Nova Llerune

Nova Llerune:

Hailing from the great ice wastes of the far north, Nova Llerune is a warrior living by the way of the sword. A hybrid between wolf and fox, her appearance is something distinguishable, characterized by her dark blue hair, bright blue fur coat, toned physique, and elegant beauty. Strong, silent, severe, reserved, and distant, her personality is perhaps best conveyed by the icy gaze of her pristine blue eyes. She is noted as walking a lonely path since her exile from the village, a small place known to the south and west only as “Levine.” Under somewhat dubious circumstances, she had been cast out for acting against the established doctrines that were practiced almost universally in the remote region. Refusing to attend “commune”, a gathering to celebrate the coming and going of the many solstices, is an act frowned upon but not severe enough to merit long standing punishment. However, it was during the solstice that she had set out onto a sort of sojourn of discovery, intent on investigating the rumored tales of a string of caves on the furthest fringes of the snow fields, and to affirm herself as an able bodied fighter. Her travels took her to the caves of Enore, one of several caves that were considered of “accursed grounds” that were forbidden for anyone to tread upon. Between the time that she had ventured in to the time that she had managed to escape, she had killed all manner of nefarious creatures and revenants that had inhabited the place, and barely survived by the skin of her teeth. She was found the following day out in the wastes, a trail of blood in the snow the only indication that she had been there. The proof was evident to the small search party of trackers, who presented her to the high priestess and village Regent, where she explained herself, her motivations. The priestess saw a young and inquisitive girl was left restless from a short lifetime of blind conformity. The regent saw an over-inquisitive and insensitive girl who was not only overtly challenging authority, but held no regard for the teachings and doctrines that had been taught her whole life. She was cast out with her worldly possessions, and what little was given to her by sympathetic villagers who were willing to forgive and forget. A sword, to replace the one left broken in the snow fields. A cloak, topped with the finest leathers of antelope, to keep her warm in the cold wasteland. Armor, of solid plate and mail to cover her upper torso. Loins, to clothe her lower form, boot-wraps to cover her ankles and shins, and bracers, to cover her forearms. Those that saw her off on that fateful day remember her staring upon the village with a placeless and distant look, before she turned and wandered out into the wasteland. There was little else left to look upon, save the tracks that she made in the snow. And those were quickly blown away with the coming of a harrowing snow storm that bathed the area in darkness for a length of time.

Forward: I purchased Sketchbook for Mac, and I must say, I loved it. Trying out express and illustrating much of this out before porting it over to Sketchbook Pro, it was quite a program of which I can only think of good things to say. The background for this piece is a bit uninspired, but I couldn't really think of much else when I think of and describe a place characterized by "the endless snow fields" and "great northern ice wastes". Ah well. Hope you all like it. Initially, she was meant to be a wolf, but she ended up looking more and more fox like to me towards the end.