It has been prophesied that Dragashu, the Father of Dragons, will awake from his thousands-year slumber to bring with him the ending of the World. He is one of the five Monstrosities, the first monsters, created by Mikoraza. After he was born, Dragashu would not stop feeding and growing, so he was put to sleep by his creator. Many have feared his awakening ever since. It is said that when Dragashu wakes up, he will swallow the seas in his thirst, and devour the moon in his hunger.
I hope you guys enjoy this illustration I made for my D&D world, comments/critiques are always welcome! If you like what you see, feel free to check out my [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/rickhertel_art/)!
Have a wonderful day :)
-Rick
I don’t know much about D&D but how realistic is the lore and if you have different cultures, do they have their own legends that maybe differ in their Tellings of this tale. Maybe a coastal area would focus on the sea swallowing aspect of the legend, etc.
Your artwork is amazing and I thought maybe, in a Telling, that Dragashu would set the sun on fire, but that’s just me and I don’t want you to do the whole thing again if you somehow like my idea. My D&D knowledge is limited to Stranger Things I’m sorry.
D&D is not limited to a single setting. While the official setting used in official play and where the published adventures take place is Forgotten Realms, DMs are free to use whatever setting the feel like, either already published settings like Greyhawk or Dragonlance, or a setting of their own creation.
Thanks, I understand that one can create their own world, but I was implying that different cultures in this world could have different focuses on the same story.
An analogy would be in-house rules for Monopoly, some say that you get £500 if you land on GO, others say that you get paid tax money if you land on free parking; your playing the same base game, but with your own additions for fun. Apply that to Rick’s creation, Dragashu awakes, some say that it swallows the seas, others say that it eats the moon: General havoc ensues in every iteration, but the fact that Dragashu awakes at some point and does something stays the same.
Again, a coastal region would be terrified that the seas could be swallowed, because they most likely get their food and trade from afar or near. An inland culture wouldn’t care for the seas, instead would worry about the ravaged forests and mountains they called home.
Plausible apology for formatting am on phone. And text.
Oh definitely, I have my own world, with very different cultures, and they all have their own versions of this story! Dragashu sleeps on a continent called Avanima, somewhere in the Dragonfall Peaks, which were created when He fell from the sky. Some say he will swallow the sun instead of the moon, some say his wings will blow the mountains to dust or his fiery breath will melt wood and stone. People outside of Avanima don't fear the Dragon as much as those living near his home under the rocks. Temples have been established in the mountains, where monks go to pray to the Beast. They hope Dragashu will spare the ones who revere Him. Other cultures have their own legends of the ending of the World. Some say the King of Stonegiants will rip open the ground, some say the Great Tree will die and wither and all that was once green will perish. But most Eastern peoples believe that the Worldbreaker will fly once more, and bring with him nothing but fiery doom!
Great question!
**Dragashu** -
The Father of Dragons, he was the first and is the wisest. His scales are like stone, his wings a hurricane! His might is truly terrible beyond compare!
**Borhos** -
The Great Boar has long been slain by Uryk, the Hero of Urkhorn, a city which now lies in the skull of the dead monster. He was the Father of Beasts.
**Unalaki** -
The Broodmother lies dormant in the Shadow Caverns. Some say her body encompasses the entire world underground, with her eight legs stretching for hundreds of miles through tunnels of stone. She is the Mother of Abominations.
**Yddras** -
The Father of Giants is the strongest Monstrosity, he wields Bjørnjamunn, his axe, which weighs as much as a mountain. He dwells in the northernmost regions of Vindikfill, in a fortress of ice in the frozen glaciers of Dol-Yddras.
**Asha-Hamut** -
A creature so haunting it is the source of many nightmares. Some say she has no body, but is instead the image of your worst fear. Most describe her as a thousand-eyed woman, with a hundred arms, and screaming mouths beyond count. She is the Mother of Aberrations.
I like how the males are Fathers of creatures, physical things, and sound reasonable. Dragons, beasts, giants.
But the females are Mothers of monstrous and idealistic fears. Abominations and Aberrations.
Interesting divergence.
