🎨 This is the Cave-Grinner — Bestiary Plate #01 from Elder Realm Artworks —Original Creature Illustration with OSR Stat Block

"The Smile is the last thing the light reveals."
— Scholar-Archivist Delvara Och, Elder Realm Compendium, 3rd Age

Each Bestiary Plate is a hand-crafted creature illustration paired with a full OSR-format stat block, classification registry, special abilities, and canon field observations — all on a single, collectible plate designed to be displayed, referenced at the table, or added to your growing bestiary collection.

The Cave-Grinner is a Humanoid Aberrant — a subterranean ambush predator that hunts by the warmth of your blood. It clings motionless to cavern ceilings, tracking body heat through solid rock. It doesn't need light. It doesn't need sound. It feels you coming. When your torchlight finally sweeps the ceiling and catches that grotesquely wide mouth full of teeth — grinning, inches above your head — the ambush has already begun.

Authentic OSR Illustration: Rendered in the strict discipline of 1970s pen-and-ink cross-hatching and heavy black-massing, this piece authentically replicates the atmospheric, grim tone of classic Old School Revival bestiary artists like David A. Trampier.

📦 What You Get with Every Bestiary Plate:

The Bestiary Plate — Original creature illustration with complete OSR stat block, classification entry, special abilities (Heat-Sense, Ambush, Stone Cling), and canon field observations. The plate is the definitive reference for this creature. Display it. Use it at the table. Collect the series.

BONUS:
Full Creature Compendium Bundle (Digital Download) — Every Bestiary Plate purchase includes a complete Elder Realm Archive compendium entry for the creature, delivered as a print-ready PDF. This is not a summary — it is a deep, fully researched companion document containing:
• Canon Core: Full classification entry and stat block matching the plate exactly
• Creature Card: A printable 4" × 6" quick-reference card with threat indicators, combat stats, and terrain/mood tags
• DM Quick-Use Sheet: Tactics, environmental clues, atmospheric sound cues, combat cheat sheet, and post-encounter salvage with trophy values
• Adventure Seeds: Five fully developed adventure hooks (Investigation, Survival Horror, Moral Dilemma, Wilderness Exploration, Political Intrigue)
• Lore Sheet: Species taxonomy, three regional variants (Pale Grinner, Ashgrin, Marrow Grinner), habitat/ecology/behavior, encounter frequency tables, and a narrative vignette
• **5e Compatiblity Statblock Conversion tables Appendix**

🎯 Who Is This For?

Collectors who want beautifully illustrated creature plates with real mechanical depth — not just wall art, but functional game artifacts.
Dungeon Masters and Game Referees looking for a drop-in creature with full tactical support, rich lore, and a compendium that does all the prep work for you.
Worldbuilders who want ecologically grounded, internally consistent creature design built from a single authoritative source.
OSR and Solo RPG Players seeking atmospheric bestiary entries in classic stat format, with everything you need to run the creature right out of the box.

📄 File Format:

The Bestiary Plate ships as a Physical Product.
The Compendium Bundle is a Digital Download (PDF) — a download link will be provided in your Etsy order confirmation email immediately upon purchase. Print-friendly layouts included.

⚔️ System Note: All Elder Realm Artworks bestiary plates and compendium entries are system-agnostic lore-first, with OSR-compatible stat blocks included. Use the lore with any tabletop RPG system — the world belongs to you.

"Traditional shadows offer no sanctuary. The Grinner tracks the warmth of the blood in your veins, not the sight of your eyes." Start your bestiary collection with the creature that hunts you by your heartbeat.

Thank you for supporting independent TTRPG creators and artists. Every plate helps us build the Archive, one creature at a time. 🖤

Product Features:
• Paper Choice: Printed on heavyweight Archival Matte (230 gsm) paper—chosen specifically by our studio to eliminate unwanted glare under room lighting, deliver deep velvet blacks, and provide a museum-grade tactile finish that makes fine-line ink work pop.
• Museum Quality: High-resolution printing preserves every fine ink stroke and "aged paper" texture.
• Sustainably Sourced: Printed and assembled in the USA.

📬 Shipping & Packaging Security:
To ensure your physical game artifacts arrive in pristine condition:
• 8" x 10" Plates: Shipped perfectly flat in ultra-secure, rigid cardboard mailers to prevent any bending or creasing.
• 16" x 20" Plates: Carefully rolled with protective tissue paper and shipped in heavy-duty, crush-resistant cardboard tubes.

🖼️ Framing Details & Edge-to-Edge Design
Please note that this listing is for the physical gallery print only. Frames and room mockups are shown for atmospheric display and scale inspiration.

Edge-to-Edge Vintage Parchment (Full Bleed)
To create the authentic, immersive feel of an original roleplaying game bestiary, this creature plate features an edge-to-edge vintage parchment design without a traditional white border. The parchment background acts as the matte itself.

Framing Recommendations:

Direct Framing: Standard picture frames feature an inner lip that will naturally cover approximately ¼ inch of the paper's edge. Because this design is full bleed, the frame will sit directly over the outer edge of the printed parchment, creating a seamless window into the illustration.

Text & Layout: All critical text, stats, and heavy ink cross-hatching are deliberately inset to ensure nothing important is obscured by standard frame lips.

Care instructions
- If the poster does gather any dust, you may wipe it off gently with a clean, dry cloth.