E.O.W Round 7: Winter Battlefield

[Red_Rook]

E.O.W. - #007: Winter Battlefield

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/images/EOW.jpg



Round #007

Topic:
Winter Battlefield

You MUST include a description or backstory this round, or your image wont be taken to poll. Good luck!

Congratulations to the winner of Round 5 (Fungal Tunnel) - sketchling

I hope this one is simpler then the last round and kinda sticks the the incoming christmas season ;)

Deadline:
Sunday, 4th December 2005

[Kenny Fuller]

Red, who comes up with these great ideas? ;) Thanks for another kool challenge. Hopefully I can work on this one... I'm gonna try, I must go on...

[auden100]

Whew, I guess it's kind of early, but I was pretty happy with this one already. Might work more on it later.

After a crash landing on the planet Corrinus XII, Commander Vendrin is greeted by an icey sleet and the belligerent guards of an illegal mining operation.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/auden100/EOW7bweb.jpg

[Zeitwolf]

is this allowed to be about sports?

[auden100]

I think that's a sweet idea, zeit. I say go for it.

[sketchling]

Something at my work means I can get away with painting wintery scenes... thats luck!!! Here is todays WIP then. will see where it leads, but I wanted to give the feel of an assault on a icy stronghold over a huge expanse of ice.

Not sure what the story is yet, but I keep thinking of tribes2 for some odd reason. :)

http://www.sketchling.com/artwork/2005/Winter_battlefield_WIP.jpg

[vigostar]

thats awesome sketchling.. that one is going to be hard to beat...

[Kenny Fuller]

Sketchling, love the lighting and atmosphere.
Auden, nice dramatic angle.

[bumskee]

awsome entry sketchling, can't wait to see the finished piece. I think I am going to attempt yet another EOW, hehe.

[sketchling]

argmisfit: try cropping the image till the composition looks right.... or using this one as a mood reference for the next one... the more times ya do it the better you will get at it. Also find yerself a bit of photo reference of a similar scene and likley as not you will see so many cool things to enhance your piece. Reference is the best way to learn environments I think.

[sketchling]

Second Work in Progress... still got to add a human element, but the composition is working better for me with a bit of foreground and background going on. I have a story in mind but will save for later :)

http://www.sketchling.com/artwork/2005/Winter_battlefield_WIP2.jpg

[Badger]

Kim you are still a bastard...
Silly matte painters....
Silly curly hair...
Seriously rocks man, love the shadows on it.
The red is a bold choice, i'd like to see what you through in there.
Take care man, you seem to have changed leagues recently.
-B-

[Hideyoshi]

http://www.hideyoshi-ruwwe.com/images/winter-battlefield_small.jpg

Waiting in the crisp air we are anxious to be wittnesses of the 12th Titan War that will be taking place where it always unleashed since the great "Chilldawn" had reached earth in 2088 - the cold and barren arctic regions in the Gamma sectors...

[vigostar]

holy moly... this is going to be a grunt battle between sketchling and hideyoshi

[bumskee]

awsome Hideyoshi & sketchling. sweet entries.. I think loomer is going to enter this round too..

[Zeitwolf]

sketchling, hideyoshi - very well done! ice and snow, *shiver*

[auden100]

Alright, I redid mine a bit. So here's my entry clarified and without the characters, because I don't think I conveyed the scene well enough.

Deep within a crevasse of a massive glacier, a small crew mans an illegal mining station harvesting the rare atmospheric gas buried inside. On this particular night a small blue craft appears to crash land in the glacier wall.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/auden100/EOW7cweb.jpg

[Dragonspit]

Hydeyoshi and sketchling, very nice. those will be hard to beat.
arghmisfit, I like the mood of yours, be nice to finish it off.

updated a tad

The last two great armies of Ghibald stood on either side of Kalzier lake. Each side debating if it was solid enough to cross, or at least get close enough to make weapons reasonably effective. Meanwhile the armies froze their butts off, waiting for the decision. http://www.pixelsnpaper.com/for%20post/ice%20post2.JPG

[ANARKY]

