The Knights of St. Hagan

I absolutely love obscure, niche props.  Dale Bigford returns to our pages with one inspired by Mike Mignola's "Hellboy" universe- the sigil of the Knights of St. Hagan.

A sigil cut from an ashlar block of a medieval chapel in Tavira, Portugal before its demolition.

Mike Mignola created this order of knights because in his own words "Everybody uses the Templars for this sort of thing but I like to make up my own guys so no one can tell me I got my facts wrong."

Featured in "The Chapel of Moloch" (where the sigil is first displayed) and "The Bride of Hell" The order formed at the Siege of Acre of 1291, Crusader Hagan Douglas, who was greatly regarded by the city's defenders, was captured and tortured by the Mamalukes before being beheaded and sent back to Acre to inflict a morale blow to the Crusaders.

At the last battle for the city, Hagan's headless body was resurrected and fought alongside his men. Although the Christians lost the city along with Hagan's body, the forty-seven knights that witnessed Hagan's resurrection survived and escaped. Inspired by the miracle, the knights founded the Order of the Knights of Saint Hagan in honor of the Crusader's namesake and patrolling the Holy Land in hunting the servants of "the evil one".

 

Not of This Earth

Artist Mark Arnold returns to our pages with this curious artifact discovered in the wreckage of a Roman-era ship.  Here's the tale.

The Dive of the Unknown: Unveiling the Extraterrestrial Relic

It was on our most recent treasure-hunting expedition, deep beneath the Mediterranean waves, that we stumbled upon a discovery beyond our wildest dreams. After years of searching, we had finally uncovered the remains of an ancient Roman merchant ship, lost to the sea over two thousand years ago. The wreck was a time capsule, preserving the stories of a bygone era under layers of sand and silt.

 

As we carefully sifted through the remnants of pottery, amphorae, and decayed wood, something unusual caught my eye—a glimmer of gold, partially buried under a layer of sediment. This wasn’t just any ordinary artifact. It was a fragment of something otherworldly, a piece of history that defied all conventional understanding.

 

Carefully, I brought the object to the surface. It was a broken piece of what appeared to be gold, yet its weight and texture were unlike anything I had ever encountered. The metal seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly sheen, hinting at secrets long forgotten. We sent it to the lab for analysis, eager to unlock its mysteries.

 

The results astounded us all. This was no ordinary gold; it was an extraterrestrial ore, something not of this Earth. Further investigation revealed that it had been worked by the hands of Arabic artisans over two millennia ago, perhaps passed through the hands of traders who traveled far and wide. But what was it? What purpose did it serve?

 

The piece, though fragmented, bore the intricate carvings of a creature—an unknown being, with a visage both mesmerizing and terrifying. Some experts speculated it could be a depiction of a long-forgotten deity, while others whispered a name that sent shivers down my spine: Great Cthulhu, a being from beyond the stars, immortalized in Lovecraftian mythos.

 

The relic is now mounted on a wooden base, preserved for all to see, a testament to the mysteries that lie beneath the waves and the strange truths that sometimes surface from the depths. Above it, the title plate reads:

"Extraterrestrial Ore, Crafted by Ancient Arabic Hands, Depicting an Unknown Creature, Perhaps the Great Cthulhu."

 

This discovery has left us with more questions than answers, a reminder that the past still holds many secrets, and that sometimes, those secrets are not of this world.

 

In truth, I shall be glad when it has gone from my possession and hangs in Miskatonic University for all to marvel, for it tasks me and I have known no peace since it came into my hands.

 

The Skunk Ape

The Real Schlitzie is back with another cryptid specimen.  This time it's the Humboldt Skunk Ape.  Click through to see his gallery showing both the finished and in-process bigfoot build.

 

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Maelstrom Edition.

Maelstron Makers brings us their take on the traditional Cthulhu idol, digitally modeled and then 3D printed in resin.

 

Coin of the Realm

Sapchoto created these custom coins for the players in his tabletop game.  They were 3D printed with models from Loot Studios and then painted gold.

 

Dwemer Heavy Armor

I love when a fan goes totally over the top with their passion for something.  Case in point, this incredible recreation of the Dwemer Heavy Armor from the Elder Scrolls game series.  It boggles the mind how much work Geonhdrio Crafts put into creating this masterpiece. 

 

Diamond Letterlock

Add a bit of tradecraft to your in-game correspondence with this tutorial on creating a diamond letterlock from the Hamilton Military Museum in Canada.  The folding pattern produces a visually interesting sealed document that would be perfect for fantasy games.   

Larval

Melavia of DarkWonderLand returns to our pages with these disturbingly realistic giant grubs.  I can't quite put my finger on why, but that milky white translucence is incredibly creepy.

 

 

Cthulhu Enthroned

Artist and sculptor Michael Locascio brings us this variant of the traditional Cthulhu idol with the Great Old One sitting on a stylized throne.  

 

Nightshade Class Wand

McCormick Wands returns to our pages with this Nightshade-class wizarding wand.  Hand-turned from purpleheart wood.

 

 

The Kryptoscope

I'm a sucker for prop scientific devices, and this one hits all my buttons.  Artist Pierre Jean Tardiveau brings us the Kryptoscope, featuring an array of nested lenses that...do something.

 

Chaos Knight

Sander Propworx returns to our pages with this Chaos Knight LARP armor.  Amazing sculpt, excellent weathering, and internal illumination.  What more could you ask for?

The Watching Tome

We've all perused a book, but what do you do if the book peruses you?  The talented Karen Main returns to our pages with this fleshy, three-eyed tome.

 

Icon of an Unknown God

Ebrahel Lurci returns to our pages with this intriguing icon for an unknown god.

 

 

Quick and Easy Prop Documents

Find yourself in need of a prop search warrant for a case you're investigating?  How about a paternity suit filing that potentially reveals a bloodline descended from the strange inhabitants of Innsmouth?  Then head over to legalfakes.com.  It's a gag website for fake legal papers, but the forms aren't half bad as prop documents for your tabletop games.  If you're looking for something a bit more realistic they're a perfect base for retouching.  Best of all, the site's paperwork is quick and free.

 

 

The Spirits Speak

Ravenloft was one of the first Dungeons and Dragons products to lean into props and handouts.  That legacy continues today in the current incarnation of the adventure, Curse of Strahd.  Illustrious-Elk-8968 decided to kick things up a notch by creating a wooden version of the printed spirit board featured in the module.

 

 

The Old Gent

The talented Mark Arnold returns to our pages with his latest piece, a bust of H.P. Lovecraft.  If you're interested in getting one you can contact him at cthulhuforsale-at-gmail-dot-com.

 

Stop, A Head.

Artist Tomas Barcelo brings us this horrible shrunken head.  And by "horrible", I mean awesome.