I am a WIP

Back to bring you more OC art because my brain worms are prolific

I already wanted to draw some kind of partial transformation Marianne, just to get a better picture of her lycanthropy, but then had the bright idea that I could make it angst art using lyrics that were really hitting.

Marianne is just having a terrible time:

- People she hurt in the past are back on her

- She worries that she will hurt the people she currently cares about

- She believes her best friend has reasons to kill her

I’ve mentioned the practice of “Grafting” in the universe (not so subtly lifted from the element in elden ring) as a method of physical healing and augmentation, usually done by transplanting smaller pieces of flesh and tissue.

But what happens when you graft at a large scale? What if two, or more, people attempted to merge their whole bodies?

Mother Thea, an Abbess of the Eventide Church, and follower of Minerva, the apocryphal deity of Civilisation and Battle.

Thea is a woman who has lived a long life of many hats, and her experiences have given her the skills, fortitude, and motivation to be a source of guidance or comfort to those who need it, which in Nohria, is a lot of people.

Most pressingly concerning her design, Thea was once a practitioner of the art of Grafting, an offshoot of the magic system in Bölverk derived from Dreor, the Goddess of Flesh. This practice is one that can be used for incredible healing, but is deeply disturbing in that it involves the tenderising of one’s flesh, and physically melding it with that of others. In this way, flesh can be given or received in order to heal wounds and ailments. Although grim, it is an ultimately selfless practice, that leaves largely cosmetic malformations on those who practice it. Regardless, though who do graft themselves are typically shunned in Nohrian society.

Though she has long since given up this practice, Thea’s flesh still bears the effects of this way of life, so she protects and obscures the worst of her form with her wrappings and mask.

Speaking of the mask, its design is based on the practice of Kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending pottery or other broken items with golden elements. It is a way for Mother Thea to fully display that she herself is a culmination of disparate experiences, some of which may seem messy or imperfect, but those imperfections are the most valuable part.

As a character in Bölverk, Thea is but another side character, though I think she has a unique position in being able to interface with both protagonists and antagonistic forces, since her role is one of an arbiter of peace and redemption.

The tenets of her faith, in the service of civilisation, puts her goals in line with Camilla and the Tempests, though she knows the city of Vetrheim is not a true reflection of her ideals.

A figure of faith, she also has things in common with Lady Anathaema, and I think they are actually familiar with each other in some way. Mother Thea does not approve of the radical, destructive activity of the Lanterns, but she knows that what they fight for is a more just world, she is only concerned about whether civilisation will be able to rise from whatever ashes they leave in their wake.

This is a part of Nohria lore that is.. somewhat applicable to Omnia, but in a somewhat different manner, so I thought I’d first present it as it appears in Bölverk. (Might be relevant to a random character I’ve made.. but the lore existed before the character did!)

The cultural context of Nohria is important to note, for in the current day worship of the old gods is largely out of favour, and the power they hold is either lost or unknown. Only archaic practitioners (such as Ophelia) even know anything meaningful about the gods, let alone worship them. This, as in Omnia, occurred after the Descension, where Nohr took his stand against the gods.

All of the old gods are recorded from before the Descension, and the old practices they once garnered. However, one faith has apparently arisen after the cataclysm, one that follows a figure that is yet to appear in pre-Descension records.

They are known as the Eventide Church, and they are a very small, somewhat reserved, but welcoming faith. This is down to the nature of their Goddess, one named as Minerva, who does not appear alongside the original 9 gods, nor those who arose shortly after.

The whole pantheon of Bölverk embodies natural concepts and phenomena, but Minerva differs in that her domain is that of mortal actions and structures, she is the Goddess of civilisation, law, and war. A seeker of justice, and master of strategy.

Those of the Eventide follow Minerva and her practices, upholding that which keeps society healthy and happy, seeking justice when it is needed, and always being prepared to fight for what is right.

Without any record, there is no proof that Minerva even exists as a deity like the others, but what she represents is enough for faith to be built around her regardless. It is a unique establishment, for it is a purely faith-driven organisation, more akin to real world religion than those often seen in fantasy, where gods are provably real and powerful.

With becoming its own world, with its own pantheon, Bölverk has acquired its own stories of creation, most of which are of a generally uncertain nature. It's funky, vague cosmology, which I generally like.

There are two "events" in the creation myth, those being the Age of Fathoms and the Advent of Souls.

The Age of Fathoms

When the world was unformed, all that existed was a vast, dark, still and silent sea. No waves rolled across its surface, no life swam through its depths. Merely deep fog, over fathoms upon fathoms of water, resting upon a bed of grey sand.

