need to know about how to play in a surreal setting.

8) Aspects of Nevermore.
Most creatures in the world of Nevermore have aspects which reflect something about their inner nature, some transform mortals into aberrant or bestial creatures, others infuse them with elemental or surreal forces.

9) Feats of Nevermore.
Want a celestial familiar? Minions? Wild powers and aspects? These are just a few of the feats available to you in Nevermore.

10) Paths of Nevermore.
Nevermore is chalk full of organizations, both good, bad, and ugly. Most of the paths presented in this section are for the good organizations, but there is one path that lies outside of the distinction btween good and evil... the Dreamlord... ever wanted to create a realm from mere thoughts? If so, this is the path for you and anyone else interested in ruling a kingdom of their own in the dreamlands.

11) Flora, Fauna, and Foes.
Ever wondered what might live within a world of dreams? I did and so I created a whole host of creatures for you to enjoy (or fear) for your campaigns. I am especially proud of the diaboli... the undead demonspawn that are one of the main anagonists of the world of Nevermore.

12) Items of Nevermore.
Get your supernatural items here! We've got armors, artifacts, weapons, and even a few cursed items for sale... or for finding... All of these supernatural items use the Liber Artefactorum item creation rules.

13) Big Trouble in Little Oaktown.
This adventure introduces a group of heroes to the world of Nevermore and is intended for a party of four to six 1st level heroes.

For those interested in checking out the Nevermore campaign setting while waiting for "The Big Bad Book" to hit store shelves... here's a link to the Nevermore campaign setting's Nevermore Gazetteer by Expeditious Retreat Press (nominated for Best Electronic Book and Best Free Product at last years ENnies). What makes it even better is that it is available for free at Your Games Now!

There are a lot of rules within the Nevermore campaign setting that can be borrowed/stolen to enhance just about any True20 campaign. The setting itself assumes a "high fantasy" world, but I specifically designed it to be compatible with any other setting around with a few tweaks here and there. The book contains 200 pages of pure surreal setting useable with any other True20 campaign setting, as an add-on to your current campaign (for side-treks or short quests), or a stand alone setting for a Nevermore specific campaign.

Welcome to Nevermore!

Hello everyone! This is the brand new home for all things related to the Nevermore campaign and novel setting. This is a campaign and novel setting I've been working on for the last few years and although it has been a bumpy and unpredictable road I am glad I took the journey. For those not familiar with the Nevermore campaign and novel setting here's an excerpt from the campaign setting book:

Nevermore is an ever-changing world where reason fades into the mists of slumber, and imagination emerges into a land of fanciful dreams and dreadful nightmares. It is a world where exotic and unpredictable encounters are as common as eddies swirling along a rocky shore. It is a realm of surreal landscapes awash with dramatic deeds and teeming with creatures both beautiful and bizarre.

Nevermore offers a plethora of possible and even improbable adventures for those who traverse its strange domains. It pushes its inhabitants and visitors beyond the mundane and into a fantastic realm of near boundless potential for both good and evil. Nevermore amplifies and accentuates, twists and skews and is a place where nothing remains the same for long.

In short, Nevermore is a dreamland where myths and imagination meet and head off on adventures with each other.

Besides being a campaign setting for role-playing games, Nevermore is also the setting of my first novel currently titled Avery Mann's Book of Misadventures: Vol I. This is a contemporary young adult fantasy novel about an accident prone teen who becomes an adventure prone hero. By the end of the first novel Avery Mann will take his first steps onto the shores of the dreamlands of Nevermore.

More updates will be forthcoming in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead and I hope all of you will join me in exploring this wondrous world together.