Axziga's Lair Interior Scene - Free Version

DOWNLOAD ZIP ATTACHED TO POST

If you like these free battlemaps & want to help support me,  you can sign up for one of my Patreon Tiers or make a small donation on Ko-Fi

If you want more Free TTRPG content delivered directly to you every single month, head over to my website tomcartos.com and sign up for my newsletter!

This illustration is part of the Hideouts & Lairs series.

The accompanying Battlemaps can be found HERE

Patrons can access the hi-res variants HERE

This free version is 1920x975 pixels

Background

Travelers from across the realm flock to Zahuatil Ruins. This recently discovered temple complex in the heart of the Chorago rainforest is the ideal destination for aspiring archaeologists and gentleman adventurers alike. Somehow, these ancient ruins remained undiscovered for centuries, but now that word has spread, there’s a mad dash to uncover the temple’s secrets and plunder its treasures. There’s just one catch: the whole complex is a fake.

One particularly clever dragon, the ancient serpent Axziga, had grown tired of lording over her reptilian minions. For thousands of years, she ruled some two or three hundred kobolds in what she considered an irrelevant corner of the realm. She wanted more. She wanted to strike fear into the hearts of men. She wanted to become a legend—a creature known across the seas for her guile and strength. Axziga wanted a reputation.

She also didn’t particularly feel like exerting too much energy. And so, she decided to team up with Triqe van Leery, a mimic shepherd. With Axziga’s ragtag crew of loyal kobolds and Triqe’s unusual legion of transforming biomatter, the duo was able to construct Zahuatil Ruins, an incredibly convincing facsimile of a crumbling jungle temple complex. It has everything an adventurer could hope for: the promise of untold secrets, traps and enemies that appear challenging but are, in fact, easily vanquished, and hundreds of ancient artifacts—most of which are mimics in disguise.

Once her scheme was discovered she retreated to her lair, a real ancient temple complete with traps and puzzles, and guarded by her Kobold followers. She feels safe within, knowing that if the temples deadly traps don’t finish off any intruders her army of devotees certainly will.

Artist

This piece was created for Tom Cartos by Eduardo Nonato. You can find more of his work here:

Artstation - https://www.artstation.com/nonato
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/edu.nonatocavalcante/