Character Histories
Here I will be writing about my character designs, each will vary and all three will not be tailored to the same theme, I'm trying to do things I haven't done before, and go with characters I never really would go for, just to see how I cope, and to broaden my horizons.
I will design characters that revolve around middle earth and are mythological, such as faeries, barbarians and trolls. My designes will not be based on modern times, they are more influenced by modern fantasy, form games suchas World of Warcraft, Fable, and films like Lord of the Rings.
Character One – Sylph
Name: Sylvia
Nickname or title: Sylvia Wind-Walker; she is neither here nor there, a free spirit, always embarking on new endeavours and has the most inquisitive of minds.
Age: Sylvia appears to be a young adolescent girl of around 14-16 years old, but as an element of the spirit world she is about 100 years of age, which is actually very young as Sylphs can live to be thousands of years old.
Gender: Female
Body Type: Ectomorph
Appearance: Sylvia has the looks of a radiant young woman as her skin is immaculate, and it has a tint of sky blue to it. She has elf like eyes and has a blue aura surrounding her external form. As an air elemental she is translucent and has a strong definition to her human like form. Her appearance is slender giving the impression of lightness, with little body fat. Facially She has a well defined bone structure. Sylvia has a curvaceous body and is very attractive and desirable to those of her kind.
Clothes: To show of her form she wears the most basic of clothing and that of necessity. She wears white cloth that envelops the upper and lower regions of her body, and winds around her with pieces of fabric loose and moving freely.
Characteristics: Sylvia is free spirited spirit with a euphoric affinity to life. As a character she loves the world that she has been born into. She is the beloved daughter of the two greatest wind weavers in her world. She is admired by everyone; all of her kind see her as the epitome of purity and good life. She acts as a beacon of hope for her kind, and cares for her people and is protective over the ones she loves. She is intelligent and very mature for a young spirit, but also has a wild side as she can be mischievous and a little over confident in her abilities. A trait she has inherited from her father, but will it get her into more trouble than she expects?
Lifestyle: Sylvia lives in a valley filled with the spirits of her kind where she is educated and catered for. Those that live there are content, but they live there only because they are forced to. Most spirits are restricted and told not to leave the main grounds of the valley. The air elementals live a life of constraint in which they never have peace of mind and there are always dangers where they dwell. Sylvia on the other hand, being stubborn like her father, ignores these constraints which are the root cause as to how her own story unravels.
Where is this set: On a planet not so different from earth, where buildings are more organic and the air is more dense. Wildlife flourishes and it is inhabited by humanoids, quadrupeds and all kinds of unique creatures. This planet is filled with life of the elements.
Where she is from: Sylvia was woven into existence by wind weavers. These beings are considered elders of the element air, full of wisdom and pure intent to restore the balance and equilibrium of the world. The elders believed that they were created by a force of unimaginable power, but they do not actually know of their origins. There are many theories to their creation; many think that they were summoned into existence by a celestial entity with a divine purpose to protect the earth and fight against their rival Fire. However this is also questionable and to some sounds completely uncanny. Regardless of what the legends and stories tell Sylvia has been born into this world and it is up to her to try and change it and make a difference, even if she doesn’t quite know it yet.
Past: Sylvia was raised in a valley above the clouds by her loving parents; they were the image of splendour and she had a life that no other youngling (a name for spirits in their adolescent years) had ever received. Her parents had both fought on the elemental plains centuries before she was born. Through their trauma and grief of losing so many loved ones and sacrificing their home land on the surface of their planet. They were forced to retreat to the skies and live in the clouds creating a new home for their family and people.
Hundreds of years later Sylvia was brought into their world; woven and formed atop the apex of the highest mountain in the farthest reaches of the valley, a process that took weeks of pure concentration and energy. It is said to be the reason as to why Sylvia has such ethereal looks is because she was woven out of the purest of air which could only be found atop the valley where no spirit dare lingers for too long. The air was created by lustrous air elementals that possessed the looks of goddesses; these looks were used to deceive other spirits. At heart they were malicious and cruel; they sought only to harm others and thus they were banished from the lower regions of the valley and are known as Tormenters. They say the air can allure and intoxicate wandering spirits into an enchanting dream which they are then unable to escape from. Many families had lost brothers and sisters to this fate. This is why no one ventures to the far reaches of the valley, and also why Sylvia is the only pure essence air elemental left in existence.
Present: In present times Sylvia spends most of her time drifting. Her kind refers to drifting as riding the wind, a mode of transport for the spirits as they thrive mostly in the skies. Most spirits are too frightened to wander out of the valley and go beneath the clouds after hearing of the terrifying stories about the great wars and the Tormenters. Whether the stories are true or not is a different matter of course; I’m sure protective parents tell their younglings stories to instil them with fear of the dangerous outside world, encouraging the spirits to not leave the valley. Unlike the younglings, Sylvia is un-phased by stories of legend and myth. She avidly wants to see more of the world, rather than residing in the confines of the valley.
