Iam Pace
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ipace.bsky.social
Iam Pace
@ipace.bsky.social
59 followers 140 following 140 posts
Research assistant and editor.

And, long ago, I won some neat awards while writing for Dr. Ed Madison, Erik Bender, and Miranda Anderson.

I usually post about real-world locations and objects that offer inspiration for games and stories.
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ipace.bsky.social
A great hill cloaked in green stands seemingly hewn in half, its naked stone now bares a door leading into the earth.

This is the Kapilikaya Rock Tomb, and it dates from the Hellenistic period.

#ttrpg #writing #dnd #art #writingcommunity #photography
📷️: Hasan Erdogan; J. Ryvers; & Recep Adiyaman
This image is credited to Hasan Erdogan. Across a verdant region of hills cloaked in green is a stark site. A building and door have been carved into a cliff of one of the hills. This image is credited to J. Ryvers. This image is much like the first, but the trees and bushes cloaking the hills appear more green. This image is credited to J. Ryvers. This is a close-up photo from the ground (the other three are from the air). It shows how uneven much of the cliff face is where the stone carving sits. This image is credited to Recep Adiyaman. Another aerial photo, but this one is closer.
January 21, 2026 at 7:50 PM
ipace.bsky.social
Photographer Lucas Kohli captures a 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘭 phenomenon in Chilliwack, British Columbia.

In a cave behind a waterfall is a frozen caldera. Spheres of ice are naturally formed and smoothed within. The occurrence is called ice eggs.

#ttrpg #writing #dnd #art #writingcommunity #photography
🎥: Lucas Kohli
January 20, 2026 at 6:05 PM
ipace.bsky.social
Constructed in the 1800s in Rome (Georgia), this 42-foot-diameter waterwheel, one of the largest at the time, extracted ore from one of the first bauxite (aluminum ore) mines in the world.

#ttrpg #writing #dnd #art #writingcommunity #photography
📷️: Alan Cressler; Jennifer Stackpole; & Jerry Jaynes
This image is by Alan Cressler (Flickr: alan_cressler). Autumn comes to a deciduous forest and the leaves fall to a gentle river. Beside the river is a massive waterwheel once considered one of the largest in the world. This image is by Jerry Jaynes (Flickr: by_jerry_jaynes). This image is by Jennifer Stackpole.
January 19, 2026 at 5:52 PM
ipace.bsky.social
St. Michael's Mount (𝐾𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑘 𝐿𝑜𝑜𝑠 𝑦𝑛 𝐾𝑜𝑜𝑠 in Cornish for "the grey rock in a wood") is a monastery atop a tidal isle. Sections of the abbey reach back to the 8th century.

#ttrpg #writing #dnd #art #writingcommunity #photography
📷️: Valery Egorov; PT Aerial Photography; Steve Stringer; & Marktee1
This image is credited to Valery Egorov (Getty Images). From a tidal sea rises a single, steep island covered in woods. Along its shore is a large walled bay for boats and several dock houses. However, atop the great hill that dominates the isle is an old, multistory abby. This image is credited to PT Aerial Photography. This aerial photo shows the walled harbor and boats. This image is credited to Steve Stringer Photography (Getty Images). A beautiful path of fitted, but weathered, bricks forms a path to the island through the low tide. This photo is credited to Marktee1 on Wikimedia Commons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Michael%27s_Mount#/media/File:MOUNT_CASTLE3web.jpg It shows the beautiful monastery. It is several stories, at least five, not accounting for the tower levels, and many chimneys rise from the roof.
January 19, 2026 at 1:26 AM
ipace.bsky.social
The Singapore Supertrees are 50-meter-tall, solar-powered hydroponic gardens that host a variety of plants and lights in the Gardens by the Bay.

The tree structures offer ideas for fey forests in #ttrpg stories & #writing.