The day after the battle of Karnakra

Winter sets in pretty quick in Karnakra, over night in some cases. The Two Generals knew this as they engaged in battle, and they knew it was due any day, but still they chose that fateful day to fight.
2 hours in, and the Tempreture, already below zero, suddenly dropped.
A total of 12,000 men faught that day, 300 died from wounds in battle, 10,000 died from Karnakra's terrible winter.
To this day, you can travel to that battlefield and find men and the machines of battle still trapped in the ice, frozen in terror, perfectly preserved.

http://img435.imageshack.us/img435/7581/winterbattlefield0uj.jpg

[sketchling]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarg

I had a 3000xwhatever version of my picture that I was working on....but it was too big to do a 'save for web' so I had to shrink it to do a web version.... which I forgot all about and saved over the origional. I had SO much detail... i wanna shoot myself. I may not end up gettin much more done on this one!!!

BUGGGER!!!!!!!!!

[auden100]

sketchling - that's too bad. It was pretty sweet anyway. The rocks and snow have a nice sense of age to them.
arghmisfit - That's a really nice start, but I feel like I'd like to know a little more about the environment or more about what just occurred.
Hideyoshi - great color. I think that chunk of falling ice makes it too symmetrical though. And is that supposed to be a natural occurance or a narrative hint?
Dragonspit - That's a cool idea and a pretty well established sense of scale. I think you could push it by adding some atmospheric perspective and by giving more attention to the range of values.
Anarky - really good idea. The figures all came out nicely, but the mountains arise a little too abruptly. They don't seem to stay far enough back. Also, a quick change for consistency's sake: either the smoke or the snow is moving against the wind.
Great stuff, everyone. Looking forward to more.

[Dragonspit]

Dragonspit - That's a cool idea and a pretty well established sense of scale. I think you could push it by adding some atmospheric perspective and by giving more attention to the range of values.
.

Thanx for taking the time. I was hoping for more crits in these weekly things but havent seen to much. that is really what I need and was hoping for. I agree and think I even understand the range of values issue. I would have a question on an what you mean or an example of "atmospheric persepective. Could you expand on that? Stilll have a couple of days and could work on this some more.

Bob

[ANARKY]

Anarky - really good idea. The figures all came out nicely, but the mountains arise a little too abruptly. They don't seem to stay far enough back. Also, a quick change for consistency's sake: either the smoke or the snow is moving against the wind.

Thankyou matey. Made some changes to it. Can't believe I didn't see the Smoke/Snow thing. Anyway, its fixed now. :teeth:

[masque]

something closer to home.

http://www.metrocast.net/~chipartist/ImagePost/WinterBattlefieldEOW7web.jpg

"I fuckin' hate winter."
"Don't start, Ramirez..."
"I really fucking hate it! You live here, man, you got ice cubes for blood. I'm from frikkin' Miami, man!"
"Got winter in Miami, right?"
"Yeah, but all that is the babes wear shorts instead of 'kinis. This snow shit... I fuckin' hate your Noo-Hamp-shy-er winter. Gotta get back to summa that sweet Miami vice, man..."
"Didn't you hear? Bonzos got Miami. Got most of south Florida from what I hear."
"You gotta be shittin' me, Jack. That's really bad fuckin' news..."
...
"What're we gonna do about Bonzo down there, anyway?"
"Bonzo's dead, Ramirez. We don't do anything."
"Yeah but he's creepin' me out, man. I hate them Bonzos. Couldn't we bury him or somethin'?"
"Ever try diggin' in concrete, Ramirez?"
"I fuckin' hate winter, man. 'Cep for Christmas it jus' sucks."
"Can it Ramir...hang on... whisky alpha x-ray this is foxtrot oscar papa niner, we got party crashers at grid seven-oh-three by four-eight-six, I repeat two, no, three mobile armored Bonzos on the west road at seven-oh-three by four-eight-six, requesting air support, heating up the laser, awaiting confirmation of air strike..."
-------------
A US Civil War soldier is said to have described war as "hours and hours of sheer boredom punctuated by moments of extreme terror." Seems the same would likely be true in some near-future conflict as well, with the eastern seaboard of the USA under attack by the non-human Bonzos, who have already conquered most of Europe. Since New England winter days can be stunningly serene and beautiful, I thought such a scene might play an interesting counterpoint to an imaginary war scenario. Also a study in textures.

