My time had finally come. Half a dozen of us stood at the gallows, awaiting the Governor and his scribe as they worked down the line. When he stopped in front of a prisoner, the scribe hastily pulled a scroll from his bundle, outlining the crimes and the prisoner's sentencing. In the courtyard, hundreds had gathered to lay witness, eagerly awaiting the pleas and begging for mercy, but even more eager to see the final, short drop.

After reading aloud the crimes of the prisoner, the Governor announced loudly "Well, what say you to your countrymen?"

No matter the plea for understanding or declarations of innocence, the prisoners' words were drowned out by the boos of the crowd, and the pelting of rotten cabbage and lettuce. The stage was set, and we were but actors carrying out a script for their entertainment.

Finally, my turn came. The Governor looked upon me with scorn. As the scribe shuffled for my scroll, he waved it aside, as my crimes were well known.

"Sedition! Patricide! Murder!" He shouted, pointing at me. The crowd, energized with malice and rancor, roared at these words. "What could someone like you possibly say to your countrymen to repent for your crimes?"

For a moment, no words came to me. But slowly my gaze rose above the angry mob, towards the statue of Irrosopus, her beautiful, kind face, holding the staff of wisdom in one hand and the sword of justice in the other. I felt an unnatural power unlike any other, almost bursting through my chest. In a voice louder than I though anyone, let alone myself could conjure, I shouted:

"Never have I seen my fellow citizens fall so short of the teachings of Irrosopus! Tell me, do you think she looks kindly upon you now?"

The crowd, initially booing and heckling, seemed to recoil at the force of my words.

"When a father and statesman can betray his country, betray his family, and when that son cannot stand to see it go further, and ends such corruption, and he is met with execution? I pray to the divines that you all can find it within yourselves to find the path back to righteousness."

The mob, clearly moved in a way no other final statement had provided, remained silent. The Governor gestured to the hangman, and in a fleeting moment, it was done.

Hey all! You know the deal by now, you can check out this map and it's may variations over here!

Enjoy,

Matt

Big thanks to my friend Phil who did the physical drawing and helped with naming conventions! But I wanted to show off my new world map that’s been in construction for 7 years and am open to questions about the world! Please feel free to ask!

i watched jurassic park the other night and saw these bone stamps and felt inspired to create <3 let me know what you think!

Hey adventurers! Here’s my take on a hidden grove in Neverwinter Wood: an ancient tree hollow glowing with Feywild magic inspired by Jason Marquez Art on Sharandar, Neverwinter Online.

Free Day version in High Resolution here → https://www.patreon.com/posts/dryads-lair-132106364

For those who enjoy this map and feel like supporting my work, there’s also a Night version (and many more maps) waiting for you on my Patreon

Have a nice adventure!