Iam Pace

This image is attributed to E. Romanova. A massive statue in an artistically represented egg stands with its hand up. The sides of the eggshell have been carved into symbols and shapes.

This image is attributed to CloudVisual, a drone photography group.

This image is attributed to E. Romanova.

This image is attributed to Abato Helguera (Wikimedia Commons).

This massive 148-feet-tall (45 meters) effigy is named Birth of a New Man (Seville, Spain). It is one of the largest statues in the world.

The statue offers ideas for arcane sites in #writing and #ttrpgs.

#art #writingcommunity #photography #dnd
📷️: E. Romanova; CloudVisual; & Abato Helguera

This image is by photographer Léo Castro. A great expanse of white sand rests in stark contrast with a green forest. Between the dunes of the desert are beautiful turquoise pools, hundreds, if not thousands of them, between each dune.

This image is by photographer Cássio Henrique (IG: fotografodoslencois).

This image is by Wilson Santos Marques (Shutterstock).

Dunes of white stretch across an endless horizon, where rest turquoise pools amidst the crests of sand.

This is Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (Brazil), a wet desert.

#art #writingcommunity #photography #dnd #writing #ttrpg
📷️: Léo Castro; Cássio Henrique; & Wilson Santos Marques Shutterstock

Dolmen of Soto (Andalusia, #Spain)

Discovered in 1922, Dolmen de Soto is located in the municipality of Trigueros (Huelva), Iberia. Constructed between the Neolithic and Bronze Age ( 3000-2500 BCE).
#TombTuesday #Archaeology

The British Museum photo shows a six-sided, cube-shaped die carved from rock crystal on a grey surface. The six sides are numbered one to six. The numbers are represented by circular incised markings, which comprise of a dark outer ring with a dark dot at the centre. Length: 9 - 13 millimetres, width: 9 - 13 millimetres. Display lighting casts a shadow beneath the die.

Timeless design!

Roman rock crystal gaming die marked one to six like modern dice 🎲 1st-2nd century AD.

📷 British Museum www.britishmuseum.org/collection/o...

#Archaeology

The fluid and mesmerizing movements of sword dancer Titos Tsai offer inspiration for Bladesinger Wizards and College of Swords Bards.

You can find more of his performances on his IG account: titos_firedancer.

#art #writingcommunity #dnd #writing #ttrpg
🎥: Titos Tsai 笑炎舞者蔡宏毅

This image is credited to Sabina Berezina (iStock). An aerial view shows a circular open-topped holding tank. Around one edge is a folly in the shape of an ancient Roman aqueduct as well as a Roman-inspired tower. Across from these is gazebo and a folly of some Roman pillars, presumably to imply some ancient stone building.

This image is by photographer Christian Wenglorz (IG: christian.wenglorz).

This image is credited to Karstenknuth on Wikimedia Images.

The Prussian king Frederick the Great built a holding tank for the famed Sanssouci waterworks. The reservoir was decorated with a Roman folly.

The location is named the Ruinenberg.

#art #writingcommunity #photography #dnd #writing #ttrpg
📷️: Sabina Berezina; Christian Wenglorz; & Karstenknuth

The image shows a rectangular Roman dice tower (turricula) made of four copper alloy (bronze) plates with punched cut-out Latin letters and cut-out decorative patterns. At the bottom front is a stepped exit chute with small bronze bells attached to the opening. The tower is a Roman anti-cheating device. It has an open top and is hollow inside except for three staggered, downward-sloping plates, designed to randomize dice as they fall, ensuring unpredictable dice rolls. When the dice rolled out of the exit chute they rang the bells! There is a decorative dolphin either side of the stepped exit chute. The top of the front plate has two decorative pine cone finials. Height 25 cm. There is a single die shown next to the stepped base to illustrate how it was used. The front inscription reads: PICTOS VICTOS HOSTIS DELETA LVDITE SECVRI Translated as: ‘The Picts defeated, the enemy has been destroyed, play in safety’. Around the top of the three remaining sides, a second inscription made with cut out letters reads: ‘UTERI/FELIX/VIVAS’ translated as ‘Use happily; may you live well’. Found at a Roman villa at Froitzheim in Germany in 1985.

