Dracula Pendant

This nicely done "Dracula Pendant" comes to us from Russian artist Valeriya Belova.  Wonderful craftsmanship.  Click through for a gallery of shots, including a well produced video.

 

 

Vintage Ocean Liner Passage Paperwork

The Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives hosts a fantastic collection of vintage ephemera, much of it aimed at geneological research.  It includes an extensive repository of classic-era ocean liner travel documents that would make ideal handouts for Call of Cthulhu and pulp games in the 1930s.  A passage contract receipt is just about the perfect "show, don't tell" clue for figuring out where someone came from or was planning to travel to.

 

 

Tiki Cthulhu

I normally loathe the whole "tiki Cthulhu" thing, but this... this I like.  The stylized Cthulhu idol comes to us from Tikiheadz, who specializes in carving tiki idols from concrete.  I like how it blends the forms of actual, historic tikis and the traditional Cthulhu depiction.  Most polynesian Mythos takes lean far too much into the kitschy Trader Vic's aesthetic, and I say that as someone who loves the cheesiness of 50s era "South Seas" theming. 

 

Dhingion Niginair Font

Looking for an interesting font for your arcane tome or spell scroll?  Check out Dhingion Niginair from Pieter Rottiers.  He's a prolific worldbuilder and conlang artist who has produced a number of languages and scripts for his fantasy world of Dardaniell.  If you're really into full immersion, click through on the link to download the font and take advantage of phonetic pronunciations provided to build a complete document. 

 

Idol of Hastur

It's rare to come across a depiction of Hastur that doesn't embrace his King in Yellow form.  Turkish artist Ebrahel Lurci brings us his take on the Unspeakable One, complete with a nicely done presentation case.

 

 

Three of a Kind

McCormick Wands returns to our pages with a trio of their "Aurora" style wizarding wands in Bolivian rosewood and maple.  As always, and incredible level of craftsmanship on display. 

 

LARP Cinquedea Dagger

Artedarme Workshop returns to our pages with their latest LARP weapon.  This time it's a recreation of a 16th century Cinquedea dagger, based on an original in the Metropolitan Museum collection.  If you're not familiar with this type of weapon you can learn more over on Wikipedia.  It was one of the few daggers designed for slashing instead of piercing. 

 

Free Call of Cthulhu Scenario- No Place of Honour

This is pretty cool.  Thomas E. Shkurti has released a free Call of Cthulhu tabletop scenario set in gaslight-era Australia. 

No Place of Honour is a tale of mystery, science, tragedy, time, and Victorian hubris, set deep in the Australian Outback in 1888. Investigators will be joining a medical aid mission to the remote mining settlement of Monument Station, which has been stricken by a mysterious plague- or, have the miners instead awakened an ancient, invisible killer?

The scenario includes 137 pages of slow-burn, sandbox exploration and investigation; with 6 full-color maps, 12 handouts, and 6 full-page illustrations, along with 6 pre-generated characters. It provides roughly 15-20 hours of play, and best accommodates a small group of 2 or 3 players.

The full scenario is available for free download from Google Drive here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kzbe9SAzUEmSycs1LHLsM1Lt6mxypo2L

Based on a quick read-through, it's an interesting period adventure with a great twist.  (You can find out more about that by clicking through to Mr. Shkurti's Reddit post and looking at the spoiler text.)  The complete adventure package includes an impressive collection of maps and handouts, exactly the kind of thing that's our bread and butter here at Propnomicon.

Kudos to Mr. Shkurti for an intriguing scenario and a willingness to share it with the community free of charge. 

 

 

The Deep Ones of Ancient Europe

This sounds like the first act of a Mythos story, but it's absolutely true.  

In the late 1950s the governments of Romania and Yugoslavia decided to move forward with the Iron Gate hydroelectric dam.  The project would create a massive artificial lake, impounding the water of the Danube and flooding the banks of the river.  Archeologists started to survey the soon to be inundated areas and discovered evidence of a previously unknown culture dating back to 7000 BCE.  The buildings were arranged in a complex geometric pattern, and excavations uncovered dozens of idols depicting human/fish hybrids.  Even stranger, it's the only European site where a "double sunrise" astronomical alignment has been found.

Author Dan Davis has a great look at the Lepenski Vir site over on YouTube.  It's just the thing if you're looking to incorporate some real-world inspiration into a Mythos scenario.  You can find even more information, including the effort to relocate the entire complex above the flood line, in the Wikipedia entry.