She spends most of her time outside of the valley below the clouds, helping tortured spirits and trying to strengthen the bond between the air elementals and the life-stream that lives within the trees and plants, as nature in turn purifies the air. Many forests have been decimated due to fire, elementals that know only rage and live for destruction. They spread the quickest out of all other elements and their fiery core is filled with malice. Sylvia does have fears and is afraid of the dangers she could face, but she is loyal to nature and the lives that bloom within it.
Future: Sylvia wants to bring righteousness to her kind and put an end to all of the fright and terror that has infected the minds of all spirits below the clouds. She also thinks that her people deserve a life of that not in a cage. Sylvia will discover that she has a big part to play as stories unfold between different races and human like creatures start to rise and join their cause to fight the elements. As Sylvia ventures deeper into the cracks of the world she discovers that it isn’t only her kind that have been forced to live a life of grief and struggle. As a sudden moment of clarity occurs Sylvia realises that she is to play a part in healing their broken world; to try banding all those that have suffered together, to rise and fight a war with no predictable outcome.
Characters Purpose: Sylvia’s purpose is to inspire and instil hope into those that have lost theirs, to purge all evil, bring forces together and commence the healing process that will determine the fate of the world they live in. She will also be the cause of another elemental war which she will inevitably lead.
Does she/he wield a weapon? Sylvia doesn’t wield a physical weapon but possesses the power of elemental air. This could consist of wind or weather effects such as storms, rain or blizzards.
Are they of legend or myth? Yes a Sylph is a Greek mythological creature.
Character Two – Mountain Troll
Name: Grath
Nickname or title: The Butcher
Age: 289 years of age
Gender: Male
Body Type: Endomorph, Fat, Rounded.
Appearance: Grath as character is portrayed to be tall, about 7 feet, and grossly overweight with a huge head, greenish skin, and yellow eyes. He moves in a sluggish manor and breathes heavily. His ears have notched lobes adorned with thick earrings or plugs. He bares the scars of battle, on his head and part of his right ear is missing.
Clothes: He wears half armour and tight fitting leggings, with stout boots. His cloth which sits beneath his armour is ragged and stops just above his stomach.
Characteristics: He is foul tempered and will attack at the slightest provocation. And if he looks into your eyes you will turn to stone. At first light of dawn, Grath and all other trolls turn to stone, and at nightfall they come back to life filled with malice and evil intent towards humans and their lands.
Lifestyle: Grath and his kind, spend their waking hours at night, hunting for human prey, but failing to eat human flesh, they will catch and consume any living creature large or small. After killing their human prey, they will steal any goods or clothing, storing their plunder in caves which they guard at all times. This means that they do not venture very far from where they reside.
Where is this set: The Dark Ages, before man had come to power and the world was governed by sorcery and creatures of darkness.
Where he is from: Grath is from the ancient forests that border the black mountains and comes from a long line that was created by the ancient sorcerers that dwelled in the mountain peaks. These were creatures never to be seen, known only by tales and stories of legend.
Past: Grath was raised by his parents to continue the line of guards to the gateway of the sorcerer’s kingdom in the mountains. During the Dark War, the sorcerers fled the mountain, abandoning the trolls. The trolls no longer had purpose or means of protection and nourishment, which forced them to loot and kill. Grath as a child had been forced to live in harsh conditions after leaving the forests. After lasting long winters without food, and spending lonely nights without his family who he lost in a raid. He now lives a solitary life with his brothers whom he hates. Through his trauma he has grown to be a vicious and cruel character when he needs to be, but a gentle giant when he is alone, he hopes to see his family again.
Present: Grath hates the life he is forced to live, he seeks redemption through good will and trying to kill less, but with the influence of his barbaric brothers, he is forced to join in with their cruel games, torturing and tormenting the humans and killing their livestock. He is the youngest troll and is punished by his brothers if he strives against their wishes.
Future: Grath wants to become independent, and to be relieved from the bonds that he is bound to. He wants to reunite his family and re-establish the line of trolls that were once looked at in aw, but are now looked down at with disgust and pure hatred. He will come to terms that he will need to face his brothers, leave his camp with the goods he has stolen and try to rekindle what once was with his family. On Grath’s endeavours, he will face challenges which will determine his fate and existence.
Characters Purpose: Graths purpose is to become independent and face the world he has been born into, but before he can face what’s out there, he must deal with his brothers and the predicament he finds himself in now. Inevitably, he will find himself in the dark world; facing enemies he thought didn’t even exist.
Does she/he wield a weapon? Yes, Grath has a sheathed cleaver and carries a large mace which trails behind him on his journey’s, his weapons have seen much death and are symbolic to Grath. They were given to him by his family.
Are they of legend or myth? Yes, trolls are based of mythical stories and folklore, which I have applied to my own made up time period.
