"Ten years of war they killed us slowly, but now we'll be the ones who slAYYYYY!" -- Like most DTAs I enter, the designs fill the roles of pre-written characters in my original story, Shadowbound! Which means... LORE DUMP TIME ========== Name: Avarice Darkenwilds ("Avari") Species: Shadowborn Class: Believed to be an Illusionist Role: Minor Character -- (note: there may be a lot of unfamiliar terms here related to the story and its worldbuilding; don't expect everything to make perfect sense to you XD) Avari lived during the Age of Skyrise (which for context is about 4,000 years before Shadowbound's main plot takes place). Besides a legend about her passed down over generations (which has many versions), not much is known about the ancient Shadowborn Illusionist. --- Background: When Sierra, the young nation of the Skyborn, defeated and conquered Earthborn Gladefire, it quickly grew into a widely feared superpower. High on power, Sierra's kings quickly turned on the rest of the continent. Riftvale was the next nation to fall to the Skyborn, and when Northwood followed soon after, the mages of Lucelis began to prepare for war. However, even their strongest magic couldn't stop the Skyborn. One by one, the Lucelian Darkmages fell to Sierra and its unceasing Skyguard's relentless attacks. -- The Legend of Avarice Darkwilds goes as follows: (please note that there are many versions of this legend and that the one below is simply the most widely accepted across Sierra, not the truest.) When Lucelis was on its last legs, Avari saw no other option. With everyone she knew and loved dead, she called upon the forbidden Shadowborn dark magic, sacrificing her sanity for insurmountable powers to protect her nation for the final time. Gathering the last few hundred soldiers left in the Lucelian Militia, the last Darkmage alive led the Shadowborn warriors in one final stand, straight into their certain deaths. In history, there are no plot twists, no miracles, no plot armor. Nature simply takes who it pleases and spares no one. In a battle that lasted mere minutes, Avari slaughtered more than a thousand Skyborn before being cut down by a now-famous Stormbound general. There were no prisoners taken in the final battle of the War of Sky Rising. Lucelis would be the final nation to fall to Sierra in the ten-year war known as the War of Sky Rising. Avari was the last known Illusionist in Shadowborn history. It is thought that the incredibly rare power died with her. -- While many Sierran "heroes" were passed down in history, Avari's name and legend faded mostly into obscurity. Having been passed down orally, many more personal details about her have been lost. Today, she's revered as the Shadowborn Goddess of magic and sacrifice. Avari is the goddess that Radiance prays to when he summons her dark magic. She doesn't play a huge role in the plot herself but is responsible for inspiring a lot of Radiance's actions and choices. Like a true fanboy, he quotes her a lot XD
Turn up your screen brightness to see the art clearly! Click for process: 1.) original design (art by @-CinnamonPumpkin-) 2.) final 3.) blocking 4.) sketch/lineart 5.) flats and shadows 6.) ambient shading 7.) background 8.) painted shadows 9.) overlaying and adjustment (final) ========== Credits: > design: @-CinnamonPumpkin- (I did edit the design a little though (see list below for clarity)) - added cheek fluff - reduced the number of stripes on back - changed eye color to match story lore > art: @Masterofmeow - Program: Krita - Time taken: 2-3 hours > bgm: Jorge Rivera-Herrans - The Horse and the Infant (From EPIC: The Musical) - This music was selected specifically for its relation to the character's story! (and also because this song is a total bop XD) Give it a close listen after reading the story and see if you can hear any hints.
