The author
Born in the late 1970s and raised in a landscape shaped by meadows, water, and forests, this likely explains why legends and stories have always captivated me. The voices of nature and the soft murmur of the water as I rowed my boat, along with the sweeping view of the landscape, probably led my art teacher to make an apt observation. “You’re always dreaming,” she said—and it sounded a little reproachful, but also wistful and appreciative. And I still do that today.
In a world that is increasingly stripped of its magic, I find it important to dream. We humans have the unique gift of shaping our world, actively experiencing it, and feeling it deeply. Much of what once gave us stability and a sense of connection is lost amid the incessant hum of technology and the flood of data. And so I remind us all that dreaming is good for us. Thinking and acting, living together and supporting one another. All of this sets us apart in the great dream we call life. I hope that all travelers in the Frozen Wastes will find the magic of the moment, the joy of life, and the fun that I experienced while creating this game.
The world needs you, adventurers and dreamers.
The artist
Darkmoon-Art by Dorothe Wouters
Independent Artist – And World-Builder
Darkmoon-Art – The Visual Side of the World
Behind the name Darkmoon is a freelance artist who has been creating images for many years, bringing stories to life and exploring the places where a little darkness, fantasy and atmosphere come together.
The Creative Soul Behind Darkmoon-Art
My name is Dorothe. I grew up in the imperial city of Aachen, Germany, and already at the age of eight I became fascinated by the artworks I encountered in museums. I could spend hours beneath the creaking wooden floors of the Neo-Renaissance building of the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum, losing myself in the works of the old masters.
Back then, I regretted that I could not paint. Later, photography became my way of expressing that passion. And with the age of digital image editing came the opportunity to finally create visual worlds of my own.
How I Came to „The Tear In The Frozen Wastes“
In a world that can sometimes be complicated, some moments can be wonderfully simple.
The author and creator of The Tear In The Frozen Wastes contacted me and told me a little about the Frozen Wastes. As I read, I immediately felt the desire to bring this place and the characters he had created with such passion and attention to detail to life through images.
Turning Words into Images
For many years, I have been creating digital artwork and I love giving visual form to ideas. For this TTRPG project, I get to do exactly that: bringing characters, creatures, locations, buildings and scenes from the author’s imagination to life.
What fascinates me most about this project is the opportunity to create more than just individual images. Little by little, an entire world begins to take shape. A place gets a face, a character gains a presence, and a story finds its atmosphere.
With every new image, not only does the gallery grow, but so does my own vision of this world.
And sometimes, a sentence like “Perhaps there could be one more little detail…” surprisingly turns into an entire new series of images. 😉
Images Born from Passion
My artistic background is diverse. I have been working with digital image creation for many years and I am especially drawn to atmospheric, fantastical, mysterious and sometimes dark worlds.
Vintage aesthetics, old illustrations, historical design and a certain love of detail are just as much a part of my creative preferences as modern digital techniques, which can be wonderfully combined to create something new.
Darkmoon-Art by Dorothe Wouters