Great Cthulhu

This Cthulhu plaque WIP shot comes to us from Irish artist Eoin McMorrow.  I like how he's captured the organic shapes of a skull without directly mimicking a human skull.

 

 

Building a (Prop! Fake!) Bomb

Builder and former movie SFX artist Dave Fogler has a fun look at creating a prop bomb on a tight deadline for an upcoming film.  He starts with a collection of reference photos approved by the director for the the overall look of the device.  Then it's a matter of grabbing electronic bits and bobs to assemble the final prop.  That includes recreating the look of plastic explosives using a decidedly low-tech approach- coating a cardboard box in clay and giving it a coat of paint.

Bonus:  He actually pays attention to one of the biggest issues with a prop like this.  Once it's done, how to you send it through the mail without having a SWAT team show up at your door? 

 

Babylonian Cthulhu Idol

BVDV14 brings us this recreation of the Babylonian Cthulhu idol featured in Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities series on Netflix.  It's based on the original design created by artist and designer Guy Davis, one of the director's long-time collaborators.

Using Wax Seals

Wax seals are one of the easiest ways to take tabletop RPG props to the next level.  Christina Makes Things over on YouTube has posted a great video covering the basic technique and some more advanced procedures.  That includes blending colors, highlighting, and the use of wax molds and sticker backings.  

Woman of the Woods

Model Margaret Kery brings us this stunning costume created by Brutal Workshop.  It's a good example of how layers of texture add to each other to create a cumulative impression.  You should click through to check out the complete photo series. 

 

Great Cthulhu

Danish artist Anders Lerche brings us this clay master sculpt for what is soon to be a latex Cthulhu mask.

 

 

Classic Era Camping Gear

One of the attractions of classic era Mythos gaming is the sheer romance of it all.  Much of the world was still terra incognita in the 1920s.  Expeditions to the dark corners of the earth (see what I did there?) were a prominent feature of pulp adventure in general and Lovecraft's work in particular.  Miskatonic University made a habit of exploring the blank areas of the map, with teams heading to Australia in "The Shadow Out of Time" and the infamous Antarctic expedition of "At the Mountains of Madness".

That's one of the reasons I love things like this in-depth look at period camping gear from Waypoint Survival.  Horace Kephart was one of the giants of recreational "roughing it" in the classic era.  If you find the video interesting you'll definitely want to check out "The Book Of Camping And Woodcraft" it's based on.  Digital copies are available for free over on archive.org.  

The Chalice of Babylon

Jason Soles of Gods Below has been producing some of the best Mythos and occult-adjacent artwork for years.  What sets his work apart, beyond his unique style, is that his castings are actual metal.  That includes this disturbing piece in bronze and sterling silver, the Chalice of Babylon.   

 

Soulframe Props

Artist Andrei Pék brings us his growing collection of Soulframe props, including a Witan dagger, Wevetseed, Dracs and Regatta board.

 

 

Play That Funky Music

The Museum of Cryprozoology and Occult Science brings us this creepy skull lyre made from a real human skull, antelope horns, skin, gut, and hair.  What makes it particularly notable is the sheer meta-ness of the piece.  It's a reproduction of an original in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art which itself was probably a gaff created in Africa.

"A highly unusual musical instrument in the Museum's collection is a lyre fashioned from a human skull. Although the piece has not been exhibited since before 1980, it gained fame in Jerzy Kosinski's 1982 best-selling novel Pinball—a rock 'n' roll mystery written for George Harrison—and perennially draws attention.

Not much is known about this instrument. It was purchased from an unnamed dealer at the end of the nineteenth century and was originally thought to have come from South America when it was cataloged in 1906, but was later reattributed to Central Africa. There is no known tradition to which this instrument may be assigned, although some have suggested it may have a symbolic or clandestine ritual use. Most likely it is a sensational item made by a clever indigenous entrepreneur for trade and profit with Europeans."

 

The Red Book

MilleCuirs returns to our pages with another fantastic project- the Red Tome.  This time it's hand-tooled red leather on a multi-layered geometric design, adorned with brass studs and inset jewels.  As always, absolutely beautiful work. 

 

I Have Been Driven to Madness

That's it, Cthulhu has jumped the shark. 

