The Roseshield Story
Loraleth Eythermitore, Moon Elf Ranger, 2019
Recovery Roseshield, Tiefling Artificer, 2022
The Prequel Characters
Loraleth Eythermitore was a moon elf ranger character that KC created the very day she first received her very first Player’s Handbook. Loraleth was made to reflect everything that KC dreamed of being – agile, beautiful, adventurous, able to aim at things and actually hit them – and while all of these things eventually came to pass, Loraleth Eythermitore never once saw a single session of TTRPG. You heard it here folks: KC never played the first D&D character she created. Seems a bit odd, but what Loraleth showed KC was the infinite potential of character creation and imagination that TTRPG presented. This feat was easily accomplished without ever presenting her at a table, and it also led to KC’s first attempt at designing cosplay for her own characters.
Though Loraleth Eythermitore has relatively little to do with the creation of Roseshield Menagerie as it is today, she is the most important piece to the Roseshield puzzle. None of us would be the players and DM’s we are today without our very first characters. Loraleth Eythermitore stands to represent all those who come to Roseshield Menagerie with their first character idea, their first OC cosplay hunt, or their first splurge on something for one specific character. We all have a Loraleth if you’ve ended up here. KC and Roseshield Menagerie will always celebrate the importance of each person’s Loraleth, no matter who they were.
Recovery Roseshield is a tiefling artificer of the battle smith subclass in D&D 5E. She was a teenager at the time of her adventures and was known throughout the group as “the happy child”. Though Recovery herself is paper white, not a single person would relate her to a color other than hot pink. Recovery was the healer of the party and often rode around on her giant metal wolpertinger (rabbit with antlers and wings) named Maximus and was never far from her other creation, Toppie (a sentient, metal top hat she made for Maximus). Besides her aggressively pink appearance and over joyous demeanor, Recovery was also known widely for her shield. As one would expect, her shield had a large, hot pink rose in the center which represented her love for her mother who was a florist. Another defining feature of Recovery is her completely happy, well-adjusted, and normal backstory. Recovery’s parents are still alive, she has witnessed no atrocities, and her hometown is peaceful. At no point in the campaign was any damage done to Recovery’s family or home. Truly, Recovery Roseshield is the character that shouldn’t be, but she was. Recovery adventured for one purpose and that was to share her knowledge and healing skills with those who needed it, which she did successfully for a yearlong campaign!
This of course leads to the question of why KC named Roseshield Menagerie after Recovery, and the answer is simple. The first dice bag KC ever made was for Recovery. It was made of old bed sheets, hand embroidered with regular thread, barely big enough to hold two sets of dice, and was burnt in multiple places from attempts to singe holes for multiple eyelets. This dice bag was NOT PRETTY, though to this day KC keeps it close by to remind her where she started. After showing her friends this bag, they all asked if she could make one for them which she happily did after some significant pattern modifications. This was the birthplace of Roseshield Menagerie.
Art by: KC
Made using HeroForge
Art by: @emizerk_
Painted by: KC
Art by: William Mutz using HeroForge
Creation, Tiefling Bard, 2023
Creation is a tiefling bard of the College of Creation subclass in D&D 5E. She was intended to be a representation of KC as a Dungeon Master, though Creation eventually evolved into something less cohesive and clear. She was a strong-minded, opinionated storyteller whose imagination never ran dry and held the title of bard with honor and joy. Creation carried daggers with her for the intention of carving stories wherever she went. A small panflute always adorned her neck so she was never bored by monotony or a quiet party.
Creation was designed by KC to wear when they attended San Diego Comic-Con in 2023. KC did not make it to Comic-Con that year, but that does not mean they didn’t prepare to! Creation was the first character KC attempted to make horns for. They also explored the use of EVA foam to make bracers and jewelry making for accessorizing. It was Creation that introduced KC to the sculpting involved to create antlers and horns, and Creation also inspired KC to begin exploring other interests in the cosplay and costuming fields. While Creation never made it out of the house, her contribution to KC’s exploration of techniques and fields of costuming cannot be overlooked.