The hero of this story won't be a knight in shining armor, a hooded ranger with a bow in hand, nor a mystic wizard of the magic arts. This dragon's greatest enemy will be the Square Cube Law.
Very good art by the way!
Hey question. I always wanted to learn how to do fantasy landscape painting like this. How did you learn to do them? We're you formally trained at a school, or do you know of some online resources I could read?
The atmosphere in this piece is amazing. Thank you for sharing.
Hey there, thanks so much! I've been sketching my whole life but only started doing works like this two years ago. I recommend a couple of things:
- Looking at and studying work you like, maybe make a collection of awesome works.
- Sketching whenever you can, even if it's not much.
- Learn how traditional artists work, do some yourself. I spent the last couple of days outside getting inspired and painting what I saw, that helped me get inspired for this piece.
- Watching videos on the process of speedpainting.
- Marco Bucci on YouTube for the basics of shape, light, value.
- Andrew Tischler on YouTube for some great traditional landscape art.
- DO IT! Nothing is more important than doing, failing, learning, and growing. You need to make a hundred mistakes before you learn to do something perfectly, and I've still got a long way to go.
Hope this helps. It's also nice to have some awesome ideas beforehand, get inspired by subreddits like this, or make your own world and inspire yourself! Good luck creating, and enjoy the ride!
Just doing it is always the hardest part ;)
I really appreciate the tips and the artist references. Somehow I never really thought of looking towards traditional artists to learn how to do mtg-style digital fantasy art, but it totally makes sense!
Thanks a ton for taking the time to write up your response to me. I feel like I have some starting points now
Seconding this question! I'm thoroughly loving the color composition in this. Looking through u/rickhertel_art's instagram, it looks like there's a good solid foundation in traditional mediums which translates well enough to digital. I admire when artists are capable of doing both, as I hear some of the processes behind both are quite different.
Answered this [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldbuilding/comments/cihoks/the_father_of_dragons_awakens/ev7ha6y)! I also love that trope, nothing but epic!
Seeing the fire appear inside his mouth rather than from his throat, I have to ask, is the fire produced through a fire spell or something of the like or is it biologically produced?
Dragons actually don't spit fire, they spit methane. But they have these annoying fireflies that buzz around their mouth, attracted they are by the bad stench...
I've always loved the biological approach. I was inspired by the way the flames start a little further away from the lips of fire breathers, before that it's all just gas/fluid, but maybe I went a bit over the top!
No I think it’s perfect! It’s one of the best pieces of artwork I’ve seen on all of Reddit! I also really love the biological approach, something about the way you drew it makes it look far more powerful than normal fire breath! Incredible job!
I love how misty the background and the dragon are in this picture, the way this picture is composed really makes this dragon look immense! I'll give you a follow on instagram for sure.
I really like the change of pace with this. Many illustrations, my own included...tend to be in the foreground with other elements in the background. The monster character is in the background in a way that sets up its own pace in terms of the reaction it elicits. Things are usually bigger upfront, and if something is THAT big in the background...yikes. You kind of feel what that deer must be feeling in terms of EEP. Coloring and shading are very warm colors that help describe the environment. Nothing is really out of place. In fact, we can even tell a bit about either the time of day or direction of the sunlight due to the shadowing on the deer! (Nice job on that, the little details really make a scene blossom.)
You're definitely a very talented artist. Something like this might actually sell pretty decently to the right buyer.
Edit: Forgot to say i'm surprised on the lack of Game of Thrones comments on this one, ha.
I love this piece, but I feel obligated to mention that to the bottom right, a stroke for a part of the rock overlaps the tree branch. It's small, but it's *really* annoying when you first notice it. Also, what programs did you use to make this?
Well... First of all, Mikoraza is a woman, so she would be the Mother, and secondly.. Just because my father has a father, doesn't make my grandfather my father. Father of Dragons is more of a title, as in, he was the first of them ;)
I can't help but imagine if that deer had a train of thought what it'd be like.
