I did this image while writing my last novel, "The Saga of Beowulf," as a nod to the unknown poet who penned the original Old English poem. It is believed that there were, in fact, two scribes who wrote that epic work, the first having left off some two-thirds through, at which point the handwriting abruptly changes. Here is one possible scenario that might provide an explanation. But was it natural causes, or something in the wine... Done in Poser with only minor postwork. The main book on the lectern is the "Poseable Book" by 3DCritter, onto which I mapped a custom reproduction of the actual Beowulf manuscript, just as a bit of a hint. The character is Michael 3 with skin textures from RawArt's "Davey Jones Ghost". Monk's robe is that of "Pappy's Brother Floyd" (so nice of him to lend it). Walls are built from ParrotDolphin's "Morphing Gothic Arch", which seems to be no longer available. She also provided the "Morphing Cushion" for the chairs, which comes as a free bonus prop in the "OooShiny" materials set (credited below, and very handy to have). Furniture is all from Serrge's "Medieval Furniture Pack", except for the candleholders, which are from Marforno's "Mystic Places & Poses 5" (credited below), although I used the candles from JamesSF's "Wizard's Props" set, and the flame itself is from RomanceWORKS' "Ultimate Fire Starter Pac" (yeah, I was all over the place with this one). The rug is from Faveral's "Kelly Lodge", and the floor itself is from Danie & Marforno's "Pure Fantasy" set. The inkwell and quill, plus the majority of the books and other props in the vitrine are from "The Alchemist's Apothecary" by Alleycat169. Plus there are a few other books in there as well, including the "Book of Shadows" from the Alchemy II set by IgnisSerpentus, and a couple of the classics from DAZ. I believe one of RobotMonster's books is in there too. Let's see, what else... Oh, the goblet is from the RDNA PropsClub "Fantasy Banquet Set". And the skull back there is from the Michael 3 Skeleton, with the dirty textures applied. Lights used were one wide spot for general illumination and one narrow spot for the wall highlight, plus the Ultimate Fire candle wick and a point light inside the candle itself to give the wax an inner glow. And a little ambient light on the windows as well. I think that about covers it. I did use a few of Rons awesome Photoshop brushes for the smoke and ink spills as well. The wine spill is just painted in. For more on the creation of this image, read my blog post at: http://authoradventures.blogspot.com/2010/03/poets-doom.html