Hi Craig,
First off, thank you for the amazing art that you have already created for Shadow World. You bring the very visual world of Kulthea beautifully to life.
What more would I like to see brought to life? Wow, where to start?
Emer I (all page numbers refer to the first edition): - Any of the places of interest is part V is cool (p.89-100), but my personal favorites are:
- Gate of Yaera (p. 92-93)
- The Oracle of Syne (p. 98)
- The Skystone City (p. 80-82)
- The burning of Zinvar (p. 72)
- An Inquisitor of Zanar with a pair of Champions as guards (p. 106-107)
- Artha and the vineyards of Danarchis (p. 62-64)
- The Port of Izar with the 2 enormous lighthouses standing guard (p. 82)
- A meeting of the Ahrenreth (multiple sources but most details of participants are in the Powers of Light and Dark as well as the Master Atlas for Shar-Bu, and the old Emer Boxed set book p. 65-72 for location details)
Emer II (all page numbers refer to the first edition): - The isles of vog mur with the peak of Buir Dom and Voriig Kye the silver soaring above it (p. 53, 55, 60)
- The rough town of Xooba (p. 62-63, 125)
- The ruins of Thenia rising from the Vœrken Mire (p. 69-71)
- The Quadrangle Court during a ceremony (p. 82-89)
- The wreckage in the heart of The Forest of Ash (p.91)
- The streets of Orv Cibur (p.106-107)
- Iæn Shiin and Y-tarmen on the palace balcony overlooking the construction of Ardan City (p. 108-111)
Emer IV (the unspecified page numbers refer to the Emer boxed set): - The colourful and multi-ethnic life in the Kaitaine grand marketplace (p. 39-40)
- A Rhiani Tribesman, maybe in a caravan or a one of their tent cities (p. 37-38)
- The Charn Plateau with its windswept stone columns (p. 36, 39)
- The stepped terraces of Tiryn (p. 42)
- A Warlock of Itanis with 2 amazon warriors (p. 42-43)
- Denziens of the haunted White Wood (p. 39 as well as a separate free pdf adventure)
- The City of Dead (maybe of the Loari inventor/adventuress Selia Rendanaar of Námar-Tol fleeing the city, Emer III p. 24-25, and p. 11, 79-92 for more on Jinteni)
- An Alliance Jenaar emissary with her Kal-Chah bodyguards (The Powers of Light and Dark p. 58-60)
NE Jaiman (Wuliris) (the unspecified page numbers refer to the original Jaiman sourcebook): - At this stage we know very little of what will be in this book, but some of the likely staples will include:
- The magnificent spires of the Lu'nak forest (p. 3-4)
- The waste land of Zor. Although there is already some nice art on this (including a beautiful landscape made by you if I'm not mistaken), this place facinates me. Particularly the valley/canyon of Dansart (depicted in the grand campaign)
- Taranian technology, maybe the artifact that ended up desolating Zor (you need to talk to the man himself re this
- Ja’miil Targ and Sulthon Ni’shaang (p. 17, 19, 38-42, 75)
As for the cover art, I think the purpose is to both capture the essence of the area covered as well as intrugue the reader. So for Emer I, my thoughts are immediately transported to the Isle of Votania which lies literally at the center of the continent and is a major focal point in the history of Emer (dating all the way to a couple of hundred thousand years ago). I liked the art of the first edition, just wish it contained a little more action in it.
For Emer II, I see the threat and culture of Lankanok as central and unique. Maybe a scene of Lankani on Skrill herding slaves towards the city of Kenezan, with its pyramid temples in the background?
For Emer IV maybe a Rhiani fighting Charn raiders?
For NE Jaiman it's hard to say, but I think Sulthon and Ja'miil Targ are at the center of it or?
I could go on and on, but this post is already too long...