#war-bear

Some model updats for y’all~

Signy’s outfit was commissioned by ChrisieBDK.

Kikumi’s royal attire is a commission by Heaventa. Her sandals are Montecore, jewelry from o-DSV-o, and tiara from uni_deluxe.

Kikumi’s official outfit was a commission from Arneth-Myndraavn.

Amka’s main outfit was put together by @strawberry-metal​ a while back and has been updated to fit her new base. Her maid attire is a combination of Montecore parts with their textures edited by myself.

Their outfits really do contrast where they’re from, lmao.

I really wanted to go all out on Signy with the bear theme, so she has a bear skin mantle that still includes the paws and claws. The trimmings of her tunic under the steel chest armor is also made of bear fur, as are her leg wrappings. She has a traditional celtic/viking/norse belt that wraps around itself and I also included her weapon holster, although I don’t have an exact idea for what her axe will look like. The inner fur lining of her steel bracers, once again, is bear fur. The tunic is made from linen, and her pants are tempered leather. She has two steel shoulder guars that go over her bear skin mantle.

Can you tell I was looking at various pieces of Skyrim armor in order to get an idea for what I wanted her design to be like? ^^;;

“Fight like a bear.”

The Nemains

The name originates from the Irish war goddess “Nemain” who represents the blood thirsty frenzy and chaos of war, whose battle cry alone had the power to kill.

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Racial Background:

Nemains are tribal race similar to that of Vikings or Nords with a civilization built around nature and it's elements. While they have a strong sense of family, Nemains see themselves as eternal outsiders and invaders. They are known for their tall and hardy frames, fair skin and hair, and almost unnatural strength. Nemains have a natural resistance to the cold, which was theorized to have been due to the climate of their region. Nemains are exceptionally skilled in the art of battle and warfare, and their culture centers on the quest for honor and glory, with emphasis on their family and community. Coming from a warlike culture, they believe that an honorable death in battle will grant them entrance into the afterlife.

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Environment & Culture:

They inhabit a colder, forested area that lies to the north-east of Salene. It’s often populated by harsh waterfalls and rocky cliffs, thick-barked redwood and beech trees, and snowy winters. Nemain warriors are said to value their fierce independence, are hardy in the thankless severity of their lands, and are comfortable with appalling violence as a daily occurrence. Their armor and weaponry reflects their boisterous fury, but may also be revered as part of a family's trappings. The typical Nemain holds his or her reputation in high regard and insulting one's strength, bravery, or honor in any way almost inevitably leads to violence as the offended party attempts to prove otherwise. Though they may seem rude, insults are not always meant to offend and can be used as terms of endearment.

A spiritual relationship exists between the Nemains and the Bear Goddess Artio. While being a hearty, battle-oriented culture, the Nemains also revere the idea of transformation and abundance. They believe that Atrio watches from the stars, acting as a “mother bear” to their people. While fierce and capable, Artio also represents the soft and understanding aspects hidden under the harsh exterior or the Nemains. It also is theorized that it’s this relationship that is behind what some consider to be their race’s biggest strength, or their unfortunate curse. The hidden trump card that the Nemains have under their belt is their ability to transform into that of a beast; the common folk would dub them as “werebears”. The Nemains can call upon the blood of the bear during the heat of battle if necessary, unleashing a feral force of claws and teeth upon their enemies.

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Appearance:

The Queen and the Bear

The wind howled as the queen put further distance between herself and the kingdom. The lush, green trees slowly turned to tall pines with snow-covered branches as her feet to her further and further into the woods. One would think that the bitter cold would slow her down, but the unrest in her heart kept her going. As she stopped to take a breather and ensure that she still had not been followed, the queen was caught off guard as her feet were knocked out from under her. Before she could even react, she was pinned down in the snow with an axe to her throat.

“Who are you, and why are you trespassing here?” her attacker demanded, their voice harsh and loud. “This is Nemain territory, and your kind isn’t welcome.”

The queen attempted to brush some of the snow out of her face but was stopped as the blade of her attacker’s weapon pressed harder against her neck. “If you really must know, I’m the current reigning Queen of Salene. Or rather, I was the reigning Queen...”

The brutish woman scoffed at those words. “Oh, so we have one of the dolled-up royals in our lands, eh?” The woman still did not let her up, but her tone was less sharp. “Why would you ever choose to leave the comfort of your precious palace let alone the fragile safety of your kingdom?”

“Because I...” the queen trailed off, feeling small. “I don’t have what it takes to rule...” She averted her eyes from the blonde, clearly having difficulty saying those words.