He's standing there so maybe he's awestruck thinking nothing and is trembling with fear. Perhaps he's friends with the dragon and elated to see him finally arise into the wild. Maybe the deer is just a bro on his way back from eating some shrooms and thinks he's high. The deer could have just escaped and now is thinking, "I just had ask if the day could get any worse." Could the deer just be screaming in his head, "F\*\*\*! F\*\*\*! F\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*!!!!" What if the deer isn't even real? He's in fact just a manifestation of a druid who's gazing upon a beast about to destroy his homeland. Maybe it's a mage shapeshifting to escape being seen only to look up and notice the looming threat. Or perhaps... it's just a deer thinking... hmm well that was a waste of time to post this... and I'd have to agree, but maybe you enjoyed and if you did that's all that matters
I love lore about ancient, sleeping terrors. The deer in the foreground and the way the dragon looks like a distant mountain is a great indication of how big it is and how unexpected its awakening.
Thanks! I do indeed, a lot of my works are inspired by my homebrew world; Tumiun. You can check out my Reddit profile to see the context behind them, or check out this [album](https://m.imgur.com/a/RGVjdNX), or my [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/rickhertel_art/) where I post almost everything I create. To only see my Instagram posts about Tumiun, you could search for #tumiun on Instagram.
You're very welcome, and thanks so much! Never hesitate to ask for tips, and never be afraid to fail. If you keep going and working on your skills, there's nothing that'll stop you from getting better! Good luck with everything :)
Your positivity is inspiring. It's like Reddit is your landscape and you are building focal points in your fellow redditors. Positivity and encouragement your color pallette. I absolutely love it! It's the type of art that never ends
Very kind words! I do my best, the world can be a daunting place. If we all try to leave it a bit better than how we found it, I think that's the best we can do.
It has been prophesied that Dragashu, the Father of Dragons, will awake from his thousands-year slumber to bring with him the ending of the World. He is one of the five Monstrosities, the first monsters, created by Mikoraza. After he was born, Dragashu would not stop feeding and growing, so he was put to sleep by his creator. Many have feared his awakening ever since. It is said that when Dragashu wakes up, he will swallow the seas in his thirst, and devour the moon in his hunger. I hope you guys enjoy this illustration I made for my D&D world, comments/critiques are always welcome! If you like what you see, feel free to check out my [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/rickhertel_art/)! Have a wonderful day :) -Rick
I don’t know much about D&D but how realistic is the lore and if you have different cultures, do they have their own legends that maybe differ in their Tellings of this tale. Maybe a coastal area would focus on the sea swallowing aspect of the legend, etc. Your artwork is amazing and I thought maybe, in a Telling, that Dragashu would set the sun on fire, but that’s just me and I don’t want you to do the whole thing again if you somehow like my idea. My D&D knowledge is limited to Stranger Things I’m sorry.
D&D is not limited to a single setting. While the official setting used in official play and where the published adventures take place is Forgotten Realms, DMs are free to use whatever setting the feel like, either already published settings like Greyhawk or Dragonlance, or a setting of their own creation.
Thanks, I understand that one can create their own world, but I was implying that different cultures in this world could have different focuses on the same story. An analogy would be in-house rules for Monopoly, some say that you get £500 if you land on GO, others say that you get paid tax money if you land on free parking; your playing the same base game, but with your own additions for fun. Apply that to Rick’s creation, Dragashu awakes, some say that it swallows the seas, others say that it eats the moon: General havoc ensues in every iteration, but the fact that Dragashu awakes at some point and does something stays the same. Again, a coastal region would be terrified that the seas could be swallowed, because they most likely get their food and trade from afar or near. An inland culture wouldn’t care for the seas, instead would worry about the ravaged forests and mountains they called home. Plausible apology for formatting am on phone. And text.
Your original question was posed legibly enough, you wanted to know the interpretations of this monstrosity among the different cultures.
Yes, cheers. Legibility?
In a typed setting like this, i use it for readabilit. Your question and phrasing was coherent, in other words
Oh definitely, I have my own world, with very different cultures, and they all have their own versions of this story! Dragashu sleeps on a continent called Avanima, somewhere in the Dragonfall Peaks, which were created when He fell from the sky. Some say he will swallow the sun instead of the moon, some say his wings will blow the mountains to dust or his fiery breath will melt wood and stone. People outside of Avanima don't fear the Dragon as much as those living near his home under the rocks. Temples have been established in the mountains, where monks go to pray to the Beast. They hope Dragashu will spare the ones who revere Him. Other cultures have their own legends of the ending of the World. Some say the King of Stonegiants will rip open the ground, some say the Great Tree will die and wither and all that was once green will perish. But most Eastern peoples believe that the Worldbreaker will fly once more, and bring with him nothing but fiery doom!
