VICTORY TO THE LIVING

the hearthkeeper

The Western Approach.

Desolate badlands, filled of monsters and poison.

Sylaise, Keeper of Fire and Home

Sylaise's design is based on a gorgeous model I saw while scrolling pinterest whose body was just screaming "goddess" to me.

I was also inspired by some ancient frescoes I was able to see recently on exhibit showing different queenly/noble fashions. The rope/see through shawl was inspired by that, as well as the waist wrap.

Sylaise's crown is the sunbeams and you can't tell me otherwise

The feathers in her crown pale in comparison to traditional regalia but I am not that good at feathers; also they're coming out of a lotus because I think it's pretty

Sylaise's pet snake is to represent her side as a prolific Healer

She wears shells on her shoulders to tie her to her sister (who wears abalone shells in her hair)

The bracelet is also made out of shells - saw a gorgeous set of a collar, a shawl, and cuffs made out of these thin white shells that were once used as currency by the Chumash people and other groups.

Rings given to her by June

Her war paint represents the curling smoke of burnt offerings of petitioners seeking her aid; she was one of the few to still honor those requests, even as the rest of her family turned their backs

edit: her costume also references what I previously made for her own High Priestess here

Dragon Age Nostalgia Month Day 1: Older blood, older oaths / Origins

Human Noble: Born to wealth and power second only to royalty, you find your training in both diplomacy and battle put to the test as your brother leads the bulk of your family's forces to war in the south.

Dwarf Noble: As the favored child of the dwarven king, you proudly take up your first military command … only to learn that the deadly intrigues of family and sycophants may pose a greater danger than even the battlefield.

Dwarf Commoner: Born casteless in a land where rank is everything, bound as the lackey and thug of a local crime lord, you have spent your life invisible… until chance thrusts you into the spotlight, where you can finally prove whether you will be defined by your actions or your birth.

Magi: Wielding a power as dangerous as it is potent, you know that magic is a curse for those lacking the will to control it. You anxiously await your Harrowing, the one chance to prove yourself against the demons lurking without and within. Succeed, or be slaughtered by the knights who ward against your kind.

City Elf: You have always lived under the heavy thumb of your human overlords, but when a local lord claiming his "privilege" with the bride shatters your wedding day, the simmering racial tensions explode in a rain of vengeance.

And those who slept, the ancient ones, awoke, For their dreams had been devoured By a demon that prowled the Fade As a wolf hunts a herd of deer. Taking first the weakest and frailest of hopes, And when there was nothing left, Destroying the bright and bold By subtlety and ambush and cruel arts.