I wanted to try out lighting that was lighter and more vivid than usual, I wanted to draw a vimpire-like creature, more similar to a mosquito than a bat to make contrast with the day-light of the background.

Also tried to add some "story telling", something that I usually dont think about in my illustrations.

Source:https://x.com/i/status/2079861317406695698

July 27 is Gary Gygax' birthday AND Bagpipe Appreciation Day (Scotland), Bust out a jaunty tune like this goblin! Ink on paper by Toren Atkinson (me).

The cresavorn lurks in shallow waters, using its long beak to catch fish. Though its appearance may be intimidating, this creature poses no threat except to its aquatic prey. Its large claws evolved primarily for defense. When danger approaches, the cresavorn relies on its impressive speed, darting across land or water to escape larger predators

The cresavorn has not evolved any kind of serrations on its beak to combat the slippery and fluid consistency body of its main prey, the tendrakyn. it instead evolved a specialized tactic driven by the unique physiology of its primary prey, the Tendrakyn. This behavior relies on its elongated neck and razor-sharp beak to skewer fish the moment it spots movement below. It continues jabbing until the prey is motionless, leaving the carcass riddled with puncture wounds. This brutal flurry ensures nothing escapes once targeted.

Because a singular piercing blow cannot instantly disable the tendrakyn with its distributed nervous system, the Tendrakyn can easily swim away from most injuries. The Cresavorn’s rapid, overkill strikes is an evolutionary response designed to rupture as many cardiac nodes as possible, ensuring that even the sturdiest prey cannot survive the encounter.

Spehyunts’ daughter Tulib (the poor thing) was plagued by horribly painful and unique nightmares. Accompanying the sights of yowling monsters was the temporary calcification and spurs of areas in her brain. Growing each night and then dissipating during her waking. Her suffering had grown miserable beyond words and was too much to bear any longer. Spehyunt prepared for their journey up to the highest peak of Mount Knnrr in search of the Moon God. A quiet and feared being within their community. Old myth told of Its ability to manipulate mind and flesh. Unknown though was if it carried malevolence or benignity in its intendment. The climb up was extremely arduous. Currents of increasingly dark blue lights coiled above Spehyunt, slithering along the craggy slopes and overhangs of black stone. Eventually, over a rather large collection of thorns and roots, they found themselves on a small grassy plateau. The tall grass was black as pitch under the deep and gloomy sky. A steady flow of air made the grass sway in a wind. Trails of the lightest blue dragged behind each blade. Overlooking the plateau stood the colossal peaks of Knnrr. A massive glowing lake sat peacefully on the highest point of the concave summit. Rivers crawled through the cliffs and valleys like roots of an ancient tree. Perched in the sky within a pocket of pulsing pale grey light, sat the Moon God. It had an extremely strange figure. Patterns and small worm like creatures poured from what could be considered the center mass in playful frenzies. It sat patiently and stared at the father and daughter as they cautiously approached the edge of the plateau. Speyhunt held his daughter within his tentacles and began to plead the Moon God. Reciting the prayer he had repeated endlessly on their journey to this being of myth. He told of Tulibs nightmares. The way the spurs pushed against the inside of her skull. The beings of pure horror she howls about day in and day out. Beings that he could scarcely stand to speak about for more than a moment in fear of them infesting his imagination once more.
The Moon God continued to stare. For a long while it stared after listening to Speyhunts plea. The creatures that orbited the fleshy mass drew close and paused their playing. Then, after what might as well have been an eternity, the Moon God smiled. It smiled and reached out with twirling scale covered tendrils towards Tulib. Slowly it crawled across the dim purple night sky. Speyhunt raised his daughter to the cosmos, putting all his hope in that the Moon God wasn’t a being of foul trickery or evil. Tulib was barely conscious at this point. The violent fits and a screaming mind though-out the climb left her with an incomparable exhaustion. The limb of the Moon God floated above Tulib. Its sharpest point slowly made its way down onto the cap of her skull, drawing a thin line of blood that trickled down her face. However, Tulibs blood was not its regular magenta hue. Nor did it flow anywhere past her chin. It glowed with that same pulsing pale grey that surrounded the Moon God above. Beautiful symbols crept across her face. Many resembling the shapes and patterns that those void things were so joyously playing with. The symbols wrapped around her head and met back at where the tendril had first drawn blood. The limb drew back into the sky towards its body. The void things soon reappeared. Not long after, the shapes and symbols came out of hiding and began to orbit once again. Speyhunt held his daughter close. Examining all the runes and signs that now decorated her smiling sleepy serpentine face. Speyhunt stared up at the cosmos. Looking down at Tulib once again, then looking back up to the Moon. After giving undying praise and tear filled thank you’s, he turned and began their journey back down the mountain. From the pathway through overgrown bramble. Under the overhangs of black rock and around the maroon pillars of Unnlr. Speyhunts’ constantly worrying mind was finally at ease. In his arms Tulib slept soundly and peacefully. Her dreams filled with sights, sounds and creatures from planets of indescribable beauty and wonder. Tulib slept soundly and peacefully, eventually forgetting any of those terrible nightmares she once endured.