 

Spacesuit Costume

This incredible spacesuit costume is the work of Evan Ohl, a professional designer and costume maker.  It could easily be something from a high-budget film or television show, but it was actually created as a Cyperpunk:2077 cosplay outfit.  Click through to read some of the details that went into making it.  I'll warn you ahead of time that you're likely to spend quite a bit of time scrolling through his other work.

 

 

Cthulhu WIP

This brooding Cthulhu idol comes to us from professional creature concept artist Matt Millard.  If you're a fan of the Godzilla/Kong Monsterverse you've seen his work on the big screen.  I'm always fascinated how a digital sculpt translates into a physical 3D print.  

 

 

Making a Mummified Fairy

We've frequently featured the work of MonsterLabs Studios over the years.  Their latest is a detailed look at the design process behind a mummified fairy specimen.  It's an in-depth, behind the scenes feature showing the deliberate artistic decisions that go into making something truly memorable.  If you have any interest in gaff-making you should click through and read the whole thing.

Cthulhu Cultist Mask

Yeray Llinares brings us a 3D print of his digitally sculpted Cthulhu cultist mask.

Keening

This almost perfect recreation of Keening, the magical dagger/tonal tool from Skyrim, comes to us from Yugi-Wow.

 

 

The Gatsby Lounge

If you've been looking for a source for classic-era music, might I recommend The Gatsby Lounge on YouTube?  They have dozens of hour+ videos featuring jazz from the 1920s and 30s.  I'm not crazy about the AI-generated thumbnails, but the music selection is top-notch. 

 

LARP Stiletto

This excellent LARP stiletto comes to us from German artist Sander Propworx.  Cast in hard rubber with an amazingly realistic metallic finish.

 

 

Alduin's Wall

This 22" recreation of Alduin's Wall from Skyrim comes to us from Silverrend Props.  It looks like it will work out to one inch for every year between the release of Skyrim and the next Elder Scrolls game.  <rimshot> 

 

Tome of the Third Eye

The gifted Mille Cuirs returns to our pages with this Tome of the Third Eye, featuring a hand-tooled leather cover and inset green glass eye.

 

 

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Greencorn Edition.

This multi-eyed take on the traditional Cthulhu idol comes to us from artist Skylar Greencorn.   

 

"The Haunting" Handouts

"The Haunting" has been the introductory adventure for the Call of Cthulhu TTRPG for decades.  Over that time multiple keepers have gone all-in to make it a more immersive experience for players.  That includes MrKennyG41, who posted all of the handouts he collected and created to Google Drive.

 

Icons of Nyarlathotep

Ceramicist WestwoodFM returns to our pages with these icons of Nyarlathotep's Black Pharaoh aspect.

 

 

Cthulhu in Wood

Taiwanese artist Vincent Cheng brings us this primitive-style carved wooden Cthulhu idol.

 

 

LARP Morningstars

Artedarme Workshop brings us a pair of LARP-safe morningstars.  My mind is continually boggled by how far live action weapons have come since the old days of tube insulation and duct tape.

 

 

Hell Hound Trophy

The talented Grant Cross returns to our pages with this gruesome mounted hell hound head.  There are just so many levels of squicky at work, what with the pustules, the dripping fluids, and the rotting flesh.  

 

 

Carcosian Star Chart Fragment

Sean McLaughlin of base113 games brings us this very cool set of paper props:

"I originally just made the star chart with a couple of notes.  Trying to decide which version to go with, I asked around, and it seemed everyone agree that a version with notes was the best way to go.  So I decided to expand the notes a bit.  Using a floating frame I discovered amongst my various parts and pieces (still a pain to photograph well) I put together a slightly larger display than I first planned." 

He's been kind enough to not only detail the creation of the star charts, but provide the source files as well.  Just click on the link above.

 

Stop, A Head

The all-too-appropriately named Relics of the Blind Dead brings us this horrific cadaver head.  And by "horrific", I mean awesome. 

 

A Hobbit's Desk

Michael R. Miranda returns to our pages with this wonderful tableaux of a hobbit's desk, filled with a variety of prop documents and items.

As an aside, I've always wanted to run a hobb...er, halfling-only fantasy RPG campaign.  They're well known for being the only race almost totally immune to dark magic and eldritch influences, making them ideal delvers for locations filled with arcane corruption.  It would be a cozy mystery version of Call of Cthulhu, with a touch of Indiana Jones.