[PHATandy]

OK so heres mine so far - i think its good enough to enter. but if i get time im gonna work it some more. Im thinking of having more action going on, so putting in like a tank on fire or some allies around the house etc.

Er story....

Ardennes Forest, 1944

Held up inside the farmhouse, Pvt. Rudiger Flicken-stritzengronen of the 2nd platoon, 1st Panzer Grenadier division was ordered to help secure the line at that farmhouse area. The closest Machine Gun post to the house, he held the foxhole and house attentivley, waiting for reinforcements to join in the big counter attack.

http://www.andydesign.co.uk/best/EOW3.jpg

[Badger]

Had a few mins to spare after Sketchling persuaded me to paint icebergs for most of the evening, lol. I went kinda mad.

Just thought i'd share where i'm at after a few mins.
http://www.badgertracks.net/eow/eow6-1.12.jpg

-B-

[Azrael]

Nice one Masque. Reminds me of Bosnia.

[Sinix]

Bah, I might change this if I get a chance, it didn't come out that interesting. Just wanted to get something in.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b11/sinix4/dsb120105a.jpg

A Nepalese military outpost deep within the Himalayas in the year 2243. Still a hotspot for military tension and hostility.

[darkwolfb87]

Hmm I should be sleeping... [edit: updated the painting a little]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/darkwolfb87/Concept%20Art/Digital%20Sketches/WinterBattlefield.jpg

A prized castle of King Lillas smolders from the hands of his own desperate peasants. Emptied of riches and fowl in the midst of night, it was promptly deserted as a warning of growing disparity.

[homeworld]

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b66/homeworld4/cavered.jpg
The sith lord was right to trust his instincts when he fled to this cold, ancient cave: although cornered and wounded, the dark energies of this shrine would definetly give him the upper hand in the battle ahead.

[sketchling]

http://www.sketchling.com/artwork/2005/winterbattlerework.jpg
"After the outcome of the bloody battle of jagarl had been decided, the scattered victors dragged their weary bodies back across the ice, trying to remember the burning honour that had driven them to slaughter... It was said of that day that those who looked back saw the land itself bleeding. Bleeding for the countless. Bleeding for the arrogance of one man."


Anyone think I should just stick to my old version? or prefer this one? cause as it stands this is my final.

[masque]

Nice one Masque. Reminds me of Bosnia.
Hey, thanks, Azrael, were you stationed there? Hope it wasn't a recollection you'd've rather avoided.

some c&c, feel free to reciprocate:

sketchling: first piece much stronger, i think. greater sense of scale and spatial expanse, more naturalistic landforms, better saturation levels. the textual metaphor of your final submission just seems too forced in the image -- that would be a lot of blood given the apparent scale of the piece.

arghmisfit: i like the mood and mistiness -- reminds me of some very early mornings in Alaska -- but the compostion is fragmented. the symmetry of the valley and progression of values from the brighter rear horizon to the dimmer middle area draw my eye into the center of the painting but the "payoff" is way down lower left like an afterthought. the cluster of trees has nearly the same definition as the sword and so compete with it-- they could fade into the fog more to help place them farther in the BG and not conflict with the intended focal point.

hideyoshi: great drama and scale. my biggest crit is the face of the glacier (assuming that it's supposed to be a glacier), which seems too monolithic and solid. the terminal faces of the glaciers i've seen are tremendously fractured with a great number of pronounced vertical fissures. most with terminal lakes have bergs floating in them as well. also at the left of the lake the "shoreline" of the glacier seems to move forward significantly but the face wall doesn't.

auden100: strong perspective lines but could use more atmospheric perspective to reinforce the sense of depth of the crevasse. the blue area provides a nice point of interest for the eye but I really can't make out a craft -- looks to me more like a small cave, maybe a landing area.

dragonspit: i like the bold graphic style, very distinctive. the piece is perhaps too monochromatic, though, think about opening up your palette. the foreground iceforms at the bottom seem overstated, almost like a partial border, i think you could achieve the same effect with less in that area. in answer to your question to auden100, atmospheric perspective is the change in contrast, hue and value of a scene the farther from the viewpoint, due to the optical effects of moisture, dust, etc. in the atmosphere. in general, contrast flattens, details are diffused into broader areas of tone and color, and hues shift, often becoming less saturated and tending toward more blue (but that is dependent on specific conditions as well).