Character Three – Warrior
Name: Drak
Nickname or title: (No nickname given)
Age: Drak is Human and about 25-26 years of age.
Gender: Male
Body Type: Mesomorph, rigid, hard and muscly.
Appearance: Drak has long wavy black hair and he bears the scars of a warrior. He has defined musculature and facial features, his nose is straight and solid, he has a scar from a sword, which draws vertically down the middle of his left eye lid, past his eye and onto his cheek. Drak has black facial hair, well shaven and has large ears. His eyes are blue and his face expression straight.
His arms and chest are large due to training with a heavy weapon, his legs are toned and he is built like a brick wall. He appears to be a vigorous warrior, good looking, and a protector of his people.
Clothes: Drack wears leather around his waist, and has plate armour attached to his chest, he has rad cloth beneath his armour and has his arms and legs revealed.
Characteristics: As a person, Drak is reserved; he vows to protect the people around him and whom he loves. He is intrusted with “The Sword of the Eagle”, this is an ancient weapon, passed down from a long line of ancestors, given to one of pure blood, possessing bravery and courage. Only a selected few are able to wield this weapon and it is looked upon as a symbol of the human’s existence, it has won many wars and Drak is the wielder of this weapon, he is seen as a leader.
Lifestyle: Drak is a simple minded person as are the rest in his village, he doesn’t seek comfort through wealth, fame or any other luxuries of life. He sleeps at night knowing his village is safe and that he has food on the table. Every day he helps the peasants with crops; he ploughs and tends to the animals like any other member of the village. He believes in equality and everybody in the village does their fair share to help keep life thriving. At night he helps watch the wall, this is the outer ring of the village, made out of wood and protected by an iron gate, it makes the village very hard to breach, but it has happened before so he keeps watch on his part, just to make sure that mistake never happens again.
Where is this set: Set 13 years after the decade of the black purge a time where half the human population were wiped out due to plague and illness, medicine wasn’t invented then and the humans are starting to repopulate the world.
Where he is from: Drak was born behind the walls of Caltarass, given birth to by his mother, he had a happy childhood until the age of 10, when life started to become difficult and everything changed. He lived in the outer circle of the great kingdom Caltarass, controlled by the High Lord.
Past: Drak was born and raised into a family of six, he has a mother, father and three siblings, and he was the fourth and the youngest of all the siblings. His family were killed in the fires of ‘Calterass’ this was the kingdom he once lived in. As a child, he grew up in the outer rings of the keeps grounds. This was where the poor lived and the population was most malnourished. These people were considered the scum of Caltarass and were isolated and secluded from the rest of the population.
The kingdom consisted of 4 great rings, each level becoming more wealthy and aristocratic as it grew nearer to the keep in the middle.
When Drak was just 10 years old and he just started his weapons training with his father. Life was good, besides the illness that was spreading, rumours of a plague were spreading through the colonies and villagers were starting to become disconcerted and were feeling worried for their families. A year later Drak was 11, the illness’s started to become more progressive and rapid, it was spreading like wild fire and many villagers had fled to the barren lands to try and escape the effects of the plague, and to their children from catching it.
When Drak was age 12, things became dire, carriers (people who carried the plague) had left the city, not knowing they were infected, spreading it throughout other colonies. The High Lord of Caltarass signed a Waiver, and on his command, eagles were sent to fly over the villages and colonies, dropping fire bombs to try ad extinguish the plague, killing everything in its path. It was genocide, Drak lost his family in the flames, when he found out what was happening, he ran back to his village, only to see his family burnt and charred. From this point onwards he has become a changed man, he never spoke of his past to anyone and nobody dared ask.
Present: Drak prefers a solitary and quiet life, he has experienced a lot of grief and lost his family during a ambush on their village by the bandits thirteen years later, survivors had banded together to try and repopulate the world. The bandits are a cult of individuals who raid villages, stealing food, money and women. They enslave the children and rape the women. Fortunately this hasn't happened for a very long time in Draks village, under his protection, he has kept the people safe for many years. Different villages on the other hand are not so well protected and the bandits are recruiting more people every day, they are suffering which causes Drak to want to leave his village and help them, but if he leave, his own village may get ambushed.
Future: Drak will pick up the Sword of the Eagle, and lead his people into battle, to try and save the other villages and bring down the bandit cult. Throughout his journey Drak will seek to train warriors and build up a force, able to take the bandits head on in battle. This will take years of preparation though, and he must train his village first. He will also find out that it was the High lord of Caltarass that made the orders for the bandits to attack the villages, so he can rebuild his own empire.
Characters Purpose: With his new found purpose to train the villagers and avenge those who died in vein, Drak will lead his own people into victory with an army and he will meet the bandit cult in battle to try and reclaim their land an people.
Does she/he wield a weapon? He wields a two handed sword, and has a shield on his back and a short sword sheathed on his side.
Are they of legend or myth? No, a made up character.
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