Atticus Lark’s Journal - Part 1
Sometimes, fate is an astounding thing. These past few months were some of our hardest - since the troubles started, few men dare drink or dine at the Full Moon Inn. For almost a year now, all we’d had were the few regulars - town drunks and the like - and dearest Lucile, the only wench I had left. The rest had left town, or suffered a fate most unpleasant. My bones ached and my heart grew weary in these trying times.

But now… hope’s finally shining in this old heart of mine once more, for I saw something I hadn’t seen in ages - adventurers. Real, proper, adventurers. Sure, the scrawny lads weren’t much right now, but I’d recognize the fire in their hearts anywhere.

They came in on a night when our usual drunks were out, either passed out or dead, caught by any of the dangers found ‘round these parts. That night, ‘twas only me, Lucile, and Garum. Garum had begun a regular of ours over the past few months, but something about the half-rat always put me off. Maybe ‘twas my natural distrust of his wolf side and what his people’ve done to mine, or maybe it’s cause the rapscallion has “bandit spy” written all over him.

That night was the kind that makes even the spiders gaunt in their webs from lack of insects to gnaw. The dreary atmosphere was interrupted by the first of the trio, a loud and proud unicorn who burst through the door, triumphantly proclaiming a free round for all - when he found it ‘twas only the three of us, he was somewhat downtrodden, but paid for drinks for all three of us, even when he heard I owned the ruddy place. It was a kind gesture, to be sure. He introduced himself as Kahvie the Lamplighter - a fruity name and a perfect pick for such a flamboyant equine.


The gnoll clan that once dwelt here had tried raiding this inn, only to find out the hard way that a snow fox like myself is more than some pious prat when properly armed. ‘Course, no one’s seen the gnolls since the bad times came ‘round here. Whether they fled or ended up dead, all that matters to me was that there ain’t been a gnoll in these hills for nearly five long years.

So, you can imagine my surprise when a gnoll swaggered in behind that horned hippie - and a non-aggressive one at that! But, that’s not to say the cackling cur didn’t have a mouth on him - he wasn’t afraid to make his true thoughts about my… what’d he call it… “cobweb-covered, rat-infested flophouse” known, much to Garum’s chagrin over what he took as a jab at himself. Kahvie tried apologizing to me for the gnoll, apparently named Jorji, blabbering about him being unable to control his sailor mouth. I didn’t think there was such a thing as a seaworthy gnoll, but I just shrugged - either way, there ain’t anything wrong with speaking the truth.

Garum slunk upstairs, saying nary a word to the trio - not sure if any of ‘em noticed. He whispered a word into drowsy Lucile’s ear, likely an order. She loaded up her tray of booze and threw in her round to boot - for a bar wench, she ain’t much for the drink. Before she left, Kahvie began chattering at her something fierce - something about a special sugar he bought that really adds a “wondiferous taste” to drinks, or so he was told. She turned her head to me, and I shrugged again, giving her the okay.

The unicorn didn’t seem like the kind to taint another man’s drink, even if his sugar is a little… wondiferous? I swear, I can’t keep the words of the young straight at all - God help me if I ever start talking like that fruitbat!

And to think, I almost forgot to mention the last one! He was so quiet that I hardly noticed him. In fact, I probably wouldn’t have noticed him if the loud unicorn hadn’t shouted, “Oh, and there’s Kelton! C’mon, Kelton, come here and make your order!” The red fox trailed delicately behind the others, sticking to the shadows even better than that shifty Garum, even though his cover had been blown. Not much to say about him really, other than the fact that he walks like a man with many secrets. None of mine to mind at the moment, unless these secrets stop him from payin' his tab.

Anyhow, that beatnik offered me a bit of his “wondiferous” sugar. When I asked him where he got it from, he said he harvested it from a plant growing near a bandit outpost he and his crew raided - apparently it was near the mouth of a cave that gave off a sweet smell. The unicorn was ready to go in horn-first, but the gnoll and fox were too tired to continue, instead deciding to spend their loot at the nearest inn.


I was happy to give the boys room and board. I thought about warnin’ ‘em off from ol’ Garum, but Kahvie flung himself over between the tables before I could get a word in, wrapping his arms around his companions and spouting off some encouraging speech. It was a fancy one, but I couldn’t really tell ya’ what they said - I was too busy cleaning mugs to mind.

After a pleasant night of drinking and eating, the three retired after Kelton gave me some coin for the rooms - far more than was even necessary! I was surprised the lad even talked to me, let alone tipped me.

On account of their kindness, I decided to give the sugar a try myself, mixing it in with some of our hopelessly watered down ale. And… it was splendid! I found myself drinking more and more, until I drank enough booze to make up for the water. Certainly not enough to make me drunk, oh nay, you’d probably need a keg or two of the real stuff to do that with my liver, but it was a better buzz than anything I’ve felt in years. Bit more bloating than I’m accustomed too, but still pleasant.

We bid the lads farewell in the morning, and Garum left in a hurry, off for important business. Kahvie left me enough of the stuff to sprinkle into a few more dishes, so I think I’ll keep experimenting. I hope the lads come back before too long - adventurers are exactly what both this tavern and this land need!

—-

This commission is one of the most important pieces of art I think I’ve ever worked on. The post for this is coming very late, as I originally worked on this commission all the way back in 2021, but, after waffling back and forth on the story and presentation of it for literal years, it’s time to bite the bullet and get it out.

I present to you all… Dungeons and Doughballs. A story of three heroes and the inn they base themselves out of. Over the course of this sequence, the party, and the tavern they call home, will change drastically - especially when it comes to food, drink, and of course, fat!

This piece was commissioned by my dearest friend  Jiskcar, and it features his characters Kahvie and Jorji, as well as Kelton, a character I made from an old D&D game I ran with him and some other friends called Bountiful Bloodlines.

This commission was produced at a rocky time in my life, and although there were a lot of bumps in the road, both in regards to the commission itself and my life at the time, I think this piece represents some of the best of my work. I’ve never used quite the same shading style for another piece, mainly because of just how complex it is! I did learn an awful lot from this commission in particular though, it occupies a special place in my heart and has influenced my art greatly.

Posting this piece after all this time is a great kind of relief, and I’m very pleased to share it with all of you. I wanted to give a huge thank you to my friend  Jiskcar for commissioning me to illustrate such a wonderful idea, and I thank him also for being such a dear friend for all these years. He is a constant inspiration to me, and I’m not sure I’d still be in this fandom without him.

I hope you all enjoy this piece, and thank you for taking the time to read this.