I would say I just found this amazing site the a couple days ago, but that is not entirely accurate ... after about an hour of perusing the various forums (too easy to find rabbit holes here ...) it dawned on me that I had indeed 'found' the site before, was blown away, bookmarked it, and the computer I was using at the time had apparently decided it's time on this world was expired ...

SO, just stumbled through a couple days ago, and all I can say is wow!

Been reading fantasy since I can remember, and always loved the tiny maps in my paperbacks as much as the stories themselves ... I probably spent as much time staring at them, as I did with the characters in the story. Over the decades, reading fantasy and playing d&d had to take a back seat ... I still read mind you, and indulged myself with gems like the Dragonlance Atlas of Krynn, but had lost much of the drive to create as I had when I was younger. Long story cut short, or I could ramble all day, my kids recently expressed an interest in playing d&d, and I surprised myself with how excited I got!

Knowing I was going to be the DM (I usually was when I was a kid too, but I had resources now!) something sparked, and now my creativity is once again set aflame. In the midst, or knee deep ... in creating a world for my children to adventure and romp in, from the ground up. Fleshing out as many details as I can, and attempting to make it a place they can easily feel a connection to and immerse themselves in. I followed a couple of the tutorials the other day when I was here, and I blew my own mind! I'm far from a professional, and if anyone calls me an artist I can sit them down and explain for hours how that is not the case, but following steps laid out by some talented folk, my thoughts came to screen!

So first off, thank you, for creating a place for the melding of the minds, and giving me somewhere to enjoy an artform that I have loved for years. And thanks for being open and encouraging, from what I have seen, this is a great place to learn and thrive, and I look forward to doing both.

Glad to be here! Can't wait to get some thoughts on the World of Xsaroth soon!

- Xanth de Orlig