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The Mother
🕑 Added 2021-03-04 17:01:01 +0000 UTC#3 Color vote from February, suggested by Starcat13!
Deep in the forest, Laura meets Willow's "Mother" - the source of the fay.
Willow's mother was originally a beautiful young dragon, one of the very first born. As a child, she was a rambunctious risk-taker, having been told by her own mother that dragons were immortal, and thus she had nothing to fear. But one day, she became injured, and was told to be more careful. That even though dragons were biologically immortal and would never die of old age, she could be killed like any other creature.
The thought terrified the young dragoness. Not just the thought of death, but the idea that, unlike other creatures who had finite lives, when she died, she would be missing out on a potentially infinite life she could have otherwise lived, and that no matter how long she lived, it was inevitable. Death became a specter, lurking everywhere. She needed safety.
One day, she found an enormous field of black mana crystals deep in the forest. Black crystals commonly form around battlefields where many have died. She could feel their power and was sure this was the answer to her fears. She fed off of them, believing they would last her forever. And though the crystals shrunk only imperceptive, year after year, they did eventually begin to run out. By then her natural dragon magic had been entirely replaced by the substance made from souls, and she desperately needed more.
Fearing to go out herself, she used her shapeshifting in an unnatural way and split off pieces of herself to send into the world outside her forest. First to gather black mana from other battlefields and places of death. And then, when those sources became rarer, to find any people who have died recently and bring their life force back. When even that wasn't enough, in desperation, she sent her wisps to lead wandering travelers astray to their deaths. The more she split herself, the less like a dragon she became. Travelers would come to call the strange creatures the fay.
Willow was one such creature, a wisp, but became lost and eventually developed her own personality, and a fear of ever returning to her "mother" else she might consume her once more.
But you know, other than the murdering, she's pretty nice.
Comments
Netari Icefyng
poor dragon.
Glenn Sellers
"But you know, other than the murdering, she's pretty nice." Well, everyone's got at least one flaw.
Naoto Kamigire-Terumi
O
Naoto Kamigire-Terumi
Will
Muddypaws
You could start a whole new comic just on this short story. Wow!
Burgafrickle
Holy whoa
Kyle Cope
I loved this sketch and didn't expect it to get this dark soo fast... I hate creatures who fear death soo much that they commit atrocities in the pursuit of limitless life, life and death are completely natural and beautifully bittersweet
donutguy
ooOOOOoooo! I didn't know I needed a new wallpaper, but apparently I did!
Blackjack
Such an amazing job on both the painting and the lore!
Mediawatcher
I would love to see an entire project dedicated to willow and her story, it’s so intriguing
Elijah Jackson
I was thinking of "The Pale Lady" from Skyrim with all of the wisps
ElderScrollsMekkan
The lore for this is incredible! Though I wonder - does she still exist by 482 CE? If so, our heroes - especially Trace - had better tread carefully while they travel on Also for some reason I'm reminded of the Zerg with the Mother and the fey swarm - and that is freaking cool!
Ordithus
This is really cool and nicely done! Interesting backstory. Lots of themes there that would be fun to explore further. I really like that immortal's fear of death. Would make for a good short story... or comic! New wallpaper get.
VitAnyaNaked
An amazingly touching story ... These colors still look so wonderful! She is gorgeous!
CrimsonQuill086
This is even more horrifying than the sketch! The wisps behind her look like lost souls, wailing and wandering! (Also, is Laura giving her the middle finger?) The Mother is a horrific being...I would not wish to meet her at all. Once again, Tom, you've shown your strength with character building-the Mother's fear is very interesting, and to her it makes sense, but in truth, it is the start of madness...and look what's become of her! She is decayed, fallen...the forest she rules over is sick and twisted. And yet, this is horribly plausible in how it could happen...and she believes, through it all, that she is still good. What could be more horrifying than someone who truly believes that they are in the right, and commit so many atrocities?
Cliff Warden
Is it weird that I can see a possible sitcom in this premise? "My mom is a friendly dracolich" I can just imagine Laura being a fan of it in the modern AU.
Fuchsjunge42
Laura's re-life insurance is about to go up again.
Amazing work, this is definitely going to be my new background art!
Saberbeam
Dang it, just as I was really appreciating the sense of majestic dread too 😂 Well played! :D
Roughlandin
Watch out, Laura. Willow's Mom has hungry eyes, and something tells me those tentacles are the wrong kind of inappropriate. Awesome lore drop and super cool lighting and liquid effects! Really neat to finally see the default state of the wisps in the background, too! Thanks, Tom!
Roughlandin
Mother: "Oh, my. Aren't you a lively little... soul. I do so love it when one of my children brings a... friend... for dinner." Laura: "Hee-hee! See, Willow! I told you your mom would like me!" Mother: "Like you? Why, I could practically... eat you up." Willow: *Panicked Wisp Noises.*
Ryan W. Anderson
I LOVE the backstory here. I may steal this for D&D...
ThirdKind
Next suggestion I bet will be someone asking to see Mother and Nora playing together as childhood friends. I just see head canon that those two knew each other.
ThirdKind
An excellent piece of Lore Tom. Well done.
Vatruvius
What?! Something cool and interesting became terrifying and horrible with that back story. Good art, well drawn, I want no part of it.
Brigham Garoz
Laura (with Steve Irwin's accent): croiky! That's a DRAGON, ladies and gents! One of the most ancient and powerful creatures. One bite from that maw could end me instantly. One simple thought from that creature, and POOF, I'm a goner! ...I've got to touch it!
ChampionOfBagels
The world building to this one is too damn good. I'm having trouble describing just how cool this is.
Totaletatier
Beautiful
OnkelInferno
absolutely awesome, great work Tom.
DiDiDi-X
This looks absolutely astonishing. Amazing work Tom.
ChampionOfBagels
Hell yeah, I was looking forward to seeing this one colored
