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F&F: Kaela test sketches
🕑 Added 2023-12-24 16:55:46 +0000 UTCSome super quick sketches I did for Kaela in the updated version of Feathers and Flowers! I'm still exploring her look a bit, particularly her build since she's no longer just the small one of the group. I'm leaning toward "soft-faced woman with guns of steel"; probably a little softened overall due to the slightly easier lifestyle she's taken, but nonetheless built like a weapon.
ANYWAY! Here's some lore to share :>
-M'Kaela (Me-Kah-Eh-La), or just Kaela for short, comes from a relatively small island an ocean and two rivers away from the place she currently lives. It had a high concentration of wildlife and monsters, and as such the island grew to have a need for a centralized guild known simply as The Slayers (temp name while I workshop a cooler one). While the capital of the island does have a formal government and a Jarl, the bulk of the real political power goes to The Slayers due to them holding (and maintaining) the lion's share of keeping the ecosystem of their civilization and the inhabitants within it alive. Kaela's clan not only founded The Slayers, they also currently lead them, so in some ways she's consider some form of pseudo royalty.
-As the founding clan, the Rose family has generations upon generations of Slayers, and they expect the responsibility of becoming a Slayer to be passed on in one way or another. Kaela is no different. Born into the profession of slaying monsters of all levels, Kaela was trained at an early age and became very good at the job, so much so that she was among the higher ranks within the guild.
But an incident occurs where she ends up deciding to drop out of the line of work. Given who she is and her family's deep ties with the ecosystem of the island's survival and wellbeing this... isn't taken too well by everyone. Her relationship with her family is something she now refuses to talk about as a result.
-Kaela, upon "quitting", leaves her island for good to live a simple, rugged life in the far outskirts of a quaint little town. She's rather content with where her life ended up, but she won't ever admit that she's running away from something in her past.
-The deep scars from belly to chest are a physical reminder of the incident mentioned above; I have the idea that they maybe have healed somewhat poorly due to poor care on her part. Sometimes she gets phantom pains (particularly in cold, dreary days) and it makes it hard to move.
-The scar on her shoulder isn't one she gained on the field, but instead an intentional branding. I've the idea that anyone who joins the Slayer's guild gets a tattoo or a brand to mark their profession. Brands are typically for those born into the profession, tattoos to those who prove themselves worthy of joining. These are marks to bear with pride; to be a Slayer is to be the heart and the lifeblood of the island. But given Kaela's shame to the name, she keeps the brand hidden; back in her Slayer days, she'd often wear clothing that proudly shows the brand, but now she wears shirts with sleeves. Anything to keep the physical reminder out of anyone's view (more importantly, out of her view).
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At some point I'll go more into detail of the jobs and ranks of the Slayer's Guild, as well as the incident that made Kaela leave. First I gotta figure that stuff out ;w; But until then I hope you like the artwork! More to come soon :)