Roman anti-cheating gaming accessory!

This Roman ‘turricula’ (dice tower) was used to ensure a fair roll of the dice! 🎲🎲🎲

Dice dropped into the top, tumbled over sloping internal levels, and appeared randomly below.

From Froitzheim, Germany, AD 300-400

📷 LVR-Landesmuseum Bonn

#Archaeology

This image is by photographer Daniel Kordan (https://danielkordan.com/). A small shrine in Hokkaido stands on a shore. It is winter, and it is twilight. The land below is white with the coming snow and the sky above is pink with the coming night. In the distance can be seen forests over rolling hills. The foreground is gentle water reflecting the sunset sky.

This image is by photographer Daniel Kordan (https://danielkordan.com/). In the distance, a great cloud or thick fogbank passes by a mountain. Obscuring it save for its immense peak. The foreground is softly rippling water, and a single-sailed boat can be seen near the red shrine.

This image is by photographer Daniel Kordan (https://danielkordan.com/). The image shows snow-covered rocks beside the shore and the red and white shrine in the background.

It is winter, and it is twilight. The land below is white with the coming snow and the sky above is pink with the coming night.

This is the shrine at Lake Tōya in Ukimido Park (Hokkaido). Tōya is an active volcanic lake.

#art #writingcommunity #photography #dnd #writing #ttrpg
📷️: Daniel Kordan

Yeah, I noticed that, too!

The location certainly has a lot in common with fantasy maps and art pieces I have seen.

This image is credited to Katsikas pantelisjpg (Wikimedia Commons). A compact town of ancient stone buildings is nestled at the base of a towering cliff. The cliff's parameter facing the town is somewhat shaped like an elbow joint, allow the town to be nestled in toward the island's center. All of this is on an island devoid of trees but still green, nonetheless.

This image is credited to Katsikas pantelisjpg (Wikimedia Commons).

This image is credited to the Municipality of Monemvasia.

This image is credited to Athan Andreas (IG: athan_andreas).

Situated at the base of a towering cliff is Monemvasia, an island town surrounded by ancient walls.

It was an important trade hub in antiquity, and the ancient Greeks called it Akra Minoa.

#art #photography #dnd #writing #ttrpg
📷️: Katsikas pantelisjpg; Municipality of Monemvasia; & Athan Andreas

My photo shows the so-called ‘Trier Gold Treasure’ in a museum display case. It is a Roman coin hoard made up of some 2,650 gold aurei. The small round gold coins are spread randomly in a dense pile across a light-coloured display case surface. To the upper right of the coin mound is the broken bowl-shaped bottom of the original copper alloy vessel that held the hoard. The metal is coloured green with corrosion. Several gold coins are scattered inside the bowl. In the lower left corner of the display case is another large, irregular fragment of the original container. Museum information label: In 1993, a bronze vessel with 2650 Roman gold coins (aurei) is discovered in Trier. It is the largest Roman gold coin treasure ever found. The Aureus was in the 1st and 2nd Century the standard coin of the Roman gold minting with an average weight of 7.27 g, with a very high fineness of approx. 980/1000. The coins depict 29 different emperors, empresses or relatives of the imperial house. The oldest coins were minted between 63 and 64 AD, the youngest between 193 and 196 AD. The coins were inside the vessel, which was accidentally discovered by an excavator, rolled up in leather bags. The bags were decorated with leather straps and closed enamel seal capsules. The treasure revealed numerous secrets in its scientific processing: it probably did not represent private assets, but a state treasury that was carefully managed and over a longer period of time and enlarged. During a civil war, the gold coins were finally buried in a cellar in 196 AD and then fell into oblivion. Presumably the former administrator of the treasury took his knowledge of the hiding place with him to the grave.

The Trier Gold Hoard!

The largest #Roman gold coin hoard ever found!

More than 2,650 Roman aurei, weighing 18.5 kg, were discovered inside a bronze vessel wrapped in leather bags, during construction work in 1993. The coins date from 63 AD to 196 AD.

Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier 📷 by me

A one of a kind moment in Namibia's Deadvlei as dust, blown by strong winds, & illuminated by the morning sun, forms a stunning backdrop to the graceful dead trees which populate this unique part of the world.

#photography #landscapephotography #naturephotography #bluesky #landscape #travel #nature

This image is credited to Marc Ryckaert (Wikimedia Commons). Towering gray walls topped with towers rise beside a moat. Behind the walls is a keep and secondary buildings, all made from the same ashlar material.

This image is credited to Michiel Hendryckx (Wikimedia Commons). This image is much like the first, but the time of day and color correction are different. The reflection of the walls and keep can be seen on the moat's water.

This image is credited to Vlaamse Gemeenschap (Wikimedia Commons). The photo was taken in 1970. It is an aerial photo that shows the walls and moat around the keep.

Gravensteen, Dutch for "Castle of the Counts," was built in 1180.

It has been the residence of nobles, a mint, a court, a prison, and a cotton factory. It now functions as a museum.

#art #writingcommunity #photography #dnd #writing #ttrpg
📷️: Marc Ryckaert; Michiel Hendryckx; & Vlaamse Gemeenschap

This image is by drone photographer Giulio Groebert (https://giuliogroebert.com/). A soft veil of snow lies silently across the forested side of a mountain. The woodland is a mix of evergreens and deciduous trees. But, most notably, is a spire of natural rock jutting from the mountainside. The spire has been carved with stairs, windows, and doors. The rock is a brownish color, which sometimes indicates that it is relatively soft, like sandstone.

This image is by drone photographer Giulio Groebert (https://giuliogroebert.com/).

This image is by drone photographer Giulio Groebert (https://giuliogroebert.com/).

In Alsace, France, stands an ancient, crumbling tower that once incorporated part of the Vosges Mountains into its structure.

#art #writingcommunity #photography #dnd #writing #ttrpg
📷️: Giulio Groebert

This piece is by artist Lucy Bellwood. It depicts a black-and-white 19th-century sailor. The sailor is covered in simple purple tattoos. Each tattoo has a legend explaining what it means.

Artist Lucy Bellwood delves into the history and meaning of common sailors' tattoos from the Age of Sails into the 19th century.

While the meaning of each tattoo wasn't universal, it was a cultural element of Western European seamen.

#art #writingcommunity #dnd #writing #ttrpg
🖌️: Lucy Bellwood

Yeah, the place is pretty iconic in terms of a fantasy location—high walls, isolated location, and beautiful wilderness.

You can!

Tour agencies have regular visits to the location.

This image is credited to photographer Lutajuci Putnik (IG: @lutajuci_putnik). In a narrow valley surrounded by forested hills and rocky cliffs is a medieval fortress. Its tall walls are marked with high, square towers. At the center is a Serbian monastery with incredibly shiny domed rooves.

This image is credited to Luka Esenko.

This image is credited to Luka Esenko.

This image is credited to Zlatovo (Wikimedia Commons).

Manasija Monastery, nestled in the green mountains of Despotovac, was founded in 1406. During the 16th century, it became a center of learning and produced numerous illuminated tomes.

#art #writingcommunity #photography #dnd #writing #ttrpg
📷️: Lutajuci Putnik; Luka Esenko; & Zlatovo

Photo credited to travel blogger Olly Gaspar. A massive rock, shaped almost like an especially fat shark fin, juts from the top of a green hill. Zigzagging stills go up the side of this quite tall rock to an observation tower.

Photo credited to travel blogger Olly Gaspar. A distant shot of the jutting rock. This is the side that the stairs are not on. The area is quite nice looking. Rolling hills covered in lush woods and fields stand amongst many bodies of water. The white paint of buildings can be seen in the greenery.

Photo credited to travel blogger Olly Gaspar.

Photo credited to travel blogger Olly Gaspar. An image of a lady climbing the steep, stone steps to the top. There is a nice railing that looks like the banister you'd see in a manor.

El Peñón de Guatapé is a Catholic shrine built atop an inselberg, a geological formation where a precipitous ridge rises abruptly from the surrounding topography.