ANARKY: good portrayal of "whiteout" conditions but you need a lot more tonal differentiation between BG and FG -- those mountains look really close, and hence more like mounds. their shape is also weak -- few actual mountains have such a perfection of conic form, and those that do are usually volcanos (Mt. Fujiyama being a classic example). check some refs of the Alps, the Rockies, etc., and see how they are actually interconnected ranges of peaks rather than discrete massifs jumping up from a common ground level.

PHATandy: looks still very sketchlike despite the color. I'd avoid adding more to the piece, it feels pretty crowded as is for a number of reasons. pretty much everything is the same level of finish, with very busy strokes everywhere, lots of energy but is that right for this scene? the scene seems sort of artifically framed by the trees at each side, compressing the center. the huge contrast between extreme FG and mid- and BG really flattens the space of the majority of the scene -- some deeper, darker tones in the forest areas would help, i think. the soldier's face needs some form -- it's in unnaturally deep shadow for a scene with lots of reflected and diffuse ambient light.

badger: intriguing shapes and composition so far -- definitely would like to see it realized.

Sinix: like the energy of the strokes, and the shapes of the rockforms say Himalayas to me, but the sense of scale isn't strong, perhaps needs more atmospheric persp? snow plume off the peak is a nice touch, btw.

darkwolfb87: striking composition, good sense of mass and scale, but i don't get an unambiguous sense of winter. maybe it's the greyscale.

homeworld: very strong, very well painted. the mist actually seems to be rolling into the cave. i also like the more "personal" scale. two mild crits: i think the fog-shadow of the mid-ground pedestal could be more distinct to better reinforce the sense of depth, and the sith's lightsaber is perhaps too attractive to the eye. but that's just nitpicking. i like it a lot.

[Dragonspit]

masque, thanx for spending the time. appreciated from my end. Think I will go tweak some this eve and repost. I wanted a more ice look, (love the way Hideyoshi did his), maybe I will try to add to that.

[auden100]

masque - my god, man. Thanks. I'm glad you let me know what you think. I had been wondering about a few of those exact points. Anyway, to return the favor...

crits: I love the dialogue, the scene, the concept, the location. The sense of scale between the rocks, the wall, and the tanks seems inconsistent. Also the foreground crop of rocks is a little unconvincing in form. It is unclear what the darker lines on the right are, roads or walls. The trees seem too small, and maybe need to be darker. And just one more little thing: I know it's a calm, serene scene, but I'd like some visual excitement. Maybe with a more interesting series of strokes, maybe with a little composional prop (clouds, wind, old dead grass). Just something to keep me with the picture.

Thanks, again. Hope I wasnt' too picky.

[Hideyoshi]

thx everyone! thx masque, for the crit!
Fixed the depth issue in my pic, kinda overlooked that.
Lovable entries!

[krAtul]

blah
http://lauris.art.free.fr/speed/20051128_eow008_Winter%20Battlefield10.jpg

[Sept13]

http://zaba.tiimipeli.net/roskaa/winterbattleground.jpg

The aftermath of the Neo-Soviet Union's mass-migration through Alaska:
No survivors defending the frontier were found alive or in recognizable condition. The remaining troops in Alaska were to return to the border of the state of Canada for counter future attacks.

[dariocoelho]

well...this was really stressed. started to paint this last evening...whew. sorry for the sketchy look, wish i had more time. great work everyone, i will comment detailed later in the voting thread. i hope i kept the focus on the enviroment...

http://www.8ung.at/dariocoelho/gallery/speedpaintings/winterbattlefield.jpg

for over thousands decades of human being, members of the gero-clan kept an old secret about a dragonegg that lies since everlasting time under the scanty world of the northern lands. it is clear that the young dragon must be protected as he will be the protection of life or the ultimate apocalypse. for centuries the clan is trying to find and protect the egg to avoid the fall of human being, hoping that they can lead the dragon into a peaceful direction. now the time has come and the members of gero failed. the army sees itself forced to prevent certain disasters and kill the ancient creature. ignorant as they are the warnings of the clan have been overheard and it seems like the prophecies of gero will become true.

(thanks to babelfish, my english sucks so hard...)

