Art of LynkaWolf (Marie Jeantet) - Chronicles of the Wind Rider

Chronicles of the Wind Rider - Character Concepts and Art

"Chronicles of the Wind Rider" (CotWR) is the second cycle of the storie(s) I've been writing as a personal project, "Legends of Erayfen" (Cycle I is 'Syam'). The first semester of my university course included the module "Introduction to Game Design", where we were introduced to Unity3D. Our coursework was to create an island within the game engine, and as I was drafting and brainstorming premises & goals, the idea of an island where the player would be a pirate arose. Then, as I was writing quick backstories for the characters, I thought: "Ok, I've always wanted the main character of Legends of Erayfen to meet pirates, so let's make those pirates the ones!".

Thus were born Captain Eliza Valent, her Quartermaster Roxanne Read, the boatswain and dear friend Ronan Tuillier, and the rest of the crew of the Wind Rider. I have drawn them several times since then, and would like to update their concept and character sheets when I get the time. So yes, please note that these original designs are from 2015 and in need of an update ;) ! More art and doodles related to CotWR can be seen on my DeviantART, Instagram, and Tumblr pages :)

ORIGINAL CHARACTER CONCEPT ART (OCTOBER 2015)

All these concepts were part of my very first attempt at "proper" character design, especially human characters. This included looking at clothing references for ideas, hairstyles, etc., and still have a long way to go :)

Captain Eliza Valent

Here is the original background text for Eliza, as written in my Game Design Document of the time. Again, a lot of changes were done since then, so I'll keep you posted :) :

"The protagonist is Captain Eliza Valent, a 24-year old woman pirate captain who has been sailing the seas since the age of 14, and a pirate since the age of 16. She originally left her home town after ruthless pirates attacked it, joining men and women who wanted to go after them for revenge, which they got. Taking a liking in sailing and adventure, many of them decided to keep sailing the seas, and eventually became pirates of their own, stealing from unjust adversaries to help those in greater need, or from rich kings and queens. Eliza and her pirate friends (as officially condemned by the Tyrant) sail on the Wind Rider, and she took command at age 17, after her friend and captain Leon died. She is known for her sense of justice, loyalty, kindness, leadership, but also ruthlessness towards the unjust, traitors, and for being a fierce (and terrifying) sabre fighter - some even claim she reminds them of a feline predator when she fights and could see fangs and claws. She loves discovering new places, sailing the sea for adventures, and usually steal from the filthy rich to help the poorer. And her crew, evidently. The ship might not be the only thing that carries the title of Wind Rider, too..."

(Note: Eliza is a niäleath, a specific type of shapeshifters (which I will detail later ^^), and has the Instinct of a jaguar - meaning her soul is both human and jaguar, and she easily shapeshifts between the two).

(Early face concepts, a few changes were made along the way. Looking for hairstyles, rather than the face in particular).

This drawing was done in June 2016, when I wanted to draw the various members of the crew as well as practicing full-body drawings. Her design keeps evolving through time, and I'd like to make an updated Character Sheet when I can :)

(Quartermaster/First Mate) Roxanne Read

"Another main character is Roxanne Read, Eliza’s First Mate, Quartermaster, best friend... [and girlfriend, once the two finally realise their feelings are mutual - you can see illustrations of them together in the Legends of Erayfen project and a few below, in the Illustration section :) ]. A strong personality, fiery, authoritative, loyal, fierce fighter, and with a big liking for rum, Roxanne met Eliza during a tavern fight she initiated whilst heavily drunk by questioning and mocking Eliza’s ‘rumoured skills and reputation’, being so tired of pirates and sailors making up stories and flattering themselves and their egos. The remarks made the captain laugh, amused and absolutely not offended, but her (drunken) crew took offence and a tavern fight ensued. At its end, Eliza offered Roxanne to join her crew so she could judge of her skills by herself. Roxanne accepted (partly because in need of a job, mostly because she was still very drunk and intrigued), and soon became friends with the captain, who later promoted her to Quartermaster/First Mate, and approved by the crew. She always insists on following Eliza everywhere to protect her, despite the captain’s excellent fighting skills."

[Note: Roxanne is originally from a noble family, but turned her back on her uncle, Lord Richard, and her aunt, Lady Rosalind, when Lord Richard tried to marry her to a noble lord, against her will. She could never really stand nobility anyways, and became a mercenary not just out of spite towards nobility as a whole but also to look for information on her parents, rumoured to have disappeared with a ship's crew when she was very young.]

Roxanne's look changed since these October 2015 designs ^^

(Boatswain) Ronan Tuiller

"Ronan Tuillier is the other close friend of Eliza and her Boatswain. Ronan met Eliza when she came to his town, after it was pillaged by other pirates. Having learned of Eliza’s similar past and her desire to chase after the pirates, whom she knew attacked and hurt numerous innocent villagers, he asked her to become a member of the Wind Rider. She accepted. Throughout the years, Ronan proved to be a skillful and trustworthy pirate and friend, and quickly became Eliza’s Boatswain, helping to direct the crew and organize the ship’s supplies, among other tasks. Eliza, Roxanne and he are friends and chiefs, who can always rely on each other. He also nominated Roxanne for the role of First Mate, when Eliza asked him if he was interested in the position. He is very kind-hearted and loyal, and will do anything to protect his family and friends."

Note that at the time, it was not as important to create a full-body design for each character. Due to time constraints, I designed his head, but not more.

Klara Jehlen

This visual development actually dates from September 2016, and can be seen on its own in the Klara Jehlen Character Development project (available in the 2D Gallery on this site)!

"Klara Jehlen is an optimistic, kind young woman and doe niäleath (shapeshifter) who escaped from slavery with the help of the pirate captain Eliza Valent - who she also prevented from becoming enslaved. Thankful to the pirate she teamed up with, she embarked on the Wind Rider to adventure to new places. On the way, she took a real liking to living as part of the crew, adventuring, sailing, and feeling as part of a family again, and decided to stay full-time with her friends. She is always supportive, considers Eliza like a big sister, and is a very efficient rogue. "

Illustrations

Some of the illustrations and artworks I have drawn over time featuring characters from CotWR :) Many more exist as part of Inktober or as doodles, available on my various social media pages.