Come Not Between the Nazgûl and His Prey (Fantasy WIP)

Hello!

Fantasy Month has returned!

I've recently learned that the Angry Company have their fingers in LOTR IP. So I guess I'm going to have to keep some of this month's LOTR content off patreon. But community members can still access the WIPs as mentioned in previous posts.  Just to be thorough, community members will receive an email with the access information as well.

So let's begin with one of the heavy hitters from the LOTR universe. The Lord of the Nazgûl, (also called the Witch-king of Angmar, the Pale King, or Black Captain) is the chief Ringwraith and Sauron's deadliest servant during the Second and Third Ages of Middle-earth.

The Witch-king of Angmar's real identity is a mystery. It's generally believed he was a Númenórean king or lord who succumbed to the power of a Ring of Power gifted by Sauron. He's most likely the guy in the middle of the LOTR intro. Over time, the ring eroded his will, extended his life, and eventually transformed him into an invisible, undying wraith bound to Sauron's will, forever erasing his original identity. The Witch-king is a constant threat throughout the trilogy and has performed many fell deeds. Some infamous highlights include stabbing Frodo on Weathertop, breaking Minas Tirith's Great Gate and slaying King Théoden of Rohan, before meeting his own doom to a Éowyn and Merry tag team.

So yeah, the Witch-King is definitely a terrifying villain and one of the epic characters from Tolkien's universe. That scene where the Ringwraiths surround the hobbits still sends chills down my spine. 😱 And every scene where the Witch King demolishes Rohan and Gondor forces on his Fell Beast is just peak fantasy. 👍 So visually, I've tried to make him as menacing as he was in the movies. The Fell Beast is still to come but I've got a couple of poses and his cinematic weapons prepared. I kind of want to do his spectral form but I'll see how things go.

Next up is Dragon Slayer Ornstein from the original Dark Souls. As his title implies, Ornstein is famous for helping the Nameless King exterminate the ancient dragons and conquering the world. He is also famous for wielding a great cross spear the Dragonslayer Spear. Combined with its wielder's great strength, could bury itself deep within a dragon's hide and cut a boulder in two. Notably, Ornstein was one of the Four Knights of Gwyn and their Captain. Artorias was also a member I did awhile back as some community members might remember. 😄 I'm not too familiar with the Dark Souls franchise so I won't go into two much detail about his character. But based on what I read on the wiki, there's apparently a conspiracy theory that Ornstein in Dark Souls is a golem facsimile. The real Ornstein left and is out searching for the Nameless King.

Anyways, a visual standpoint, Ornstein definitely feels different from the Dark Souls characters I've looked at. He's got golden armor and has a pretty vibrant appearance whereas every other character I've come across has a more undead and decayed visual style. My version more or less follows his original design and I tried to make his armor a little more ornamental with detailed engravings.

Next up is the Fell Beast and Monty Python characters. Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!