Thornlight Vigil — Emerald Stag Mages Character Sheet

The story of Thornlight Vigil

A fictional story inspired by the artwork.

The green arches above the Thornlight mages are visible long before their lanterns come into view. In autumn the six stags walk through the forest counting trees marked for winter cutting. Their antlers throw narrow bars of light across the trunks, enough to read a chalk mark without disturbing the roosting birds.

On the last night of the count the youngest mage finds a mark on an empty patch of air. He walks around it twice before realizing that the chalk belongs to a reflection in a pool. Someone has marked a branch high above the water, far beyond the reach of an ordinary woodcutter.

The reader opens his field book to a sketch from thirty years earlier. A child once climbed that branch to record the height of a remarkable flood. The little chalk bar survived because the branch grew beneath a shelf of bark. The stags enter it in the book under the child’s name.

The character sheet echoes pointed antlers in the staff tops and gold embroidery of the ceremonial robes. A leafing branch and an open book distinguish the walkers who gather evidence from the reader who keeps it. At dawn the six leave a lantern on the dry bank so the village can see the mark for itself.

Explore the artwork on DeviantArt

Discover more character artwork in Creationfan’s store. Check the individual listings for current prices, availability, file contents, and usage rights.