#dnd #art #writingcommunity #photography
📷️: Jayakumar Thirugnanasambantham
This photo is by Jayakumar Thirugnanasambantham (IG: jay_jk_). A tower shaped in the semblance of a deciduous tree stands in a circle of flag stands. Around it rise similar towers, all of which are dotted with blue and lavender lights. At the top of each tree tower are crowns of branches spotted with lights. This photo is by Jayakumar Thirugnanasambantham (IG: jay_jk_). A mist-like fog fills the area, watering the plants and refracting the green and blue lights of the park to create a beautiful cloud of illumination. This photo is by Jayakumar Thirugnanasambantham (IG: jay_jk_). The lights of the park are now yellow and light purple. The image shows the skywalk connecting the towers. This photo is by Jayakumar Thirugnanasambantham (IG: jay_jk_). Another image showing the walkways high in the air. The lights of the trees are orange and lavender instead of blue and green in this image.
January 17, 2026 at 11:03 PM
ipace.bsky.social
A vibrantly bright aurora in Fairbanks (Alaska) floods the night in green, an emerald light sweeping across the snow.

The video was filmed in mid-February of 2023.

A magical aurora that transforms an area offers ideas for #ttrpg / #dnd stories & #writing.

#writingcommunity
🎥: Vincent Ledvina
January 16, 2026 at 11:59 PM
ipace.bsky.social
Atop the great hill of Monte da Graça stands the sprawling star-bastion Forte de Nossa Senhora da Graça (Fort of Our Lady of Grace).

Construction began in 1763 and was not completed for almost 30 years.

#ttrpg #writing #dnd #art #writingcommunity #photography
📷️: Joel Santos; Luis Pina; & JackF
This image is by the drone photographer Joel Santos (IG: joelsantosphoto). This is an aerial view of a magnificent fortress carved into the top of a tall, rocky hill. The structure is called a star fort because of its shape and the design of its fortifications. Deep trenches outline the sharply angled walls. Each corner of the fortifications is played outward into a fort of its own. This image is credited to Luis Pina Photography/Shutterstoc. This image shows the fortress from a level closer to the ground. From this depth, the viewer can see more clearly how deep the trenches are and how tall the stone-brick walls rise. This photo is credited to JackF. This aerial view from high above the fortress shows that even the great hill that supports the citadel has been carefully, even artistically, shaped to fit the star-shaped fortifications.
January 15, 2026 at 7:44 PM
Reposted by Iam Pace
earthenkindquests.bsky.social
These posts are so cool, not only for showing the interesting and inspiring places, but for showing the surrounding contexts and basis for awesome battle maps.
🤩 Bonus = Image credits are in the original for learning more
ipace.bsky.social Iam Pace @ipace.bsky.social · 8d
Hluboká Castle (Schloss Frauenberg) rests on the remnants of a 13th-century Gothic fortress. The white-walled château changed ownership many times across its long and contentious history.

#ttrpg #writing #dnd #art #writingcommunity #photography
📷️: Alan Brutenic; Joe Vysata; & fotimedronem
This photo is by Alan Brutenic (IG: alanisko). A grand palace of white walls and lofty towers stands before a sea of fog during twilight. The low sun sheds its faint light across the mist. This photo is by Joe Vysata (IG: shoots_of_motion). This aerial view shows the length of the palace. Its structure was built to fit the slender geography of the tall hill it stands on. This photo is by fotimedronem (IG: fotimedronem). This aerial drone shot shows the castle from directly above. Its hexagonal towers and small courtyard are clearly visible.
January 15, 2026 at 1:35 AM
ipace.bsky.social
Hluboká Castle (Schloss Frauenberg) rests on the remnants of a 13th-century Gothic fortress. The white-walled château changed ownership many times across its long and contentious history.