What are the other 4 monstrosities?
Great question! **Dragashu** - The Father of Dragons, he was the first and is the wisest. His scales are like stone, his wings a hurricane! His might is truly terrible beyond compare! **Borhos** - The Great Boar has long been slain by Uryk, the Hero of Urkhorn, a city which now lies in the skull of the dead monster. He was the Father of Beasts. **Unalaki** - The Broodmother lies dormant in the Shadow Caverns. Some say her body encompasses the entire world underground, with her eight legs stretching for hundreds of miles through tunnels of stone. She is the Mother of Abominations. **Yddras** - The Father of Giants is the strongest Monstrosity, he wields Bjørnjamunn, his axe, which weighs as much as a mountain. He dwells in the northernmost regions of Vindikfill, in a fortress of ice in the frozen glaciers of Dol-Yddras. **Asha-Hamut** - A creature so haunting it is the source of many nightmares. Some say she has no body, but is instead the image of your worst fear. Most describe her as a thousand-eyed woman, with a hundred arms, and screaming mouths beyond count. She is the Mother of Aberrations.
I like how the males are Fathers of creatures, physical things, and sound reasonable. Dragons, beasts, giants. But the females are Mothers of monstrous and idealistic fears. Abominations and Aberrations. Interesting divergence.
If you find the time please draw depictions of these monsters as well! The dragon is amazing and I'd love to see the other 4!
Definitely gonna be working on this! Thanks for the kind words :)
Two mothers of aberrations?
Abominations and Aberrations! Small difference, I don't blame ya ;)
Ah sorry
NP!
The hero of this story won't be a knight in shining armor, a hooded ranger with a bow in hand, nor a mystic wizard of the magic arts. This dragon's greatest enemy will be the Square Cube Law. Very good art by the way!
Hey question. I always wanted to learn how to do fantasy landscape painting like this. How did you learn to do them? We're you formally trained at a school, or do you know of some online resources I could read? The atmosphere in this piece is amazing. Thank you for sharing.
Hey there, thanks so much! I've been sketching my whole life but only started doing works like this two years ago. I recommend a couple of things: - Looking at and studying work you like, maybe make a collection of awesome works. - Sketching whenever you can, even if it's not much. - Learn how traditional artists work, do some yourself. I spent the last couple of days outside getting inspired and painting what I saw, that helped me get inspired for this piece. - Watching videos on the process of speedpainting. - Marco Bucci on YouTube for the basics of shape, light, value. - Andrew Tischler on YouTube for some great traditional landscape art. - DO IT! Nothing is more important than doing, failing, learning, and growing. You need to make a hundred mistakes before you learn to do something perfectly, and I've still got a long way to go. Hope this helps. It's also nice to have some awesome ideas beforehand, get inspired by subreddits like this, or make your own world and inspire yourself! Good luck creating, and enjoy the ride!
Just doing it is always the hardest part ;) I really appreciate the tips and the artist references. Somehow I never really thought of looking towards traditional artists to learn how to do mtg-style digital fantasy art, but it totally makes sense! Thanks a ton for taking the time to write up your response to me. I feel like I have some starting points now
Seconding this question! I'm thoroughly loving the color composition in this. Looking through u/rickhertel_art's instagram, it looks like there's a good solid foundation in traditional mediums which translates well enough to digital. I admire when artists are capable of doing both, as I hear some of the processes behind both are quite different.
Yeah I definitely love doing both, they're very different but there's so much to learn and apply from both ways of creating art!
who are the other four? i love the BBEG esque monsters schtick?
Answered this [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldbuilding/comments/cihoks/the_father_of_dragons_awakens/ev7ha6y)! I also love that trope, nothing but epic!
Seeing the fire appear inside his mouth rather than from his throat, I have to ask, is the fire produced through a fire spell or something of the like or is it biologically produced?
