Ruined Castle Naerytar - Illustrated Scene

Illustration by Yans Velazquez

Each month, I try and pass along the generosity you show me by employing other artists to create a variety of illustrations, portraits, magical items and other works of art that can be used in your games at home, whether they be homebrew or official modules

This week, I wanted to highlight one of those pieces -- one of the many locations from the well-known module, Hoard of the Dragon Queen -- Castle Naerytar!

Castle Naerytar is located in the Mere of the Dead Men and served as the base of operations for the Academy of Stargazers in the 14th century DR, and now as an outpost for the Cult of the Dragon in the late 15th century. The castle is located about two day's travel from the Western edge of the Mere and its surroundings are difficult traverse, with muddy terrain and cold temperatures.

The castle's top floor housed an observatory that contained a magical telescope known as the Farseer of Illusk, which could be used for both astronomical and ground observations. The device had been installed by the Academy of Stargazers, but fell in disuse after their disappearance. By the time of the Cult's occupation, it had fallen into disrepair due to poor maintenance over the many years.

This is the base map, which portrays the main level of the castle, as well as the two camps without -- the lizardfolk and the bullywogs. The castle contains several different chambers, and everything has been detailed as the module describes with a handful of liberties taken here and there. Similarly, I've detailed the two camps, as well as the lizard pen.

I've also included the 2nd and 3rd Floors of the Castle as transparent PNG tiles that can be layered across the base map in your VTT, as players make their way up the castle. Each level is fully detailed and creates an immersive experience for the players. The map is also sized and designed for play on a 5' x 5' grid, instead of the 20' x 20' grid provided in the module, which should make VTT game play a lot easier and more immersive for your players.

The castle also held a lower level, which I detailed as well.

I hope you enjoy the piece and seeing where some of your support goes!

If you're not yet a Patron, consider joining to help support other talented artists! =)

Best,

Jeff @ Morvold

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Castle Naerytar is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.