[Badger]

Still going...
http://www.badgertracks.net/eow/eow6-adj2.jpg
-B-

[Zeitwolf]

sketchling
I liked your first entry and the update so much. It's much more expressive and environmental than the bloody pool...


Pfff - I have the flu and so no time and nerve to work on anything architectural (what was inteded first)

Winter Battlefield
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/odinsregen/sketches/eow7.jpg
Broad trails of devastation are carved into the icy outer territories of Kjorh. Courtly disputes are usually handed over to the respective magicians of the disputing parties for resolution, and it indeed wouldn't be too clever to plague the capital and its many inhabitants each and every time.
It may just not be so many days ago, that magicians Vork and Kenner in their sorting out the succession to the throne of the recently annexed neighbouring country of Brogh reached the mental state of commanding energy dragons, so the Royal Keepers Of The Everlasting Glorious Chronicles Of Kjorh predict an outcome due in approximately three weeks based on the records of the many similar incidents in the past ...

(here's a not-very-spectacular close up of the dragon heads) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/odinsregen/sketches/eow7detail.jpg)

[Helium Macaroni]

Smeh, still trying to get a handle on this whole painting thing.

The Oil Wars of the early and mid 21st century resulted in near global economic collapse by 2062. Fed by hard-line foreign policy in the West and rapid economic expansion in the East, growing tension over resource depletion, energy supplies, and markets caused war to break out between the two major world power blocks. Overextended in the Middle-East after rapid overseas expansion, the United States was ill-prepared when China attempted to retake Taiwan as a matter of economic and political unification. With most of the United States forces tending to de-stabilized Persia, the Chinese saw a ripe opportunity. The vast majority of U.S. debt owned by China became a major bargaining chip before the conflict as well.

Economic instability, unrest at home, military over-extension, and foreign debt manipulation culminated in a crushing depression within the United States starting in the fall of 2064. Having the upper hand, China struck at U.S. Pacific forces and moved to invade the western U.S. coast. Not a day after the Eastern army landed in North America, a nuclear counter-strike was ordered by the U.S. Government on China herself. No surrender however was offered. The Chinese, only able retaliate in a limited capacity, still managed to decimate the major population centers of California, Oregon, and Washington with thier long range missiles. Foreign forces still continued to pour in regardless of the American nuclear strike.

Now, with the major military and economic powers in the world mutually and heavily wounded, a long campaign begins for the entrenched Chinese landing forces, and the exhausted United States Military.

Deep in the Pacific Northwest, advancing Chinese forces continue to make their way East. A Chinese fast-strike MAU (Mechanized Assault Unit) team runs into an ambush. Unfortunately, the three 'Cho Ba Won', and single 'Awg Fei' MAU's fare little chance against the American Mark III.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v75/mmaurino/winter1.jpg

[smot]

Mystical mountains called "Last lifebreath" have been witness many single combats of great warriors. And now the greatest two of them are going to fight...
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c42/smot_1975/conceptArt/winter_battlefieldF.jpg

[Antilight77]

http://digitalmack.com/DigitalV7/art_pages/conceptdesign/2005/q3/snowbattlefied.jpg

In the later half of the 20th century 1 corporation has take control of the mass market, however forces of extremism gathered to resist the pull of the “spend all your money life style”. A global battle erupted and the corporation tried to sweep those who do not want to buy things away. It did not work, this shot is 10 years in to the war. But what the resistance doesn’t realize is that they buy guns and ammo… they spend all their money to buy guns and ammo from the corporation to fight the “spend all your money life style”. A battle just a point less as all wars are.

Never the less, great work very one! You guys get me Jazed~

~Cheers

~Tim

[conundrum]

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/2581/winterbattlefield29eu.jpg

As the once numerous water sources became scarce, the nations of the world were forced to move into nether regions to supply their citizens. So began the "Liquid Conflicts" as different armies battled over control of the only water left on the planet.

Of all the various sources, the "Ice Pinnacles" were the most sought after because they were relatively easy to remove and transport. This vast field of the monoliths would shortly be the scene of an equally monumental battle.


I didn't manage to get any figures in but hopefully that doesn't matter much

[pandorablood]

All that was left was burning ruins......carmilla's castle was gone............she had no chance........


