Character Codex Round 9 - Elf Sorcerer and Elf Wizard

April 23, 2014 Than Gibson

Greetings Chroniclers! Welcome to another week of the Character Codex!

This week we're wrapping up the Month of Elves! So make sure to get your free Virtual Tabletop Tokens before next week! All of the elves will be bundled into a low-cost downloadable bundle after that. Speaking of which, stay tuned to The Chronicler's Notes because there will be more downloadable content coming very soon!

Next week we'll begin the Gnomes! I can't wait to get started on these guys, especially some of the unusual combinations like Gnome Barbarian or Gnome Paladin. Until then let's take a look at our last two elves!

First up is the elf sorcerer. He looks similar to the Elf Bard and with good reason. These two are brothers! They are both from the noble family, House Etyr (Et-ear).

House Etyr is noted for having a very strong bloodline of sorcery. They are proud of that lineage and resent that the Celesyn king has chosen to diplomatically align with the wizards of the Brotherhood of the Threefold Path.

This particular elf is one of the younger siblings of the Etyr family. He is flashy and full of rage. I've given him a few scars on his face as he's been in several battles and loves spell duels. Fire is his preferred element, coinciding with his temperament.

Black and red are traditionally House Etyr's, setting them apart from the usual greens, yellows, and browns of other elves.

Up next is the Elf Wizard. She is a member of Awyr (aw-ear), the royal house of Celeque, though a distant cousin to the king. The king has made it a priority that any magically gifted children in House Awyr should immediately be schooled by the Brotherhood. This is a sign of good faith between the king and the Brotherhood. As such, she is also a member of the Brotherhood of the Threefold Path.

As a member of the White Order, she is tasked with mediation, diplomacy, and healing. White robes are called in whenever the peace needs to be maintained or restored. They are the most public of the three orders and are seen as the face of the Brotherhood. This order has unlocked the mystery of Arcane Healing. Since magical healing has almost exclusively belonged to the divine powers of the gods, this has drawn both intrigue and ire from non-wizards.

Her robes are travelling robes, designed for adventure and walking. She also has more formal robes to be worn when she is at a Brotherhood academy.

Fun Art Friday! - Thalin

April 17, 2014 Than Gibson

This week's Fun Art Friday drawing is Thalin, the legendary Lone Wolf and leader of the Lower Haven Thieves' Guild!

Thalin, a half elf, grew up in Lower Haven, one of its many street rats. His clothing style reflects the more flowing style that is typical of this region. Both his pants and shirt are made of loose cotton to allow for better airflow. At the same time, he wears gaiters over his boots to keep his pants cuffs tight and out of the way of any fancy footwork. The bandanna is for sand or dust in the air.

Finally, you can get a pretty good look at Thalin's Lone Wolf Pendant and Desert Wolf Blades. In his youth, Thalin earned a reputation as the infamous Lone Wolf, a dashing rogue who preyed on the greedy and corrupt powers of both Lower and Upper Haven. The pendant was his symbol and the blades were a gift from a nomad who taught him the Whirlwind Stance, a powerful fighting technique.

Character Codex Round 8 - Elf Paladin, Ranger, and Rogue

April 16, 2014 Than Gibson

Welcome to another week of the Character Codex, where I'm drawing my way through all 77 race/class combinations in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Core Rulebook, giving each one a Chronicle twist.

As always, you can check out the whole Character Codex Gallery and pick up some free Virtual Tabletop Tokens.

Now, onto this week's characters!

First up is the Elf Paladin. Sticking with the traditional Japanese theme that I've been working with, I felt that elven paladins would very much mirror the samurai of feudal Japan. They adhere to a strict warrior code of honor all in the service of their lord, in the case of these paladins, the goddess Belagaea. Belagaea's paladins protect the wild like her druids and rangers do. But, they also are tasked to aid the temples and keep the peace of nature.

This particular paladin is a Celasyn. Her tight hair bun and composure are signs of a more civilized upbringing. Sasyn paladins are rare, but not unheard of. They tend to be a bit more rough around the edges and are seen as a bit of an oddity.

I wanted the paladin to reflect the elf cleric's robes of green and yellow while at the same time being able to wade into battle. Her samurai-styled armor is made of magically hardened wood called Ironwood. I went with a basic katana for her sword, but I would change that up to an elven longsword for some flavor if I were to redo it.