#ttrpg #writing #dnd #art #writingcommunity #photography
📷️: Alan Brutenic; Joe Vysata; & fotimedronem
This photo is by Alan Brutenic (IG: alanisko). A grand palace of white walls and lofty towers stands before a sea of fog during twilight. The low sun sheds its faint light across the mist. This photo is by Joe Vysata (IG: shoots_of_motion). This aerial view shows the length of the palace. Its structure was built to fit the slender geography of the tall hill it stands on. This photo is by fotimedronem (IG: fotimedronem). This aerial drone shot shows the castle from directly above. Its hexagonal towers and small courtyard are clearly visible.
January 14, 2026 at 8:53 PM
ipace.bsky.social
Standing 790 feet beside the River Elbe is a mesa that has been carved into a great citadel. The cliffs were hewn into towering walls, atop which stand the 800-year-old Königstein Fort.

#ttrpg #writing #dnd #art #writingcommunity #photography
📷️: Philipp Konetschni; Derbrauni; VSchagow; & Klaus1953
This image is credited to Philipp Konetschni (Wikimedia Commons). The mesa and fortress can be seen as an island rising from a thick sea of mist touched red by the sun at twilight. This photo is credited to Derbrauni (Wikimedia Commons). This is an aerial photo taken by plane. It shows the many angles of the mesa cliffs, each section carved into a sheer surface. Thick, green woods rise to meet the mesa walls like waves of a sea. The gentle curve of the wide river can be seen on the right of the photo. This photo is credited to VSchagow (Wikimedia Commons). This image was taken from a field. In the foreground is the massive mesa fortress, its cold stone walls towering above the tree tops. In the foreground is a sprawling field of yellow wild flowers. This image is credited to Klaus1953 (Wikimedia Commons). This is one of the many towers of the mesa-turned-fortress. It hangs off the side of one of the mesa's cut and bricked cliff faces.
January 13, 2026 at 7:49 PM
ipace.bsky.social
Through the blanket of mist drawn over the sleeping city rise the centuries-old basilica towers of Kraków, many of which stand on 700-year-old foundations.

The morning light bleeds rays through the bell tower arches.

#ttrpg #writing #dnd #art #writingcommunity #photography
📷️: Karol Nienartowicz
This image was taken by photographer Karol Nienartowicz (IG: karolnienartowicz). A tall tower ornately decorated with bronze balls and spikes rises through a thick sheet of mist. The structure is a bell tower of a basilica, and it is considered a beautiful example of Polish Gothic archiecture. This image was taken by photographer Karol Nienartowicz (IG: karolnienartowicz). The image is of a different basilica tower, and the mist is even thicker in this photo. Not only can the ground not be seen but also the very building the tower is part of. Three beautiful corpuscular rays drift through teh slits of the bell tower's upper most section. This image was taken by photographer Karol Nienartowicz (IG: karolnienartowicz). The fog is thinner and the walls and silhouettes of buildings can be seen through the ghostly white of the morning mist. The primary tower in this image appears to be the same tower from the second image.
January 12, 2026 at 7:12 PM
ipace.bsky.social
On the edge of the Azores archipelago rests a volcanic isle in the iconic shape of a caldera. This is Corvo Island, and within are fertile fields climbing the slopes of the cauldron's walls. Each field is marked by stones.

#ttrpg #writing #dnd #art #writingcommunity #photography
📷️: Long-Nong Huang
This image is by photographer Long-Nong Huang (IG: long.explorer). The massive rim of volcanic caldera, hewn by time but still towering, is now cloaked in lush green. This greenery, which climbs the steep slopes of the volcanic rim to a sharp peak, are sectioned into grazing and farming fields. In the interior of the volcanic bowl are lakes and ponds dotted with small isles. This image is by photographer Long-Nong Huang (IG: long.explorer). The angel of this photo shows are steep the volcanic walls are within the cauldron-like depression. It also shows more of the demarcations between fields. This image is by photographer Long-Nong Huang (IG: long.explorer). This photo shows more of the interior of the caldera, of the ponds and islands within. This image is by photographer Long-Nong Huang (IG: long.explorer). Long, thin strands of mist waft like streamers across the island. The sheer edge of the exterior caldera walls can be seen, and they are cliff-like edges leading to the sea and waves below.
January 11, 2026 at 4:39 PM
ipace.bsky.social
Château de Chenonceau (France) rises from the Cher river on great arches that resemble the towering Roman aqueducts of old.

