Warning: If you browse this on terrible mobile internet, it’s gonna be slow, because some of these images are annoyingly huge. That said:
It’s time for more Dicember posts! My first post, a d12 roll table of magical arrows, can be found here. This time around I’ll collect and expand on the recent batch of image offerings which I originally posted over on Twitter/Instagram. However, that’s not all! Day 5 is all new, and it’s at the bottom of this post. If you’ve already followed along elsewhere you can skip ahead to the appropriate heading below.
Day 2: Ice
Frei: her slippered footfalls herald the sunless days of winter. In her wake settles the cool mist of night, and traces of her sorrow can be found in the sparkling hoarfrost that clings to windowpanes and twigs and branches, bare in their seasonal slumber. She is the wife of the North Wind, who is held captive by the King of Thieves in the ornate flying estate he stole from a djinn. Too frail to rescue him herself, she carries out her wintry duties with a heavy heart, crystal tears glittering off her cheeks.
If brave souls were to rescue the North Wind from the clutches of the King of Thieves, who considers his famed abduction of the Wind to be his crowning heist, Frei would be overjoyed. She would handsomely reward such intrepidity, gifting them her Chillbranch. The Chillbranch is a gnarled rod of rootwood with a pristine icicle held aloft by magic. Its frosty glow can freeze pathways across water, wilt plants, and even summon blizzards.
Day 3: Child
A d6 roll table – or, if you like, a drop table! The prompt was Child, which I felt a twinge of anxiety over for a half a second before inspiration hit. I wanted to incorporate a few takes on children rather than being strictly literal. The entirety of this was constructed in Photoshop while watching 8-Bit Christmas, which is a cute film in its own right. A few of these are based on cryptids, one of which hails from the same part of the world as I do. Some of these might be friend, some might be foe, some might herald the end of times for your campaign!
Day 4: Rage
Inspired by the suggestion of some historians that berserkers entered their furies by drinking tea of psychedelic mushrooms or possibly overindulgence of powerful liquor, I wanted something of a Mediterranean or North African sort of slant on it.
I imagine it sort of as a cursed bronze vessel which hisses like a supernaturally-malicious kettle when filled with wine. Any wine, from the rarest vintage of the wealthiest collection to the humble pressings of a destitute farmer, becomes imbued with hatred and rage by the violent presence trapped in the flagon. Spectral, threatening steam billows from it when its stopper cap is removed, filling the air with sharp, indistinct whispers that urge those who partake to violence.
Day 5: Blade
| Roll | The Fates Conspire to Present This Blade |
| 1 | Dursana: A sidearm derived from the long, wickedly-pointed knives of bear hunters, produced in great number by Brythunian blacksmiths loyal to the heretical crown in the bloody Ten Winter War. It has a plum-browned blade of fine steel and a riveted handle of cherrywood. 1d6 damage, value 10gp. |
| 2 | Scintillate: A broad dagger bordering on a short sword, akin to the Italian cinquedea. It is decorated with intricate geometric etchings which catch the light at many angles and give the impression of being highly faceted. 1d6 damage, value 150gp. |
| 3 | Corvus: A wickedly recurved dagger shaped like a raven’s beak and skull. Stolen in the first age by goblin vandals desecrating a temple of a death matron. Stolen back by an assassin in the second age; lost until the ninth when it was found again by a skald trapped in the charnel pit beneath the lair of a demidrake. 1d4+2 damage, value 250gp, makes the holder pass unnoticed by the dead while in hand. |
| 4 | Foxfang: Built as an arming sword for a gnomish nobleman, this blade is a graceful stiletto in the hands of the taller races. Its blade is engraved with an ivy motif and its hilt is masterfully shaped in the form of two foxes chasing each other’s tails around the blade. 1d4 damage, value 450gp. |
| 5 | Saber of St. Saulius: An heirloom blade of a theocratic royal line. In the fuller of the pale blue backswept blade is an inscription of dedication to the river god from whom life is said to spring, inlaid with gold. The hilt and guard are fitted with brass shaped like braids. 1d6 damage, value 725gp, possibly sufficient proof of royal parentage. |
| 6 | Gleam: Once the knightly longsword of a guardian sworn to protect the rightful heir to a throne beset on all sides by calculating cynics and would-be murderers. She fell in battle at the coronation of her charge, her duty fulfilled, her watch over, and her armor was installed to stand at the right hand of the throne. Gleam was lost with the sacking of the imperial palace in the First Year of Calamity. 1d8+1 damage, +1 to-hit bonus, value 1000gp, historically significant, may cast Light at-will, may cast Detect Evil once per day, INT 10, lawful and goodly. |
So far, Dicember is not just a way to confuse and frustrate my phone’s keyboard while it tries in vain to suggest Dicembre over and over – it’s also been a lot of fun! I have really enjoyed the prompts so far and the freedom to do things besides just ink art or whatnot has been very freeing and a lot more amenable to my horrendously overstuffed schedule. Kudos to Dyson for this format!
If you’re feeling up to it, head on over to Dyson’s blog for the official prompt list and get on board with us; there’s a number of us on Twitter posting links to our blog posts and there’s more besides simply doing this on IG and Twitter just the same.