Tower of Sa Nora

In the early morning of a misty rainforest, an old, large vine-covered stone tower rises from a nearby tree-covered hill.

Lore

The Tower of Sa Nora is an edifice once belonging to the great sorceress Sa Nora, one of the Triumvirate hailing from the latter part of the fifth century. A noted non-human devotee of Auhel and follower of Jeyat Riye, the Way of the None, Sa Nora was an especially prominent dark-elven adherent of the god.

After the sacking of Nar Yake and the end of the war in 481, Sa Nora retired to the Songstress Forest, where she built and maintained this tower, itself constructed in the style of her destroyed home city’s watchtowers. Its battlements were decorated in various locations with the black discs of Auhel, and the symbol became central to much of its decor. Other than Arden, she had few visitors from outside the small, nearby settlements, and she is said to have died peacefully in her sleep in the year 549. Having no one to leave her assets to, having had no family and it being after Lord Arden’s passing, the tower fell into darkness outside the annals of history.

Atlas of Central Fao, Songstress Forest—North: Circle of Autumn

Techniques

This was a straightforward enough matte painting. Most of the major work was done in integrating the lighting and on painting the details (like vines, the sigils of Auhel, and some of the shapes) on the main tower, as well as integrating the tower into the forest. I also liked adding in fluffier leaves to the foreground tree on the right, using the same painting technique I used for the art in the Songstress Forest—North.