Construction of the current opulent structure began in 1514 upon the foundations of an old mill.

#ttrpg #writing #dnd #art #writingcommunity #photography
📷️: Rhaul & Morgan
This image is by Rhaul (IG: isrhaul). A slender but towering structure rises from the river Cher. Its massive structure rests on arches that look like they came from a Roman aqueduct. The white material of the chateau, and its location rising from the water, grants it a fairytale aesthetic. This image is by Rhaul (IG: isrhaul). As with the second image, this photo shows the side of the chateau during dusk. Green light shines from some of the lowest, largest windows. The emerald glow is reflected on the still surface of the water. This image is by Rhaul (IG: isrhaul). This image was taken close to the building during the evening. Green illumination spills from several windows, which leaves a strange sense of magic. This image is by the drone photographer Morgan (IG: morganplr). This is a high-aerial drone photo of the chateau. It shows the towers at its entrance as well as its detailed gardens.
January 9, 2026 at 1:25 AM
ipace.bsky.social
Dunalastair House, a baronial-style mansion and the seat of Clan Donnachaidh, stands on the foundations of an older estate from 1745.

The manor was damaged during WWII and abandoned.

#ttrpg #writing #dnd #art #writingcommunity #photography
📷️: James Lloyd Cole; Alasdair Ritchie; & Sebastiaan Vd Ham
This image is by photographer James Lloyd Cole (IG: jameslloydcole). An autumn forest touched by the leaves fall surround the skeletal remains of a manor, a building of towers and great halls. All that remains are the brickwork walls and a few of the conical tops to the larger towers. This image is by the drone photographer Alasdair Ritchie (IG: alasdairritchie). This image is much like the first, but many trees have fully lost their crowns. A few graying, rotting timbers can be seen in the roof sections of the manor. This image is by the drone photographer Sebastiaan Vd Ham (IG: differentviews.nl). The trees around the manor are vibrant, green and lush with life. The angel of the photo shows the collapsed woodwork and timbers littering the floors of some of the larger chambers.
January 7, 2026 at 9:39 PM
ipace.bsky.social
Like a fairytale night, the full moon, that cold memory of the sun, awakens above Schloss Braunfels, that fortress of towers looming over the dark forests of Lahn Valley.

Such sights offer inspiration for #DnD games and #writing.

#ttrpg #art #writingcommunity #photography
📷️: Mads Peter Iversen
This image is by photographer Mads Peter Iversen (IG: madspeteriversen_photography). The photo resembles those Gothic paintings that show a castle or manor with tall towers asymmetrically positioned around the body of the main structure, which stands above a thick, dark woodland. A full moon touched by shades of yellow and red rises over the distant tree-topped hills. This image is by photographer Mads Peter Iversen (IG: madspeteriversen_photography). The night is deeper and the moon is higher. No longer is the lunar sight bloodied by Rayleigh scattering from being low on the horizon. It is proud in the sky and greeted by a single, thin cloud passing by. The bright lights of the manor now light the face of the walls and courtyard. This image is by photographer Mads Peter Iversen (IG: madspeteriversen_photography). This photo shows the manor during the day and the thick woodlands pressed up to its sides. The manor is positioned atop a tall hill, one of many in the area.
January 6, 2026 at 9:39 PM
ipace.bsky.social
Standing before the darkly forested foothills of the great Dolomites is a lone chapel (San Giovanni Church, Italy), its whitewalls a reflection of the snow-touched giants in the distance.