Captain Nimlothien, Astral Elf Warlock, 2023
Captain Nimlothien is an astral elf warlock of the celestial subclass (D&D 5E) who found herself in the middle of an evil party doing good things. Shockingly, this worked very well for the space pirate captain, and she fit right in despite joining the party midway through their adventures. Captain Nim - as she prefers to be called - found herself in Cedar Bay seeking her girlfriend, Dustblossom, who was kidnapped from the Captain’s ship in the Astral Sea. After quickly realizing that Dustblossom was being held in a high security prison for a crime she very definitely committed, Captain Nim quickly organized the ragtag group of adventurers she found herself among to rescue Dustblossom. This explosive group - already known to blow up buildings wherever they went - was reluctant to assist until other benefit was provided, but made quick work of the prison and destroyed multiple walls and freed all prisoners that were able to escape. After a four year adventure in the Feywild, Captain Nimlothien and the rest of the party returned to Cedar Bay to find Dustblossom kidnapped and imprisoned again - awaiting erasure from history. The party rescued Dustblossom yet again and Captain Nimlothien was quick to marry her to ensure she would never be without Dustblossom again.
Captain Nimlothien may seem an odd part of the Roseshield Menagerie story, but it was the players alongside the Captain that encouraged KC to take their penchant for creating and turn it into a business. The players guiding the characters in the Legion of Chaos (as the party began to call itself) were and are incredibly supportive in KC’s creative endeavors and have each contributed significantly in one way or another to the opening and creation of Roseshield Menagerie.
KC would like to take this moment to thank the members of the Legion of Chaos for always believing in them and supporting her ideas and goals. You have all contributed in ways KC will never be able to fully express or repay. Without you, KC would not have developed the confidence to begin Roseshield Menagerie in any serious effort. Thank you a million times over, Legion of Chaos.
Winter Star, Spotted Unicorn, 2019
Winter Star is a My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic OC and persona of KC. She is a blue unicorn with a rarely seen arrangement of black spots on her body. Her white and blue mane is often tied up and kept short. Her cutie mark is a with a snowing cloud atop it to represent her affinity for the stars and ability to stargaze through snow clouds. Winter Star is rarely seen without her rainbow scarf with gold stars given to her by her pegasus sister, Christmas Sun. Many find it odd that Winter Star and Christmas Sun are sisters given their opposing magical gifts, but rest assured, pegasus and unicorn lineage reside in their family on one side or the other.
Winter Star is the only non-humanoid character that contributed to the creation of Roseshield Menagerie, but she is nevertheless important. At the beginning of KC’s cosplay journey, one will find Winter Star as an early contribution. Though KC did not make any part of the original Winter Star cosplay, this was the character that truly inspired her to pursue cosplay to a significant extent rather than as a “one-off” Halloween costume. Years down the road, Winter Star would inspire the creation of the Wolf Guardian of the Far North - an antlered forest spirit character that would lead to KC’s discovery of scale mail, sculpting, jewelry making, and even a bit of serious corsetry. A plushie of Winter Star (made by @meplushyou) sits atop a cabinet in the Rose Room - ever watching over the creations KC brings to life.
Art by: @sisart_commissions
KC, Wolf Guardian of the Far North, Forest Spirit Winter Fae, 2024
The Wolf Guardian of the Far North is a faerie druid-esque character that KC created as a persona for a real life fae ball event. As time went on, the Wolf Guardian developed quite the lore of her own as she became a forest spirit and guardian of the source of Winter magic. The Wolf Guardian is rather solitary and prefers the company of creatures to people, which is no surprise given it was the people closest to her that sent her into exile. The Wolf Guardian loves to find out the science behind various magical occurrences such as her personal abilities to shift into a wolf and control the forest she inhabits and protects. Looking at the Wolf Guardian, the first thing to notice are her massive “branchlers” sprouting from her head and reaching two feet in length each. These antler-like formations on her head are made of wood from an aspen tree - an experiment gone wrong caused the DNA of one such tree to fuse with hers and thus she now sprouts her tree branch antlers - “branchlers”. The Wolf Guardian also wears a a shorter dress to show off the twisting vines of black and white bark that swirl around her legs. These vines cover various parts of the Wolf Guardian’s visible flesh. She is wild above all else, though there remains a quiet beauty in her presence.
