For those curious — I’m currently working on a new campaign for my friends set in the world of Aria, built on the core lore and worldbuilding from what I wrote for Roleslaying with Roman. There will be no mention or connection to any SASI characters or player characters from Roleslaying — this is an entirely new cast of players and their backstories have reshaped the overall direction of the story.

That said, many elements and rewritten pieces of lore from Roleslaying live on in the new campaign, titled Echoes of the Refrain. It follows the musically magical journey of Cedar, Lyra, Kohl, Umbriel, Reed, and Silence.

The Bard’s College remains a powerful presence in Aria, its Court of Chairs serving as the primary enforcers of the Bard King’s will and laws. Meanwhile, the fae goddess “Mother” leads her people in quiet defiance of the College, and the Magistrate of the Mirage’s old kingdom still burns with a dormant longing to reclaim the throne. Here is some art made by my friends & I for the campaign <3 Please let me know what you think & if you'd be excited to see more of Echoes.

the map of Aria:

designed by me in inkarnate.

Cedar - RainyDaySketch (erin) oc. Cedar was brought to Reston at a very young age and raised by Aunt Patty in her orphanage, becoming the first child to call it home. As he grew, he helped Aunt Patty care for the other children who came after him — Fast Timmy, Mel Vinne, and Henderson — who became like little siblings to him. When Aunt Patty first found Cedar, he was clutching a small bunny he named Macadamia… who was later revealed to be Lyra.

art by rainydaysketch (erin) -> https://bsky.app/profile/rainydaysketch.bsky.social

Kohl - ABDillustrates (alex) oc. A skilled blacksmith and welder of battle instruments, he once crafted primarily for the Bard’s College. He has since left that life behind, now dedicating himself to creating instruments that bring him joy, inspiration, and a sense of purpose — far beyond producing weapons of twisted melodies.

art by @abd-illustrates-art

Umbriel - SilentWolf (Katie's) oc. The sole survivor of his family, he often wonders how he lived — pierced by a deadly stone that fell from the sky when the Bard’s College ascended. For twenty years, he has wandered across Aria, following the faint whispers of a voice in his mind. He believes that voice is the very reason he continues to breathe after the devastation of his village and the loss of his family.

art by me & fit by @abd-illustrates-art

Reed - Kuni's oc. They once dreamed of joining the Bard’s College — but now live in quiet fear of their own ambitions. Timid, yet remarkably talented.

art by me

Silence - One of my DM/PCs who joins the party — she keeps a very watchful eye on everyone… I can’t say too much about her right now, since my players are following this account LOL.

art by me

4th Chair of the Bard's College Court of Chairs - Cello

art by @abd-illustrates-art

2nd Chair of the Bard's College Court of Chairs - Jockey.

art by rainydaysketch (erin) -> https://bsky.app/profile/rainydaysketch.bsky.social

Cedar & Lyra. Cello & Kohl.

Roleslaying with Roman: character art

Hi! I’ve been getting a lot of asks and seeing such sweet comments about what certain characters might’ve looked like — and some of the art that was made but never shared — so I figured it was time to make a master post! Since the show has been canceled and won’t be returning (at least not as Roleslaying), I wanted to share everything here. You can read more below about the original series I’m developing based on my writing for Roleslaying. Most of the artwork was created by @abd-illustrates / @abd-illustrates-art, who was an absolute joy to collaborate with. His talent truly brought this series to life, and I hope you enjoy seeing both his finished pieces and concept art for the project. ---

Chapter 1, character lineup

Concept sketches for Chapter 1:

You might notice that this concept work doesn’t include Youngblood! That’s because the original campaign was written for Thomas and Joan to play together.

Joan’s D&D character was Cal (short for Calcifer) — a fire genasi artificer who used their craft to cook up both spicy food and trouble in combat.

Cal Original art & concepts:

Roman & Ryker original concept art:

Ryker’s design went through quite a few changes — we wanted his look to complement Roman’s while still reflecting his elven heritage through the patterns on his armor. In the story, Ryker is an elf who uses magic to disguise his elven features — just as he once used that same magic to keep Reston hidden from the Bard King’s gaze while Roman grew up there.