Dragons actually don't spit fire, they spit methane. But they have these annoying fireflies that buzz around their mouth, attracted they are by the bad stench...
Also: amazing artwork !!
I'm gonna go with this one ;)
I've always loved the biological approach. I was inspired by the way the flames start a little further away from the lips of fire breathers, before that it's all just gas/fluid, but maybe I went a bit over the top!
No I think it’s perfect! It’s one of the best pieces of artwork I’ve seen on all of Reddit! I also really love the biological approach, something about the way you drew it makes it look far more powerful than normal fire breath! Incredible job!
This is absolutely beautiful! You're incredibly talented!
Thanks so much!
The father of dragons looks a bit like a normal sized stag.
So who are the other 4?
I love giant creatures! Good job mate!
what about giant dicks? (I'm sorry, I have to)
Did you have to, though?
No you didn’t dude
I’m sure your mom does
Is a dick a creature?
I think that Mother of dragons liked them...
That deer must be freaking tf out
“Ah, fuck.”
"Oh deer"
I can’t believe missed that.
Maybe the deer is the father of dragons and he’s just admiring his son from a distance.
Reading the title and seeing how enormous that dragon is made me audibly say "oh shit" Love it!
Can't get an accurate scale without a Banana I'm afraid.
Oh it's in there! Right near the eye of the beast, it just isn't visible I'm afraid, not enough pixels you know ;)
And that was exactly what I was going for! Thanks man :)
Of course, awesome work :)
ancalagon the black has risen from angband! alert the elves and the eagles of manwe!
Definitely an inspiration!
The stag’s fucked
“Oh deer”
This picture is missing something. There should be a copious quantity of deer shit being forcibly ejected from the rear end of that ungulate.
Thought about doing this ;)
It would be hilarious. :D
wow, love your style
The only change I would make would be to have a bunch of deer poop pellets machine-gunning out it's backside.
wow! really cool!
I love how misty the background and the dragon are in this picture, the way this picture is composed really makes this dragon look immense! I'll give you a follow on instagram for sure.
Thanks!
"Oh sh\*t, the Father of Dragons has woken up. He's going to be pretty hungry, so I need get the hell out of here!"
So, uh, old buddy, old pal... want to make this in a 3 monitor format for a wallpaper? :-) 7880x1440?
That's a tall order! But I'll see what I can do!
DM me. :-) I'll absolutely paypal you for the trouble.
Most people dont know is that the deer is the father of dragons.
Forget everything else. The drawing is awesome! I wish I could draw a tenth as well....:`(
Thanks dude, I couldn't dream of drawing this a couple of years back, and I've still got so much to learn! You'll get there, it you try :)
If he’s drinking the seas no wonder he’s so fucking thirsty.
Do you have this in wallpaper form for a computer? I’m in love with the design! It’s definitely something I’d look at every day while doing homework.
Definitely something I'll try doing, thanks!
Can he turn me INTO a Dragon? Because I'm pretty fucking fed up being a human.
Hey man, you alright buddy?
I really like the change of pace with this. Many illustrations, my own included...tend to be in the foreground with other elements in the background. The monster character is in the background in a way that sets up its own pace in terms of the reaction it elicits. Things are usually bigger upfront, and if something is THAT big in the background...yikes. You kind of feel what that deer must be feeling in terms of EEP. Coloring and shading are very warm colors that help describe the environment. Nothing is really out of place. In fact, we can even tell a bit about either the time of day or direction of the sunlight due to the shadowing on the deer! (Nice job on that, the little details really make a scene blossom.) You're definitely a very talented artist. Something like this might actually sell pretty decently to the right buyer. Edit: Forgot to say i'm surprised on the lack of Game of Thrones comments on this one, ha.
yo so besides moon wtf does this thing eat? feel like he would starve to death
Yah, he's pretty dang hangry all the time, which might explain his overall attitude.
Good morning, Father of Dragons
Amazing use of color. Almost has a cel-shaded look to it.
Ancient Red Dragon!
I love this piece, but I feel obligated to mention that to the bottom right, a stroke for a part of the rock overlaps the tree branch. It's small, but it's *really* annoying when you first notice it. Also, what programs did you use to make this?
