From the Artist
SagaBorn 1.5 was released this year and I knew I needed to have a strong campaign to showcase all the changes. And to get people into the campaign you need a good Starter Kit with a cover that sets the theme of the adventure. When I was young, the cover art sold the book. So I had a pretty lofty goal.
I have been leaning into a more comic book style over the past three years, so I decided to go that route with this cover. The intro scene of Final Fantasy 1 has always been dear to me, and while my brother did a piece of art about it(Penultimate Fantasy), I wanted to do my own take. I also thought back on all the great images from the old Nintendo Power magazines. The old images by Katsuya Terada, Yoshitaka Amano, and Shuji Imaj have stuck with me. Looking through these images it makes me smile. And shows were I stole some of my desires for composition.
I wanted to have that feel of a new adventure just starting out, and the image to focus on the new Stronghold the heroes just inherited, the Tower at Craven’s Hollow.
More About the Art
Craven’s Hollow is a TTRPG campaign for the SagaBorn Roleplaying System, illustrated by Michael Bielaczyc, a renowned and award-winning fantasy artist. The campaign takes players to a forested valley filled with ancient ruins and secrets, where they will encounter bandits, cultists, undead, and other dangers. The adventure is designed for 3-5 players of level 1, and can be played as a standalone adventure or as part of the larger Dark Return setting.
The cover image of the campaign is a captivating and realistic illustration that depicts a group of adventurers gazing upon an ancient stone tower nestled amidst twisted trees, under the haunting glow of a full moon. The image captures the essence of the campaign, which is a blend of exploration, mystery, and horror. The image also invites the viewer to imagine the story behind the scene, such as who are these adventurers, what is their mission, and what secrets and mysteries lie within the tower and the forest.
About Michael Bielaczyc
Michael Bielaczyc has been working professionally in the art field since 2001 when he founded Aradani Studios with his brother Paul. Together they have exhibited across America selling both their artwork and costuming. He works in many mediums from oil paint to latex prosthetics, video to graphite.
In 2012, Michael started Lone Wanderer Entertainment with his long time friend Dane Clark Collins to publish books based in their dark fantasy world – Atheles. Since then he has authored 4 books and created the SagaBorn RPG system.
