Rapacious Guttersnipe - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

Rapacious Guttersnipe

11 x 14 - Pencil on paper 

© 2017 Christopher Burdett

2451.8

            These beasts, nay, for beasts serve a purpose and have a place at the table of our Gods. These abominations have no place in our blessed realm. For these horrors are the manifestations of the tainted souls of the wicked and sinful. Those that turn away from the Gods and the path of Ascension are doomed to live again as monsters and cursed creatures. Those that seek violence, those that seek the flesh, those that speak in false tongues, these are souls that will return to plague us. Once a soul has turned away from the light of Ascension, it is forever lost to us. Dragged into the underworld, these souls are torn apart and reformed into horrors that wish only death to the living. One can imagine what these souls endure once they are twisted and remade into these abominations. Are they aware or are they no more than thoughtless monsters striking out in pain and confusion? The only kind thing to do is to end their existence as quickly as possible.

Perhaps one day our faithful and blessed Knights of Ascension will journey deep enough under the Bazaar to find a path to the underworld and the corruption that spawns these abominations. For today we can only hold them back when they claw their way to the surface. I have asked some of the High Scholars to push for an increase in the expeditions beneath the Bazaar so that we can stop these horrors at the source. Alas, my efforts continue to be slowed by those High Scholars that seek to study and learn from these monsters. What can we glean from this? The presence of these abominations in our temple can lead to nothing but the corruption of our most sacred and holy of places. I begin to wonder if the corruption has already taken hold in the temple and if these monsters have tainted the High Scholars. If this is indeed the case, I fear for the survival of us all.

Silas Illywacker - Student of Enlightenment

(Personal journal)

For more samples of my work head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Corrupted Knight - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

Corrupted Knight

9 x 12 - Pencil on paper

© 2014 Christopher Burdett

2451.2

            Many of our brave and honorable knights have ventured deep into the dungeons and caverns beneath the Bazaar to seek out the darkness that dwells there to purge it from our blessed realm. Many of our knights have gone forth, and many of our knights have never returned. What does return is a mockery of life, a mockery of our Gods. When the clothes and armor of our sacred knights return, they are not worn by beings of faith, but by horrid abominations born from whatever evil lurks deep beneath our feet. Our beautiful holy armor is warped and misshaped to suit these grotesque beasts. To the reason why these ghastly piles of oozing flesh need to adorn themselves with the armor of our knights has yet to be determined. Perhaps the armor is part of some demonic ritual. Maybe they mean to undermine our resolve and faith by reminding us of those who have sacrificed all for the temple. Whatever the reason, such blasphemy cannot be tolerated. I have asked the High Scholars to put forth a doctrine proposal to immediately kill and burn any beast found wearing the armor of the Knights of Ascension. While the proposal is still working its way through the consideration committees, I am optimistic that it will be accepted and implemented. We cannot allow for the good deeds and noble sacrifices of our knight to be corrupted by such monsters. For too long the Order has tried to glean knowledge of these monster's origins and reasoning. Some of the High Scholars even hope to communicate with these monsters to learn from them. This is of course pure folly. We give time to this threat the longer we allow them to walk the streets at night stalking the weak. We must act now to cleanse them from our world lest they endanger the purity of our temple. All those that were volunteered to seek out the darkness would want this. They would never want to have their deeds tarnished in this way, to have their sacrifice spit upon by such foul creatures.

Silas Illywacker - Student of Enlightenment

(Personal journal)

For more samples of my work head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com