#ttrpg #writing #dnd #art #writingcommunity #photography
📷️: Stefano Gelli; Felix Sproll; & Alex G. Perez
(IG: stefanogelli_photography). Beneath the grey veil of clouds rises the Dolomites, their peaks so proud and high as to pierce those clouds. Before the great mountains are foothills heavy with dark forests. And standing before the shadowed woodland is a white church with a black-topped belltower. This photo is by Felix Sproll (IG: felix.sproll). Touched by the colors of fall, the trees begin their long sleep in yellow and orange. In the distance rises the great Dolomites, their figures cast in snow and clouds. This photo is by Alex G Perez (IG: agpfoto). From the ground near the wooded foothills, the Dolomites appear as a sheer wall of frosted stone. They appear, but it is only in appearance, as a near vertical wall stretching to block the horizon. The dark green of the autumn forest is now splashed with color. This photo is by Alex G Perez (IG: agpfoto). Fall is deeper now, and the woodland foothills of the Dolomites are dotted with bright orange and yellow trees. In the foreground is the church standing in a beautifully manicured field of cut grass that sweeps to the edges of the hills and woods.
January 5, 2026 at 7:52 PM
ipace.bsky.social
Château de Maintenon (France) stands near the ruins of a massive Roman-inspired aqueduct (images 3 and 4).

Originally built in the 13th century, the great manor was expanded in the following centuries.

#ttrpg #writing #dnd #art #writingcommunity #photography
📷️: rhaul; Stephane Goetz; & morganplr
This image is by rhaul (IG: isrhaul). Upon a series of artificial islands that hold incredibly manicured gardens and yards stands a massive, sprawling structure with several large conical-roofed towers and a 13th-century keep with a peaked roof. This photo is by Stephane Goetz (IG: stephane_goetz_photography). This image shows the incredibly beautiful and high-maintenance island yards. The grass is cut into shapes, leaving the corners as green spirals on beige-stone gardens. This image is by the drone photographer morganplr (IG: morganplr). This image is a close-up of the massive aqueduct crossing a moat. The structure is in ruins. While the great columns still stand, the section that transported water has collapsed. Its reflection is a mirror upon the surface of the still moat. This image is by the drone photographer morganplr (IG: morganplr). A drone flies high above the remains of the great aqueduct, its columns and arches growing with trees and vines.
January 4, 2026 at 6:46 PM
ipace.bsky.social
More about the 800-year-old-oak post.

Roughly 480 yards ago, Allouville-Bellefosse annals recall that lightning struck the tree, scorching a hollow into it. Interpreted as a sign, the locals built two chapels within.

The oak was burnt in the French Revolution but survived.
#art #writingcommunity
A black-and-white postcard of the tree from many, many decades ago. The postcard is credited to a local hotel. Another black-and-white postcard from decades ago. I don't speak French, so I can't determine who to credit. Another old postcard but this one is colored.
January 3, 2026 at 6:04 PM
ipace.bsky.social
Le Chêne Chapelle is not only oldest known tree in France but also home to two chapels within its trunk, one at the bottom and one at the top. The top chapel is reached by stairs that wrap around the great tree.

#ttrpg #writing #dnd #art #writingcommunity
📷️: Normandy Then and Now & Biron Philippe
This is an old image from decades ago. It shows the Great Oak Chapel before the reinforcing beams were put in. The image was hosted on the Normandy Then and Now travel magazine website. This image is by Biron Philippe (Flickr). It shows the Great Oak Chapel after the large metal struts were put into place to brace both the chapel and tree. This image shows an up-close view of the front of the Great Oak Chapel. It shows the slender entrance into the hollowed-out tree as well as the stairway wrapping itself around the tree. The image was hosted on the Normandy Then and Now travel magazine website.
January 3, 2026 at 5:55 PM
ipace.bsky.social
Within the Enna province is the star-shaped town of Centuripe, whose layout conforms to the slopes of the rocky hill upon which it stands.

The town has a long history stretching back thousands of years.