The Wolf Guardian of the Far North is the most recent addition to the Roseshield Menagerie Prequel Lore, though KC would call her the most important. In the creation of the Wolf Guardian’s outfit for the fae ball, KC learned countless techniques that would inspire them to share their talents, hobbies, and creative endeavors with the world - including scale mail and sculpted horns and antlers. Until the creation of the Wolf Guardian and KC’s attendance of the fae ball, the idea that KC was talented enough to sell her creations was naught but a dream. KC will be forever indebted to those in attendance at the fae ball that evening and their kind words of encouragement and praise.
Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh is a small dragon that hoards fabric and craft supplies. Throughout his existence, Gilgamesh has inhabited dozens of craft rooms and spaces over the centuries of his existence. He currently Resides with KC in the Rose Room because they allow him to choose which parts of his hoard leave and KC always replaces what she takes with more fabric and goodies.
The Rose Room
Within the Rose Room where KC creates all of the wonderful things found on Roseshield Menagerie, the magic of KC’s mind has spread far and wide affecting the environment of the Rose Room. This is the lore of the Rose Room. It will continue to grow as KC creates more and more items within its confines, thus increasing the magic within.
Blue Roses.
Within the Rose Room, blue roses naturally grow from the walls and cabinets as a physical manifestation of the unique creativity KC possesses and puts into every item she makes. KC will often pick these roses and use them to hold up various important bits of information she accesses. On rare occasion, one of these blue roses makes its way into packaging before KC ships out an item.
Winter Star.
A plushie of Winter Star sits atop the fabric cabinet within the Rose Room watching over everything that occurs within. The watchful gaze of Winter Star ensures KC’s safety and minimizes the appearance of the seam ripper as Winter Star keeps watch for any and all bad omens.
The Wands.
On one wall in the Rose Room, KC stores various trinkets and pictures she has acquired over the years. The centerpiece of this is a collection of seven magic wands that KC has been given or bought over the years. It is suspected that the presence of so many magical focuses is what truly causes the Rose Room magic, though KC will always claim it is her.
The Wolf Guardian.
Next to KC’s wand collection is a shadow box containing an assortment of artistic renditions of the Wolf Guardian and various trinkets KC gathered at the Fae Ball where the Wolf Guardian was debuted. While KC will rarely draw attention to this box, it is one of her most prized possessions and source of instpiration.
The Heart of Roseshield Menagerie
KC in their Amy Sorel from Soul Calibur 6 cosplay
KC
KC is the heart, hands, brains, and soul behind Roseshield Menagerie. From a young age, KC loved to play dress up and pretend more than most people. As early as 7 years old, KC’s grandparents were helping her create cardboard accessories she designed for a game of Fairy Spies she and her friends played everyday at recess. This passion for imagination and creativity only grew as she went through middle and high school, eventually reaching its peak potency when she began watching Say Yes to the Dress on TV. At that point, KC began her journey to becoming a wedding dress designer in a most unusual way - starting with cosplay. The first year of KC’s cosplay journey saw a basic pair of styrofoam horns and minor wig styling. By year two, KC had learned to make drill curls for the Amy Sorel wig she wears to the left in addition to custom making her costumes from scratch and a bit of prop design. Now, five years later, KC has learned so much about sewing and crafting. They look forward to the first corset they will sell someday as they are currently learning the art of corsetry.