Void.

I hereby proudly present:
What I've been working on these past few moths.
Completed at long last.
#arcane

A Major Arcana Tarot card, DEATH [XIII]. It depicts a figure leaning on a black scythe and holding a skull wearing a dissolving crown. In the distance, a ship is sailing towards the sunrise.

A secret santa I did in the mythical 'Paint Water Tea House' a while back, of Etis' OC Sam, featured in a Major Arcana card!

The bow of the hunting ship "The Inevitable" breaking through the waves, with red sails and the fearsome face of a sea beast carved in wood

"And the greatest of the hunting ships is the Inevitable, and the greatest of the hunters is Captain Crow!"

From the Movie "The Sea Beast"

A clockwork automaton in the shape of a human woman, gracefully balancing on one foot while holding a rose

Behold the wonders of our age, at the imperial exhibition: Clockwork servants!
Unlike the automata of yesterday, these brilliant inventions move fully independently without rail or cable, and perform even the most complicated tasks with unparalleled grace!

#shardreach

The Three-Eyed Spikescale, named after their three gyroscopic eyeballs, capable of seeing through openings on either side of the head and believed to each serve a distinct purpose, and the sharp, hardened quality of their scales used to deter predators. Males grow to about 50cm in size, females up to 60cm.

"This hardy little fish is a common sight across the Grand Reach, especially in the warmer skies to the South of the imperial core; Notably thriving in a very wide range of Altitudes.
While their meat is held in low regard, its overall abundance still makes it a staple food for many."

#shardreach

GAHHH!!

Quickly, where did I put the pancake dough laced with C4?

I'm pretty sure every Imperial (except the one) not from Valhalla enthusiastically shares that preference, but I suppose servants of the Throne operating on that icy deathworld or in close proximity to its inhabitants have to make due...

He tests us all in different ways...

Didn't know Magnifigal drank tanna

What level is the unsettlingly realistic regular cat Dancwart?

Imperial infantry entrenched in the snow and dirt somewhere in the northern badlands, at the fringes of imperial influence, in anticipation of an enemy advance — militia and mercenary troops led by one of the local warlords. They are supported by artillery and an Imperial Navy ship of the line, floating overhead.

"As unrest continues across the northern badlands, our brave sons and daughters in the Imperial Army continue to hold fast valiantly, keeping the northern borders of our empire safe and secure.
The situation is under control."
-Imperial Ministry of War, press release

#shardreach

A sky-whale flying by the port side of an Airship deck

Whale.

#shardreach

Precious.

Upon the shore
The cloud waves break

The twin suns sink
Behind the lake

And shadows lengthen
In Carcosa

Combat between sailors using flintlocks, blades and a magic-spewing "spellslinger" firearm

"Firefight"

#shardreach

A human mercenary prepares for a job in the lower levels of Splinterheart. He uses a minor spell to light one last cigarette, before delving back into the cobblestone and metal, the blood and the smoke — back into the city.

"Mercenaries, Sellswords, hired guns. Their bloody work is in high demand across the Grand Reach and beyond, perhaps nowhere more so than in the 'City of Chains', Splinterheart - the capital of the Empire."

#shardreach

The "Cloudseeker", a state of the art ironclad vessel tasked with performing expeditions and cargo runs in the meteorologically turbulent Southern Fringe, breaking through a cloud head.

Ironclads, long favoured by dwarven shipwrights and captains, eschew the traditional sails and balloon for motorized propulsion and an internal aetherite generator for lift. Their closed hulls make passing through the clouds of the mare nubium, often rich in toxic aetherite, much safer.

#shardreach

Cats when you want them to sit still for a photo

#shardreach

A pair of aetherite miners wearing work uniforms and protective masks harvesting the precious mineral deep in the mine. They are overlooked by an armed guard wearing an airtight protection suit on a catwalk. Rusted signage below once carries the faded words "Section C of any type 3 labor contract prohibits the use of collective bargaining of all forms. Workers are contractually obligated to REPORT ANY SIGNS OF ILLEGAL UNIONISATION AT ONCE!" and "THEFT will be PUNISHED severely"

Aetherite, the arcane mineral allowing both islands and airships to remain above the clouds can be harvested in various different ways, but historically, the primary method has been mining it out from the cores of flying islands.
Working conditions are almost always atrocious.

#shardreach

Me, whenever I hear the word spice (it's a DUNE reference)
Me, whenever I see a rainworm on the sidewalk (it's a DUNE reference)

The hunting ship "Barghest", hauling in the freshly slain carcass of an adolescent bouldercrest for processing after a successful hunt, aided by one of her harpoon boats.

Hunting ships, or "Whalers" set sail across the sea of clouds with a perilous mission:
To hunt the gargantuan Leviathans of the sky, for their majestic carcasses hide highly prized arcane materials, and the Empire glady pays out bounties to those making her trade lanes safer.

An advertisement poster of the "Golden Line railway company" advertising their trains as the superior alternative to airships

"Veteran wayfarers know: Travel by ship is slow, cramped and fraught with danger, disease and boredom.
But fear not!
Today's technological advancements have brought you a new, superior alternative: The Golden Line!"
-Advertisement in the 'Splinterheart Gazette'

#shardreach

“ Stay clear of the vines
Don't stray away
To where the sun never shines
Or in the vines you will stay

In the vines
In the vines
Where the sun never shines ”

The city of Lierendel, south of the imperial core.
Famous for it's historical walls.

A Maw-Wyrm catching an unfortunate merchant vessel above the Mare Nubium.
Though such attacks have become rare in the core territories, they still occur from time to time in the forgotten fringes of the Grand Reach.

muahahah!

Marine of the Imperial Navy engaged in heavy boarding action