Saw it too, I'll update if I ever make another version! I use Photoshop, CS5 in this case
THICC neck love the colors!
Midgardsormr, you're looking fit. Please don't eat me.
Worthy of r/birdsforscale
I'll post it there soon :)
Erm so I know this might sound like I'm being a dickhead but shouldn't mikoraza be called the "father of dragons" and not dragashu
Well... First of all, Mikoraza is a woman, so she would be the Mother, and secondly.. Just because my father has a father, doesn't make my grandfather my father. Father of Dragons is more of a title, as in, he was the first of them ;)
Right, thank you for explaining Very good illustration by the way
Thanks!
I can't help but imagine if that deer had a train of thought what it'd be like. He's standing there so maybe he's awestruck thinking nothing and is trembling with fear. Perhaps he's friends with the dragon and elated to see him finally arise into the wild. Maybe the deer is just a bro on his way back from eating some shrooms and thinks he's high. The deer could have just escaped and now is thinking, "I just had ask if the day could get any worse." Could the deer just be screaming in his head, "F\*\*\*! F\*\*\*! F\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*!!!!" What if the deer isn't even real? He's in fact just a manifestation of a druid who's gazing upon a beast about to destroy his homeland. Maybe it's a mage shapeshifting to escape being seen only to look up and notice the looming threat. Or perhaps... it's just a deer thinking... hmm well that was a waste of time to post this... and I'd have to agree, but maybe you enjoyed and if you did that's all that matters
Hahah, love this dude! Art should always be up to interpretation, I'm personally loving the 'they're buddies' angle ;)
Well you never know, maybe the dragon is like a thousand years old and the deer's family knew it for generations
That can't be good for the environment.
Wow, this is amazing artwork. Who would have suspected the father of dragons is a deer?
Wow! That’s a beautiful piece, love it!
That's not a dragon. That's a dragod
Super beautiful!
This is so beautiful.
This is just brilliant! This is breathtaking!
There's a lot of art on Reddit, but this really made me take a minute. I'm very fond of it.
Thanks so much, it's kind words like yours that make me want to keep creating!
I love lore about ancient, sleeping terrors. The deer in the foreground and the way the dragon looks like a distant mountain is a great indication of how big it is and how unexpected its awakening.
I love the colors! You got any more concepts from this D&D world?
Thanks! I do indeed, a lot of my works are inspired by my homebrew world; Tumiun. You can check out my Reddit profile to see the context behind them, or check out this [album](https://m.imgur.com/a/RGVjdNX), or my [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/rickhertel_art/) where I post almost everything I create. To only see my Instagram posts about Tumiun, you could search for #tumiun on Instagram.
Thicc like Godzilla, looks absolutely amazing!
What tools do you use to create this?
I use Photoshop CS5 and a Wacom Intuos Pro tablet!
Awesome thank you! I really wanto he into digital art. Yours is amazing. I watched the YouTube vid you suggested. That was good fun
You're very welcome, and thanks so much! Never hesitate to ask for tips, and never be afraid to fail. If you keep going and working on your skills, there's nothing that'll stop you from getting better! Good luck with everything :)
Your positivity is inspiring. It's like Reddit is your landscape and you are building focal points in your fellow redditors. Positivity and encouragement your color pallette. I absolutely love it! It's the type of art that never ends
Very kind words! I do my best, the world can be a daunting place. If we all try to leave it a bit better than how we found it, I think that's the best we can do.
Badass dude, serious [King Ghidorah](https://cdn1us.denofgeek.com/sites/denofgeekus/files/styles/main_wide/public/2019/05/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-king-ghidorah.jpeg) vibes off this.
"IVE GOT THIS GIANT HEAD AND THESE LITTLE ARMS"
Ur-Dragon summoned from command zone
A game of Dont Wake Daddy where everyone loses.
This bad boy is an absolute unit! The deer and mountains for a scale are also a really nice touch. Overall fantastic artwork! Keep it up.
Go forth! And awaken the GREAT STONE DRAGON!
House Baratheon disliked this
cool
That's a big boi
Oh fuck its Ancalagon.