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/pandorablood/winterbattle.jpg

[auden100]

Badger - I honestly liked the sketch more. It was a little more daring in composition, and with the shapes of the objects in the back gave a larger sense of scale. But, maybe you just aren't done yet.
Zeitwolf - Nice concept. The trees' perspective seems a little wonky. I think you could darken the landscape, throw in a little bit of atmosphere so the horizon doesn't just drop off, and give us just a tad more color, and you'd have a really nice pic.
Helium Macaroni - wow. Texture . jk. If you threw in a couple more quiet spots you could let our eyes relax a bit and linger a little longer. It just seems a little mark heavy. But nicely done.
Pandora Blood - Very nice color and sense of light. But the marks make the environment a little too ambigious. It could use some clarification. Maybe just a couple spots of well developed form, and then the rest could be implied.

So, really nice entries everyone. Tight competition.

[shadoman]

Great work so far guys. I went way out in left field for this one. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do something that was so assinign straight from the news. I wish I had more time to add people and santa and all, but I have a migraine.

http://www.shawnadomanis.com/images/illustrations/eow07.jpg
As if the Holiday shopping season wasn't bad enough, with the recent launch and shortage of the new XBOX 360 video game system, diehard gamers have resorted to armed robbery to be the first ones to have the hot, new item of the year.

[koshime]

Great entrees guys. Having a bit of low outout these past two weeks, but here's my entree

http://www.medievalfx.com/concept2/WBattlefieldEOW7_009.jpg

A winter's siege. The forces of Kalrak position for a long siege of the mighty fortress of Alhambra

[bwkeough]

oh hey, the deadline's today, but at what time? I might be able to crank it out this afternoon.

[Demiurgic]

I think it is midnight, I'm just finishing mine as well...

[Hyver]

finishing up here too.. hold the line! :)

[Demiurgic]

Homeworld I love yours, I was considering doing something Jedi-like but you beat me to it! But it is better that way since you made it look so good.


http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/9804/eowwinterbatfield1afinal1vi.jpg

It is a battle amidst the the clouds as two soldiers fight as the last remants of their armies. Each waiting untill the last shots have been fired, and one... or none are left standing, so that they may take this bitter war with them to their graves.

[bwkeough]

http://nand.net/~keough/sketchbook/winter-battlefield.jpg

Even though the raiders struck too quickly for the loyal men of Hanover's Loch Outpost to sound their horns the blazing tower shone like a signal fire. The victors cared not, unnatural speed is it's own obfuscation. They would be on the edges of the soft merchant city before dusk, before the alarm reached the Home Guard, before the gates were shut.

[Hyver]

finally.. ready
i've learned so much with this one, i'm sacrificing a virgin lambchop to the muses above!

http://www.hyver.com/snowscape5.jpg

Here we have it, the depiction of one of our greatest moments in science, warfare and history in general. Back in 2007, right after the Invasion, troops were often taken by surprise in the hot desert planes, ambushed by the invadors and their ability to summon fierce snowstorms in their surroundings. Many conventional weaponry at that time just wasn't built to this kind of exposure and would jam instantly. Whatever menacing devices were left, were rayzapped - taking any soldier holding it with it.
This here team of daring troopers was the first squad to successfully catch the energy with what would later be known as an early prototype of the now common Kickbacker. For victory ahead! (in memory of the many brave who died - no animals were harmed in any way)

[masque]

wow, coupla strong entries just under the wire! hyver & bwkeough --really fine, excellent treatments of very diverse conepts.

[sephone]

Okay I’ve wanted to participate in here for a while.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/seph001/winterbattle_web.jpg


At a certain time of the year "The Wolfen" raiders wait for cargo ship that are not prepared for the cold winters. Unfortunately these vessels get stranded in the freezing cold narrow paths of the Mulkhee River and are helpless to escape the attacks and raids of the ships. The Wolfen are accustomed to the sub-zero temperatures and know there way around these treacherous paths.

[Moquan]

Some very nice entries! I have yet to post an image in any of these '____ of the weeks', but I am drawing closer and closer. I was somewhat tainted by the word Christmas in the starter thread. I had visions of elves and penguins having a snowball fight at the North Pole with Santa's house in the distance. I'm glad I didn't go through with it. It would have tainted the pool of some very great battlefields. Kudos to all who entered!