Second, we have the Elf Ranger. This is Jade, a Celasyn ranger who spends most of his time in the deep woods hunting lizardfolk. His green hair is a trademark of his family, House Comet. House Comet is known for producing only the most elite of rangers. Somewhere in House Comet's past a minor curse was placed on them that they would always stick out by having unusual hair color. No one in house Comet has a "traditional" elven hair color.

Jade's bow is a powerful magical weapon with an elven name that translates roughly to "Mother's Tears." It is recognized by the blindfolded, winged, elf whose neck the bowstring ties around.

Jade's protege is Lex, the Elf Rogue below. His serious demeanor is often a counterpoint to her lively ways. Both of these characters were to be part of the cast of the original Chronicle comic book series.

Finally, we come to the Elf Rogue. This Lex, a Sasyn elf girl who partners with Jade the Elf Ranger. Lex is a counterbalance to Jade with her free spirit and feisty attitude. She prefers the rogue skill set to the ranger skill set, though she has become quite good with a bow. She would rather be the stealthy scout than the noble hunter.

Her signature two-tone wild hair possibly comes from her human maternal grandfather (technically making her 3/4 elf) who may have had a bit of sorcery in his blood. She wears the same leather wrapping "breeches" as the previously seen elf barbarian and druid.

Lex made one appearance in issue #0 of the original Chronicle comic book, however she was to be a main character of the series. I hope to some day revisit her and Jade.

The Chronicler's Notes - April 14, 2014 - Public Appearance!

April 14, 2014 Than Gibson

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to another week at Chronicle! This week, I've got an announcement about my first public appearance and some quick updates about what we've got going on here related to the appearance.

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!

MAY 3RD, 2014

I'll be appearing at Rick's Comic City in Nashville, TN starting at 10am. I'll be giving out minicomics, doing sketches for people, and saying hi to Nashville's growing comics community!

I may have some Character Codex freebies and merch as well!

On a related note, let me just say that if you haven't been to a Free Comic Book Day event before, you need to find one. This is one of those days where comic geeks can fly their flag proudly and the buzz is always so positive. Find one near you if you can. They are so much fun and you'll get some great deals and get to meet some neat people as well.

So, come on out and say hi! You'll be supporting not only me, but the comics community, and in particular, a really great comic shop that knows what their comic fans want!

I mentioned on Friday, that things would be shifting towards Chronicle art for the next few weeks leading up to Free Comic Book Day. That's going to be the case for a couple of the features on the site for the next few weeks. The main reason for this is I need to get some nice promo images going that I can show off at my table. So here are a couple of changes for the rest of the month:

First, as I said before, Fun Art Friday is going to be Chronicle based for a few weeks. I love drawing other characters besides my own, but I want to be able to show off my cast as well.

Second, The World of Chronicle, is going to be more art-focused and less story-focused for awhile. You'll see some concept art and maybe some background stuff as well. However, please do check out last week's short story about the adventurers that appeared in last week's strip. Those characters are based on one of my old gaming groups and I love writing them. They're going to be part of the Chronicle plot coming up and I'm planning on doing a few more stories with them later on this year.

The main comic and the Character Codex are not going to change, although I will say that any fans of the original Chronicle will want to check out the Character Codex this week for a couple of surprises!

Have a great week!

Than

Fun Art Friday! - Elysia

April 11, 2014 Than Gibson

For the next couple of weeks, Fun Art Friday is going to focus on our Chronicle characters, as I get some promo art ready for my first public appearance. You may have seen a mention of it on the Chronicle Facebook page, but there will be more about it in the Chronicler's Notes on Monday, so check back then to see where you can come meet me and get a sketch!

So, today's subject is Elysia, our resident sorceress. I'm going to sit down and write some Thalin and Elysia stories someday, so I don't want to go to much into their background just yet. But, I will talk a bit about her design.

Elysia's a Celasyn (or "high elf"), which means she's from the civilized branch of the elf family tree. Her purple dress with its embroidered, corseted waist is indicative of perhaps a once noble life. However, the pants worn beneath the dress reflect a practicality that she has learned since becoming involved with the Lower Haven Thieves' Guild.

Haven as a whole, is a very warm, arid, desert city, so the clothing is more loose and flowing. You'll see in several of the Thieves' Guild cast, flowing dresses, pants, or billowy sleeves. At the same time, these are thieves so they can't have loose fabric getting in the way. I try to balance the two.

Elysia's personality still conveys that nobility that is ingrained in her, but she does have a rebellious/wild side. Her look here is basically saying, "Do you really think you can dodge this fireball?"