A natural rock tower holding a building offers ideas for #writing and #dnd.

#art #writingcommunity #photography #ttrpg
📷️: Olly Gaspar

Goetheanum (Rudolf Steiner 1920s) while it's usally considered Expressionist it carries alot of the aesthetic quality of brutalism. r/brutalism

This image is credited to Richard Hopkins (Wikimedia Commons). The photo shows a large chamber with a domed ceiling. Vibrant frescos are painted across the surface of the room. Against the walls are shelves upon shelves of books. The chamber is a multistory affair. At its center is a marble statue on a plinth.

This image is credited to Paul Bauer. A closeup image of the marble statue. The statue is of an adult man wearing Roman-esque attire.

This image is credited to Joisey Showaa (Wikimedia Commons). This is a closeup image of one of the towering bookshelves. The wood of the structure is old, and tome many tomes sleeping within it are leather bound.

This image is credited to Michelle Enemark. The photo shows more marble statues, which are roughly the same size as a person from age they depict.

The Österreichische Nationalbibliothek is one of the world's most beautiful libraries.

The 17th-century Baroque library holds one of the largest rare-book collections in Europe.

#art #writingcommunity #photography #writing #ttrpg
📷️: Richard Hopkins; Paul Bauer; Joisey Showaa; & Michelle Enemark

This image is credited to George Steinmetz. Across a landscape of smooth rolling hills are symmetrical manmade craters dug into the black soil. Within each crater is the green of life.

This image is by drone photographer George Cooper.

This image is credited to La Geria (Getty Images).

The volcanic vineyards of Lanzarote (Canary Islands) are as striking as they are otherworldly. Manmade craters dot the blackened landscape. Within the heart of each is the lush life of grapes.

#art #writingcommunity #photography #dnd #writing #ttrpg
📷️: George Steinmetz; George Cooper; & La Geria

This image of Sacra di San Michele is by Valerio Minato (www.valeriominato.it). It shows a heavy-stone monastery that looks like a fortress atop a wooded mountain. It is early night, and the colors of sunset are still bright across the sky.

This image of Sacra di San Michele is by Valerio Minato (www.valeriominato.it).

This image of Sacra di San Michele is by Valerio Minato (www.valeriominato.it).

Beneath the fire-bright clouds of a sunset sky stands Mount Pirchiriano. Crowning its woodland peak is the millennia-old Sacra di San Michele, a monastery built on the foundations of an ancient Roman fortress.

#art #writingcommunity #photography #dnd #writing #ttrpg
📷️: Valerio Minato

The Gate of Autumn
Some last colorful leaves before the reign of Winter begins.
Germany

#landscapephotography #landschaftsfotografie #fog

The Tunnel View
Madeira

#landscapephotography #landschaftsfotografie #fog

I think a section of one of the buildings reminds me of dorms at an old university.

I like the idea of a magical academy, personally.

This image is by the fantastic photographer Giulio Groebert (IG: giuliogroebert). Rising from a manmade lake is an orange castle? What color is that? Brownish? Faded brown? Anyways, it appears the main structure, a castle built in the style that has inspired fairytales, you know, the type with many conical-roofed towers. This one is more like a manor with a cluster of towers together attached directly to the main building. Anyways (anyways), there are other buildings connected by bridges to this central castle in the water.

This image is by the fantastic photographer Giulio Groebert (IG: giuliogroebert).

This image is by the fantastic photographer Giulio Groebert (IG: giuliogroebert). An old, yellowed floor plan of a single layer of the castle.

Upon artificial islands rise the fortified buildings of Kasteel de Haar.

Originally constructed in 1391, de Haar was destroyed by fire in 1482. The castle was restored in the late 19th century.

#art #writingcommunity #photography #ttrpg #dnd #writing
📷️ : Giulio Groebert
🗺️ : Het Nieuwe Instituut

Yeah, a number of realms are mirrors, such as the Feywild, Shadowfell, and, as you mentioned, the Ethereal Plane. And when they overlap, it can be like multiple photos overlapping.