The Impact

Then, from the sky, something fell. A great cosmic force, which plunged into the depths, and sundered the stillness, crashing through the silence and bringing change.

The Impact tore through reality, and the deep, splitting it into divisions that would become the known realms. Above, would be found the vibrant (unnamed Fae Realm equivalent) and the heights of Lyssiah, while below would become the realm of Carceri, and deeper still, the reaches of Hell. Sitting between it all, the endless sea would still be found, becoming the 'prime' realm of Tethys.

Once all had settled, the impact had brought land to Tethys, creating a jagged landscape that would one day be called Nohria, but it would not bear that name yet.

Thus, the unknowable Age of Fathoms would end, with the rest of history to be laid ahead of it.

The Advent of Souls

Why, or how, "Souls" came to be is not understood, but where they began is. At some point shortly following the Impact, Divine Souls arose from the Darkness within the domain of Hell, at the very depths of the world. Without form or function, those Souls began to climb, or attempted to, in order to ascend from the depths and reach the heights of the other realms.

The journey was terribly long, and many weaker Souls faded before reaching anything of significance. The first Souls who reached Tethys, finding themselves at the centre of everything, would be those of magnificent power, and they would use such power to mould the fresh clay of the realm.

Asiri

The very first Soul to exit Carceri would be fascinated by the journey it had taken, and those being undertaken by all yet to come. But, its journey had reached an end, and it was satisfied. This Soul would be that of Asiri, The Weaver, and she would secretly observe the fate of all other Souls with great interest.

Asiri would become known as the Goddess of Fate, Narrative, and Trickery.

Galin

The second Soul would then arise, with Asiri nowhere to be seen, and believe themselves to be the first arrival. Seeing the position they were in, they chose to aid the other Souls, and produced a great light upon Tethys that might guide others in the right direction. This Soul was that of Galin.

Galin would become known as the God of Light, Order, and Protection.

More would yet follow Galin, building upon what been started.

Aurelia sought to understand the realms, the endless sea, and the potent power of Souls, becoming the Goddess of Knowledge, Magic, and the Sea.

Bael sundered the earth, and found rich potential in the rock, metal, and fire within, becoming the God of Fire, Earth, and Metal

Fyr brought change, and wilderness, bringing life and unpredictability to the realm, becoming the God of Beasts, Adaptation, and Ancestry

Sigure saw opportunity in what Fyr created, and brought forth abundance and joy, becoming the Goddess of Abundance and Revelry

Mila sought moderation, and created cycles of weathering and decay that would keep the world fresh, becoming the Goddess of Rot, Rejuvenation, Wind, and Thunder.

Dreor, witnessing suffering, declared that there must be things worth suffering for, becoming the Goddess of Blood and Birth.

Mamor, the last Soul to rise, would stand watch over the gates to Carceri itself, becoming the God of Winter and Sleep.

These 9 Great Souls granted form to the world, and took on manifestations of its natural concepts: Light, Fire, Decay, Blood, etc.

As an aside, the order in which the Gods arose is what determines their alignments on the Nohria Soul Chart (the worlds equivalent of an astrology chart), tying them to certain months of the year.

As souls flooded into the rest of the realms, guided by the Gods, they became the first mortal creatures, of all varieties.

Many souls, however, failed to ever escape from Hell, and those that did not fade away were instead moulded by their will and lament, becoming the first Demons, who would scrounge within the abyss for scraps of power, in the hopes of one day ascending.

As mortals developed, both physically and in their societies, they began to confer other attributes to the Gods, more personable domains that suited them, e.g. Bael became a God of craft, Mila became a Goddess of vengeance, Dreor became a Goddess of Martyrdom.

An extremely quick vibes-based piece of The Weaver, or, one of her effigies, as usual.

I may do a writeup of the whole Bölverk creation myth, which I've been working away at, and The Weaver, or "Asiri", has a pretty fun place in all that.

This ancient, trickster god has rapidly become my favourite among the pantheon, and I think can be summarised in no better way than one of her effigies being strung up while absolutely laughing her ass off.

I’ve made this chunk of the family tree of one of my blorbos, might as well elaborate before I inevitably design some of these ones as well.

This goes for the setting of Bölverk, as well as the presence of House Heolstra in Omnias rendition of Nohria.

(aha totally not the second time I'm writing all this bc the first one got discombobulated aha could never be me)

First branch: Petras - Idunn

Petras and Idunn are both human, so all of their children are as well.

Petras Heolstra is the current Patriarch of the house, the mastermind behind their activities, and father of the current heirs. He’s the kind of figure you probably imagine him to be, a somewhat cold, stoic nobleman. Not wholly distant, however, as when he needed to be a father he did so, in his own way. A mentor and mediator, primarily to his twin eldest sons.