#ttrpg #writing #dnd #art #writingcommunity
📷️:Evgeni Fab; Antonino Bartuccio; & Pio Andrea Peri
This image is by the photographer Evgeni Fab (IG: evgeni.fab). A star-shaped town with long, thing arms follows the narrow top of a roughly star-shaped mountain peak. The large number of reddish buildings composing the town's structures makes the town quite a sight among the greenery of the mountain slopes. This image is credited to Antonino Bartuccio. Twilight has come to the star-shaped town, and its streets and buildings are beginning to glow from the town's lights. This image is credited to Pio Andrea Peri and the Animal News Agency. This nighttime image shows the bright streets of the town.
January 2, 2026 at 6:50 PM
ipace.bsky.social
Once, long ago, Gormaz Castle was the greatest fortress in Europe.

The Cordoba Caliphate sought to guard the wealthy Duero River region with the largest fort ever built in Europe, which was completed in 965.

#ttrpg #writing #dnd #art #writingcommunity
📷️: Fran Wallace & Por Soria y Para Soria
This image is by the drone photographer Fran Wallace (IG: franwallace93). Across an arid land stands a smooth-sloped hill rising to a narrow length ruled by rocky ridges. Atop these ridges is a long, slender fortress, ancient and crumbling but still standing. This image is by the drone photographer Fran Wallace (IG: franwallace93). This image is credited to Por Soria y para Soria (IG: porsoria_y_parasoria). This image is credited to Por Soria y para Soria (IG: porsoria_y_parasoria).
January 1, 2026 at 6:06 PM
ipace.bsky.social
Across the Lofoten archipelago (Norway) rise sharps cliffs from the sea, where mists stretching to the horizon pour across green slopes and crash against gray ridges.

Mist-touched cliffs offer exploration ideas in #ttrpg settings and #writing.

#dnd #art #writingcommunity
🎥: Giulio Groebert
December 31, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Reposted by Iam Pace
riseupcomus.bsky.social
I've been talking about Castle Automatic a lot, but I want to make sure I pull the camera back and talk about the game system it's built for, HIS MAJESTY THE WORM, too. Gonna make a 🧵 about the core game's principles and add to it over the coming week.

(First post below!)
Cover of a book: His Majesty the Worm. Winner (silver) of two ENNIES awards: Best Games and Best Rules.
December 26, 2025 at 4:44 PM
ipace.bsky.social
The site is called the Cliff Palace (Mesa Verde National Park). It was built by the Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi) more than 3000 years ago, but it was abandoned in the 1300s.

#ttrpg #writing #dnd #art #writingcommunity
📷: Rationalobserver; Ken Lund; U.S. National Park Service; & Bubba73
This image is credited to Rationalobserver (Wikimedia Commons). It depicts a massive overhang, a ridge and a cliff, over ruins of a village made from soft bricks beside a sparse woodland. This image is by Ken Lund (Flickr: kenlund). This image is credited to Bubba73 (Wikimedia Commons). This map is credited to U.S. National Park Service (Wikimedia Commons).
December 30, 2025 at 1:00 AM
ipace.bsky.social
This intricate sword of steel and silver is engraved with religious symbols and embedded with rubies.

Pope Innocent XI gifted the blade to the Polish King John III Sobieski, the "Lion of Lechistan," in 1675.

#ttrpg #writing #dnd #art #writingcommunity
📷: Wawel Royal Castle State Art Collection
This image is in the public domain and listed on Wikimedia Commons. The author is listed as unknown. An arming sword rests upon a blue surface near its belt and health. The pommel, handle, and crossguard are all intricately woven and detailed metal. The blade is heavily inscribed with words and Catholic symbols from the 17th century. The sword and its accouterments are in the Wawel Royal Castle State Art Collection. The sword and its accouterments are in the Wawel Royal Castle State Art Collection.
December 29, 2025 at 1:22 AM