The Nemain woman looked at stared down at her for a moment before finally lifting her axe away from the royal, unsure of how she was supposed to take that statement. “What do you mean by that? Don’t your little followers always agree with their ruler’s choices?”

The purple-haired Cerridwen remained silent for a moment. “...It isn’t that they won’t agree, it’s that I don’t have the experience.”

The blonde finally stood, releasing the royal from her grip. “Experience? Bah! You were raised by the previous leaders, how the hell don’t you have experience?”

“I wasn’t.” the queen stated as she sat up. “I... I never was taught how.”

The Nemain looked at the pitiful Cerridwen before her, placing her axes back into their belt loops. “...Well that’s ridiculous, why wouldn’t they teach their next in line to rule the kingdom? ...What’s your name, anyway?”

“...Kikumi...” the queen said. “And it wasn’t that they chose to not teach me, the kingdom was practically sacked before they really had the chance... My parents never made it, and had it not been for those...disgusting...necromancers....I wouldn’t have, either.”

The warrior woman gave her a puzzled look before taking an abrupt seat beside the elf. “What are you saying, you’re technically supposed to be dead or something?”

“...Yeah.” Kikumi muttered. “I don’t know why I’m bothering to spill my whole story to someone who just tried to kill me, though... so, who are you?”

The blonde kept eyeing how forlorn this young woman was, because her royal status didn’t match the look she now had. “Signy. Signy War-Bear, Nemain warrior with the title of Slayer.”

“....Well, Signy... you’re right.” Kikumi told her, still not having looked away from the snow. “I’m supposed to be dead, but when the kingdom was sacked all those years ago, necromancers stole the bodies of the dead. Reanimated them for their own purposes in hopes they had capable puppets, and I was one of them... I only took the throne after returning on a mission for those they worked alongside, and things... were explained to me by one of the few survivors. But really, who am I to rule a kingdom? I have no experience in governing other people, let alone dealing with political affairs... they should just find a replacement for me before I screw things up...”

At that, Kikumi was met with a hard slap to the back of her head. She turned to see Signy frowning at her, her brows furrowed. “What the hell was that for?!”

“How pathetic.” Signy growled. “You’re running away from your duty because you don’t have the courage to face it head on! How can you even call yourself a queen at all if that’s the stance you take? A Nemain would take the reins and go with it even if they didn’t have the experience!!”

“Well then maybe you should go and be the queen then.” Kikumi sneered.

“Tch, as if.” Signy laughed. “I’m not refined like your kind. I’ve better things to do with my time.”

Kikumi shook her head. “And what would that be?”

“Adventuring.” Signy stated. “Being able to see what’s out there and what tries to put up a fight. Strengthening my arms in battle. How else do you think I got the title of Slayer?”

Kikumi sat silent for a moment. “You certainly seem to live up to your title, then... perhaps I could learn a thing or two from you...”

“Oh no, I ain’t teaching no fragile palace girl how to do her job. Not like I know how to be a royal, I swing an axe and things fall dead. Simple as that.”

“It’s a metaphor.” Kikumi stated coldly. “Not like your people want me around, either.”

Signy stared at the sorry excuse for a queen, pondering what to do. After a bit of silence, the blonde stood and began to walk away. Kikumi stared for a moment, watching her go before pulling her knees to her chest and looking away. Signy heard the minor movement and turned around, looking back at the royal. “...What, you’re jsut going to sit there?”

“...What else is there to do...”

I’m on a roll after getting Signy’s base finished.

I went ahead and updated Kikumi and Amka’s bases so that all the girls now match and use Montecore bodies!! Signy uses Yugi, Kikumi uses Reimu, and Amka uses Tojiko~

I also chose to ensure that the body types and height differences were apparent. SIgny is tallest girl with a stocky and muscular build, Kikumi is shortest with massive hip-to-waist ratio to match how I actually draw her, and Amka is the average and slender girl with broad shoulders.

Kikumi was a pain to get right, I deleted her left leg and mirrored the right one at least 6 times in order to get her body type accurate-

Finally got around to coloring her turn-around reference.

It turned out pretty well, and I think the colors compliment the ones that Kikumi has, as well. This was drawn over an image I did using her base in mmd, that way when I get around to it I can send this to whomever I get the outfit commissioned from, cuz there is no way that I’d be able to find these kinds of specific parts in the mmdc what-so-ever, lmao. If it’s a little hard to see, the amulet she wears is in the shape of a bear paw, and she has two brooches connected by a chain on her bear skin mantle.

I’d say Kikumi has a pretty good body guard over here, wouldn’t you say? ^^