Idunn is the now-deceased mother of the 3 older children, leaving Petras widowed for a couple years before he remarried. Her death was brought about by a drawn-out illness that first set in shortly after Natalya was born. There was a lot of time to prepare the children, and the nature of the family's magic has always been linked to death, so the event was as serene as it was mournful.

The Twins - Daimon and Phaidros

Daimon and Phaidros Heolstra were the firstborn of Petras and Idunn, in a surprise event of being twin brothers, each them echoes of their father in both appearance and disposition. They are some of the most accomplished members of the house, taking many matters into their own hands and having been taught well by their father.

Being twins, there is a sort of silent agreement between them, that when the time comes for Petras to cede his position as head of the house, one of them will attempt to kill the other, in lieu of any other clear line of succession. Despite this, the two co-operate very well, and find that the benefits of keeping each other around are worth saving the fratricide for when it counts.

(Trivia: their names, while having their own origins, were derived from the similar sounds of Deimos and Phobos)

Natalya

The main goober herself, and the black sheep of the family.

Presently, complete middle child energy, but when she was the youngest there was still little in the way of pressure or expectation on her shoulders, and it was divided fairly evenly between her older brothers. To them, she enjoys being a mischievous annoyance, making jabs and being snarky in the way only a younger sister can (cough), while showing genuine interest in the work they do for the family, hoping that she can contribute in some way, and functionally spying on them when she has nothing better to do.

With her younger siblings, Natalya has always done her best to appear like she should be taken seriously, though inevitably doting on them endlessly. As they've gotten older, Natalya has found herself closer to her half-siblings than to her older brothers, for a number of reasons.

Second Branch: Petras - Lorelei

A few years after the death of Idunn, Petras would marry Lorelei, an elven woman, making their children half-elven.

Daimon and Phaidros were already at the age where they only sought the approval and guidance of their father, so never grew to care much for their stepmother. Natalya was still young, and would find herself doing her best to be courteous, and get in the good graces of her new stepmother.

Victor

Victor Heolstra was the firstborn to the new pairing, and is the youngest son. With the positions of his older brothers, Victor has no concern over prospects of succession, so simply dedicates himself to his own work for the family. Having less to worry about actually works in his favour, as he is able to spend more time doing as much as possible with total efficiency, and he has no strong feelings on which of his older brothers will eventually become head of the house.

When Victor was young, Natalya spent a lot of time with him, having jumped at the opportunity to fuss over a younger sibling. When the youngest was born, the two would spend even more time together, with Lorelei being happy for Natalya to functionally watch over the young Victor. Presently, Victor treats Natalya as a relatively benign annoyance, if not amusement, though he sometimes has to catch himself from getting roped into her antics.

He's a little emo boy, and probably the one I'm most likely to design next out of the bunch.

Vesper

Vesper Heolstra is the youngest of the family, and the only other daughter. Still a teenager, it isn't yet clear what role she will have in the family's business, and with the free time that she has, Natalya also spends a lot of time with her. Even more reserved than some of the other family members, and unlikely to say no, Vesper will be brought along by Natalya for her more menial work, who is under the impression that she is giving Vesper first-hand experience that will help her, even if most of what Natalya is trusted to do isn't reflective of the extent of the house's dealings.

Still, Vesper is overall appreciative of Natalya's efforts.

I finally put an ojou-sama in Bölverk

Lady Natalya Heolstra, our first representative of House Heolstra among the Aurus Houses of Vetrheim, the family associated with shadow magic.

I've figured out the roles of each of the Aurus Houses, and House Heolstra is a little unique, as their arcane abilities are by far the strongest of the houses (with Nohria being suffused with darkness and all, there's plenty for them to draw power from). Being the most powerful, their role is to adjudicate and monitor the other houses, settling conflicts between them, and reigning them in when they overstep.

House Heolstra is, obviously, not above taking advantage of its position, and the house deals in just as many illicit practices as the others, particularly in the underworld of the city. Secret Intelligence is another specialty of House Heolstra, and they currently know the most about the Lanterns of Black Flame, more than even the Nightmaidens or Nightlord.

Natalya herself is but one of the current heirs, the absolute middle child of a pack of siblings, and simultaneously the black sheep of the family. She wields their powers of shadow as well as any other, and takes no issue with the activities of the family, rather it is her total enthusiasm that sets her apart.

The rest of her family is reserved, careful, and discreet in their dealings, while Natalya acts like a complete supervillain whenever she has the chance, making a show and fuss of it all, relishing every moment. It is likely for this reason that she doesn't get entrusted with many of the higher profile or delicate tasks.