#mcd hunter

“What separates all our minds is none of us will ever live the same life”

- Vantage, Halfy & Winks

I finally finished this drawing of all the Divine Warriors. The colourful text is ugly but it’s to represent all the Divine Warriors’ pov on Shad and Shad’s pov on Irene. I did my best and you can disagree with my choice of song. Finding one for Kul’zak was the hardest. Kul’zak’ song is Waltz in E-Major, Op. 15 “Moon Watlz” by Cojum Dip. Esmund’ song is The End and the Beginning (feat. Greta Salpeter and Brendon Urie) by Forgive Durden. Irene’ song is Vantage by Halfy & Winks. Shad’ song is What Could Have Been (from the series Arcane League of Legends) by Sting and Ray Chen. Enki’ song is my beloved Always Gold by Radical Face. Menphia’ song is Heart of Stone by SIX and Natalie Paris.

Past version + a ver. with evil Shad. Man Shad has changed lol.

I got lazy with Kul’zak’s design. Was sick of drawing armour.

I tried to think up of headcanon lore for them but I don’t have much.

Irene the Matron

Goddess of light, health/healing, life, fertility, abundance, peace and motherhood

Region: Ru’aun, Phoenix Drop

Symbols: The purple spring leaf and unicorns

Song inspiration: “Thought I would be satisfied seeing you content at the other side. But somehow I thought these crazy thoughts that I deserve to be loved, I deserve to know love, we deserve to live in love. I wish there's no end to our time together.”

- Bulbel, Mili

“I’ll take your hand and guide you through all the steps one takes to move on to a place, a world unseen to us all. But it’s okay, we’ll be together, my friend.”

- What Will You Leave Behind (End Titles), Maude Plante-Husaruk & Max LL

“Though I’m about to wreck, you still have your life ahead. All things that lose their way can find it again. There is no inertia in the ocean.”

- Adrift, Stray Gods

Shad the destroyer

God of the Nether, shadows, destruction, death and vengeance

Region: Nether, Falcon Claw

Symbols: Red spears and the wolf

Song inspiration: “There was a boy who shared your bones, your eager blood, your affinity for love. He had it all in his hands and he watched it all turn to sand.”

-Holy the Sea, Forgive Durden

”Could this be the day I have waited for when all my hard work doesn't go ignored? Maybe she was right, they will realize I can change the world, open up their eyes. They know I am more than some eager blood. Not some average bones, I believe in love. I just want to prove I deserve this gift. I will change this world, maybe this is it.”

-Life Is Looking Up, Forgive Durden

“The mind plays tricks, you are confused. The man you seek is long gone, dead and cold, a story told by those he trusted, those he loved, and those who then moved on.”

- I Know Those Eyes / This Man Is Dead, Brandi Burkhardt & Thomas Borchert

“Watch out for the wicked ones who call themselves beloved ones.”

-Holy the Sea, Forgive Durden

”You're a fool to think this princess could ever really love a couple of poor boys like us.”

-The End and the Beginning, Forgive Durden

He and Irene were created as opposites, representing the two sides of the moon. Where there is light, there is darkness. They both need each other to exist but they can never truly love each other.

They basically have Celestia and Luna’s story. Shad hated how Irene was so much more loved. He hated how she bloomed with her divine powers while he thought they were a curse. Because of them, the villagers saw him as a monster. He was tied to the darkness against his will. But just like a moth to the light, he could not look away from her.

“The moon will sing a song for me. I loved you like the sun.”

He thought that by joining the Divine Warriors he’d finally be seen as a hero, that he’d be recognized for his actions. But Irene was always number one. With that resentment already growing, the Divine Warriors betraying him was the thing that unleashed all his rage. He became the Shadow Lord and created the Shadow Knights to kill Irene.

Falconclaw was probably the only village that didn’t see him as an evil divinity (aka worshiping Shad the destroyer and not the Shadow Lord).

On that note, Shad probably hated to be called “the Destroyer”, reinforcing his image as “the bad one”. But he accepted the relic for Irene. “I will make this curse my blessing.”

Esmund the Protector

The only one who doesn’t have an FFXIV equivalent.

God of mountains, ice, guards, law, order and miners

Region: O’khasis

Symbols: The Violet sword and the bear

Song inspiration: “I’m sure that she would care to hear your argument as to how your presence is the reason she is sick. But I suppose it’s in vain, since her life is ending when I thrust this blade into her heart a-thumping.”

-The End and the Beginning, Forgive Durden

(Except Esmund would stab Shad, not Irene)

“Lights will guide you home and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you.”

-Fix You, Cody Fry

He fucking hates Shad. He copes by saying it’s because he’s evil but he just wants Irene to love him.

Enki the Keeper

God of time, nature, wisdom, knowledge, moon and arcana (magic)

Region: Gal’ruk

Symbols: The blue hourglass and the owl

Song inspiration: “The mountains seceded, the light and dark depleted. We lost Adakias, but regained our science. Our world was finally reunited. So this is my cue, of where to leave you. Now it's your story to retell and pass on because an idea is only relevant if it's being thought upon. So remember, never surrender ‘cause the unrelenting constancy of love and hope will rescue and restore you from any scope.”

-The End and the Beginning, Forgive Durden

“The rest is up to you to do with what you’ll do, to learn and love and laugh ‘til the cycle circles back. I’ll just separate, weigh anchor, disengage, divide and disappear, and see you in the mirror.”

- Genesis, Forgive Durden & Casey Crescenzo

“You really are the chosen one, the calculated sacrifice. Please listen to my last words before I fade away. This is my gift to you: Live for your love every day. Please don't let your tired heart stop beating.”

- The End and the Beginning, Forgive Durden

Enki was also jealous of Irene’s love for Shad but he didn’t feel good betraying Shad. His death was his repayment for what he did.

Kul’zak the Wanderer

God of the stars, wind, wanderers -wandering merchants, bards, rogues, travellers, drifters, …-, freedom and prosperity/money

Symbols: the green walking stick and the elk

Region: Tech’ens

Heraldry I guess. For the divine warriors families.

Explanation down below.

I didn’t have time to do the lines.

So the idea is a hardcore headcanon based on one sentence Enki says: “The fates won’t be happy about this.” I gave “the fates” lore. (Yeah maybe I should’ve kept that one for the lore prompt. Oh well, it’s too late.) It’s an all-knowing entity whose goal is absolute balance between good and evil. So when it saw Shad just chilling with Irene, it was like “wtf”. —Because the idea is Irene represent light and Shad represents darkness.— So it gave Enki a vision of Shad losing it and becoming the Shadow Lord. At first, Enki didn’t believe it because Shad is his best buddy but Kul’zak saw him having the vision and told Esmund. Esmund confronted Shad and it ended with the Shadow Lord being born, just like the vision foretold.

The entity was already playing with Shad’s mind so being stabbed by his friends is the thing that broke him. So I guess the “deceit” is the false vision that created a betrayal or friends turning on each others.

“No. Unicorns are in the world again. No sorrow in me will live as long as that joy. Safe one. And I owe that to you.”

“Children are taught that love is a reward,

only something you receive once you’ve grown into the picture perfect image

of the picture perfect child.

Little do they know that love is allowed even if they fail.

Perhaps, if he had learned this, he wouldn’t be destined to die.

But instead to love,

and be loved in return.”

- cupofted