About this image

Just a bit of conceptual 'meta-art' I produced in order to help keep myself reminded that this is a work of dark fantasy -- not high fantasy.

The blood-red symbol in the center is described as the Seal of the Guardian in the book. It represents the dominant faith in the Realms, which is less a 'religion' than it is simply a 'movement' or 'philosophy'. The Seal itself represents this, as each piece of the Seal appears to be radiating and expanding outwards in symmetrical fashion. Note how one half of the Seal is bright and the other is dark. Note also how the bright half is touching the stain that is spread across the east side of Arkania. This stain represents the Plague unleashed by the Shadowfall and where it had its origins -- one of the last great bastions of Arkanian civilization: Hyperia (and much of the nation of Arthelas). The shroud of darkness on the far west side of Arkania represents a far less tangible threat -- the Shadow, i.e, despair -- which is quickly filling the void the Light is leaving behind.

As "survivalism" is a strong motif throughout the book which this mod is based on, I felt this image conveyed that mood best. Going forward, I really do want to build a world that feels as hopeless as it does hopeful, and deviating from writing/modding for a while to produce this work has helped keep my mind focused on that competitive atmosphere. Some might criticize me for doing things like this every now and again, getting into discussing the art, music, etc. but I feel that it helps keep the creative juices flowing. Anyway, I would allude the artistic direction to the way Bethesda chose to convey the Shivering Isles (at least in spirit, as obviously this project will be staying away from the high fantasy bits as much as possible).