Fantasy Art Thursday: The Caves of Chaos by Micheal Komarck

((Click Here for More of Michael Komarck's Artwork))

Like most, I first encountered this gorgeous piece of art in the Player's Handbook II supplement for the 3.5 edition of Dungeons & Dragons. At the time, I was only vaguely familiar with the Caves of Chaos and The Keep on the Borderlands, but this image made me want to run that classic adventure and explore this famous adventure location.

The sheer amount of detail that Komarck put into this picture is just amazing and it just screams "Classic Dungeons & Dragons." You have a party of adventurers (a fighter, a rogue, and a wizard) standing on top of a giant rock, looking at this massive mountainside dominated by numerous caves and ruins just begging to be explored. Just looks at it makes me want to be one of those adventurers, delving into the Caves of Chaos, fighting vicious monsters and finding lost artifacts and treasures. 

This is easily one of my favorite pieces of D&D art because it perfectly captures the spirit of the game: you are a group of ragtag adventurers who explore these ancient places filled to the brim with danger and mystery. The fact that its a beautiful piece of art doesn't hurt either.