Dearest Thallie,
I left Kharanos yesterday an' I just past through the gates into the grand auld city of Ironforge. Th' blast a' heat an' smell o' brunstane from the forges an' furnaces in the centre o' th' city hit me as soon as I walked in and brought a cheer t'me heart. Dwarves arn'a meant tae live above ground.
I'm sittin' in Tinkertown waitin' fe th' Tram - infernal Gnomish contraption tha' it is - ta take me tae Stormwind. Me ol' friend Theodrus tol' me that there's a portal there that'll tak me straight tae th' top o' Mount Hyjal, an' anythin' that'll save mesel' two weeks on a boat is a fine thing, tae my thinkin'. Ye know just how much I like the water! Gie me dry land any time!
I stopped by tae pay me respects to Sara when I passed through the Military District on me way to the Tram (which is runnin' late, by the by). She still seems weighed down w' pine an' greivin' about Sully's death, but a right sight better than when I delivered his letter tae the poor lass. She whipped me up one o' her delectable meat pies and I showed her the drawing of our dear dwarfling that I made a'fore I left. I tol' her that ye'd ha' come tae visit yersel', but that ye're stuck at home takin' care o' the little one.
She mentioned summat interestin' tha I thought ye might want to know: The way Sara tells it is tha' by the time the first new snows fall on Loch Modan, Ol' gaffer Ironboots is set to be movin' tae be with his sons out Thelsamar way. I know that you're of Wildhammer stock 'n all, an' love livin' on the mountain, close to nature and the elements, but I've always dreamed o' movin' to the bright lights o' Ironforge. To have me own place near the great forge (nae tae mention how close we'd be ta Bruuk's place an' his world famous Cherry Grog!) an' tae be able to visit the depths of ol' Ironforge whenever it struck me fancy; well, lass, it would be a great thing.
The Tram's arrived. Magni's beard, I wish there was a way t'strap meself to th' seat.
Fannon,
Ironforge.
This post is part of Through Your Interface. A screenshot oriented blogging challenge put forth by Saz of World of Saz. As I never like to do things the easy way or the same way as everyone else, I am putting a unique spin on my screenshots: They will take the form of sketches and be accompanied by letters - written in character - from my Dwarf priest Fannon to his wife Thallie, and will tell the story of his personal journey through the dangers of Azeroth.
In our second installment, Fannon writes about the place where he dreams of living.
Oh, I'm getting all caught up in the story. Keep it up! Those pictures are wonderful too, they fit the theme perfectly.
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome! And I love the images! How did you make them? (If you care to share your trade secrets)
ReplyDeleteAlso, silly dwarf, the tram is never late. It arrives precisely when it means to. As per gnomish design. :P
Really like these shots. Great way to put a twist into the challenge.
ReplyDeleteKeep them coming!
- Jamin
Aralosseien & Jamin1993: Thank you! I look forward to developing the story and the "sketching" technique as I go. I'm not sure exactly where either will end up at this point, but I'm looking forward to the journey as much as you are.
ReplyDeleteVrykerion: There is no secret, really. Anyone with a basic understanding of Photoshop could get the same results. I used two different Sketch filters to get the look, and then created a parchment texture to put them on using two additional filters. After that, I used a special Eraser brush to do the edges.
The images themselves are a panorama photostitch of several screenshots; 7 for Ironforge Gates and 12 for Military District. That's what gives them the distinctive "Wide Angle" look.
I love the effects that you have given your images and I am absolutely loving your "descriptions" of them. I eagerly look forward to the tales of your next adventure!
ReplyDeleteI love the story you're making of Saz's challenge! I might just follow in your footsteps if/when I can find the time to finish a proper blog post. If only there were more hours in the day. Or I could function on less sleep.
ReplyDeleteI love the sketches, fantastic! I'm not sure if you'll have much time come Firelands to post more but look forward to reading more.
ReplyDelete