The Lord of the Rats

Home

About

Gallery

Contact



Crafting

A handmade Viking shield, the paint breaking it into four quadrants, two deep green, two white, each with a single rat of the opposing color emblazoned on it

Nick O'Brien started crafting as a way to get the kit he wanted for cosplay and LARP and couldn't find elsewhere. This started off with his Viking shield, an item that's been very popular. He had enough trouble finding a shield that matched what he was looking for, so he decided to do an experiment- why not try to make one himself? This was much more successful (and more simple!) than he'd anticipated, and from there his journey of crafting much of his own kit began.


Nick's adventure in making much of his soft kit began when he was talking to a friend about his difficulty finding many options that fit him properly. There just aren't enough options available on the mass market for people with his dimensions! One time, when talking to a friend about his woes, she suggested he start making his own clothes. Thus began his journey with soft kit- tunics, pants, arming wear, and more. For Weekend Warrior Experience, he went as far as making all of his own soft kit for it, with the exception of his leg wraps, belts, and shoes!


At this point, Nick is taking limited commissions, dependent on his availability and what it is that you'd like to have made. Pricing depends on cost of materials, complexity of commission, and labor. Price does not include shipping costs. Buyer is responsible for all shipping, customs, or import costs associated with shipping the final item(s).As all items are custom-made to order, returns or exchanges are not allowed, unless photos proving damage upon arrival are provided. Once the exact details of the commission have been worked out, the order cannot be modified. Any cancellations must be within 24 hours of commission being finalized. Shipping times will vary depending on the details of the commission, an estimate will be provided upon discussing the details of the order.


To inquire about a commission, click here.


If you want to see any of the tutorial videos Nick has done on several of his pieces, check out his Instagram or TikTok feeds here. Be sure to follow for future tutorials!



Some examples of Nick's work:

A handmade padded coif made of natural linen and wool batting A brick-ish red tunic with a yellow collar in a Medieval style A rat embroidered on light blue linen with white thread A pair of handmade Rus-style grey pants A handmade Viking shield, the paint breaking it into four quadrants, two deep green, two white, each with a single rat of the opposing color emblazoned on it Harald, a fantasy Norman-esque warrior in blue, holding a lantern and gazing into the distance📷 Nicolas Bruno The backside of a handmade Viking shield A handmade gambeson Harald, without his battle kit, wearing a blue tunic, staring menacingly ahead📷 ST Kerr Nick, modeling a hand-made quilted gambeson made of undyed linen, stuffed with wool Nick, modeling a bright red Roman-style hand-made tunic made of hand-dyed wool Nick, modeling a bright red Medieval-stype hand-made tunic made of hand-dyed red wool, with some gold trim at the wrists and an embroidered gold lion across the chest An unfinished handmade padded coif made of natural linen and wool batting



Photo credits:

📷 ST Kerr

📷 Nicolas Bruno