Chapter 2-3, character lineup:

Chapter 4, character lineup:

Ch 5, character lineup:

The Bard King

The Bard King & Ryker, in their youth:

Ryker and Amadeus (the Bard King) were once married and part of the same adventuring party as Aunt Patty in their youth. When the two decided to start a family, they sought to honor Ryker’s ancestral tradition — receiving a blessing from the fae goddess known as “Mother.”

But the ceremony went terribly wrong. They asked for a blessing upon their soon-to-be-born child — only for twins to be born instead. The fae, ever nurturing yet mischievous, granted her blessing to one child and bound the other with a curse. As a result, Roman was blessed and allowed to live in the mortal world, while his twin, Remus, was claimed by the fae and raised in their realm.

Amadeus, enraged by this cruel twist, sought revenge. Ryker, torn between devotion to his faith and his family, chose to protect the blessed child, while Amadeus turned his fury toward the fae. In his obsession, Amadeus pursued godhood itself, eventually rising as the Bard King. His relentless hunt for “Mother” led him to a lost prince of the fae — Youngblood — whom he took from the goddess and raised within the Bard’s College as a weapon, hoping one day to use Youngblood to reclaim his cursed son and restore his family.

Meanwhile, Ryker raised Roman alone in Reston, keeping the truth of his father’s identity — and the tragedy that separated their family — a closely guarded secret, as well as any tie to his half-elven bloodline.

Additional Character Concepts:

Remus, Logan, & Virgil.

Roman & Virgil's fears - Ryker & Noise

AJ, Gabe Hicks, & Quil

Davi's character.

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I’m planning to share individual images from the lineup in a future reblog, along with more details about the new original campaign, Echoes of the Refrain. (Still figuring Tumblr out, so hopefully I’m doing this right!)

art by @abd-illustrates/ @abd-illustrates-art

art by @abd-illustrates/ @abd-illustrates-art

art by @abd-illustrates/ @abd-illustrates-art

they both can have rather obsessive personalities--Daffy's is more openly obsessive, coming off as abrasive and fanatical and driven. Porky's more obsessive from the inside, in that he can be very vengeful and go to comical lengths to see it through, often way beyond what the situation calls for. Daffy, in his case (both referring to his own obsession and in relation to Porky where relevant) IS the situation. Porky has a hard time truly detaching

this overlaps in that both characters are very stubborn. Porky in the more conventional sense of the word: bullheaded, often difficult to compromise with because he's so set in his ways and his line of thinking because that's all that he's acquainted with. Daffy's stubbornness feeds into his obsession and drive, though it's perhaps more of a product of escalation. Porky's stubbornness is more innate--depending on the context or director, Daffy builds up to his stubbornness

both characters are uniquely oblivious and even naive. this is again a bit more innate and visible with Porky, whose gullibility and is very woven into his personality. it's more a means of endearment, though. Daffy can be--and often is--surprisingly perceptive, but, as i've mentioned before, there's more than one instance of him misplacing/misreading intentions of a more villainous party. he has a history of accidentally befriending people who want him dead and not realizing the threat they pose until the last minute

part, or perhaps Much, of this stems from his entitlement.. which both characters have. Porky's entitlement is a stronger byproduct of his own oblivious rather than conscious conceit. it's Porky's world and we're all living in it--he's naturally a bit presumptuous and can have a tendency to accidentally belittle or condescend people, but it's not out of a conscious disregard. moreso, he just has trouble placing himself in others' shoes. Daffy is a bit more sly and smarmy with his own entitlement, but much of it can be born out of his own obliviousness/naivete. there is more of a knowingness and acceptance with him. if you were to call him out on his conceit, he'd probably shrug it off or perhaps even agree. Porky would probably get offended and argue with you and insist that he's not, or that you're wrong, seeing it as a pejorative