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Character Designs Masterpost

For easy access, here are the links to my designs for the main characters of A Revised History of Erdas. As of October 27th, the collection is complete!

Part one — Conor, Abeke, Meilin, Rollan

Part two — Shane, Worthy, Tasha, Takoda, Irtike, Song

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Character Designs (Cont.)

Part one

As a follow-up to the last post, here are the character designs for the rest of the central figures in A Revised History of Erdas. While they come second to the Four Heroes in terms of importance, these people still have big parts to play in the story.

Shane

Shane's spot on this list needs no explanation. He is the redeemed villain of the first arc and even has his own book. In ARHoE, he survives the Battle of the Tides and goes on to be closely involved with the plot of the following arcs.

One important aspect of Stetriol in ARHoE is that all its people, despite their varying skin tones, are Aboriginal. There are Stetriolans with dark skin, light skin and everywhere in between. The ones with fair skin, such as Shane, have no connection to Eurans; their lighter features are a result of evolving in the far south of the continent, where the temperatures are much colder. When comparing Shane to a Euran like Conor, the differences are clear. Their features set them apart; Shane has a wide nose, full lips and thick hair, for example, which contrasts with Conor's narrow nose, thin lips and fine hair. Despite their similarly coloured hair, skin and eyes, they are completely different races.

Shane's light golden-blond hair is, under ideal circumstances, cut short. Likewise, he meticulously shaves his facial hair. Such is the way of Stetriolan noblemen. When his transformation began, though, his mental health took a sharp nosedive, and these practices of his fell by the wayside. Abeke and Rollan meet him in The Return with hair down to the base of his neck, bangs falling into his eyes and peach fuzz lining his jaw. He resumed his normal routines after Fall of the Beasts, as his mental state and self-image improved. He has fair skin that tans easily and often. His eyes change from their natural blue to yellow-green, larger than before and with slitted pupils. These eyes have an unsettling quality about them; many cannot hold his gaze.

He is broad, powerfully built and muscular, which is partially a result of fusing with Grahv. His height was also influenced by his transformation. Naturally, his final height would have been 5'10" (177 cm) -- very tall for a Stetriolan -- but he has gained an additional two inches since he began to turn and currently stands at 6' (182 cm). He is still growing, but the process has slowed down since the initial burst.

His nose is crooked from where it was broken one too many times (once by Meilin in Fire and Ice, once by Conor in The Evertree). His scars are few, and faint against the colour of his skin. The ones he finds himself tracing most often are the ones Abeke gave him when they met in battle at Muttering Rock. He knows she bears scars from that day, too.

The change began at the site of the crocodile tattoo that curled around his chest. By the time of The Burning Tide, approximately a year and a half after the Bile lost its effect, his chest, belly, shoulders and arms were covered in tough new skin and pebbled green scales. The leathery hide on his torso hadn't yet spread around to his sides, which is how Uraza's fangs were able to pierce him. His face is also affected; apart from his eyes, his eyebrows have been replaced by scaly green ridges, giving him the look of someone turning into stone. His fingers are tipped with savage claws, and his mouth is filled with bristling crocodile teeth. These teeth are so fearsome in appearance that he rarely smiles anymore. Short spikes appeared on his back after Fall of the Beasts, small enough that they don't tear his clothing. He hasn't yet sprouted a tail, to his relief.

His accent is unique to the people of Stetriol. It is not an Australian accent (which is theorised to have been brought over by colonisers from England). It is not easy to place, which works in his favour as a Redcloak. Still, Abeke knows it well, prompting him to communicate with her via sign language or change the pitch of his voice prior to the reveal.

His Redcloak attire consists of a long-sleeved shirt with a quilted black jacket over top (partially for warmth and partially to make sure his scaly flesh is hidden from view), black trousers, black leather boots and matching gloves. He wears his sabre in a brown leather strap slung across his body. A belt wraps around his waist, to which he attaches pouches for storing small items. His heavy red cloak is draped around his shoulders; it has a hood that he uses to further conceal himself. Lastly, his mask is how it is originally described: Featureless and made of smooth white wood. Shane the Conqueror dressed simply and openly, in an attempt to make himself seem honest, unassuming. King the Redcloak intentionally dresses to hide every inch of himself. There is not a flash of hair or skin to give him away. All that is visible are his eyes.

His beaded bracelet from the Gulf of Amaya, the one that matches Abeke's, is blue, turquoise and white. Like her, he stopped wearing it openly after he sabotaged their relationship, but always kept it close. Believing Abeke would have long since discarded hers, he was surprised and touched when he learned otherwise.

Worthy

Like Shane, Worthy is indisputably one of the most influential characters in the series. He has been present since the very first page. His role stays relatively unchanged in ARHoE, and he remains relevant in Path of the Heroes.

He has long, straight, dark brown hair and dark freckles dotting his pale skin. His hair is worn in braided styles, denoting his high status. After leaving Trunswick behind and becoming a Redcloak, he usually opts to put it in a simple ponytail. With the transformation, it darkens to black. His eyes change from their natural ice-blue to brilliant, feline golden.

As Devin Trunswick, he is well-built, albeit a little soft around the middle. As Worthy, he is considerably broader and more muscular than before. His final height would be 5'5" (165 cm) if not for the curse, which is actually causing him to lose height. He currently stands at 5'2" (157 cm), approximately two years after the Bile lost its effect. This change is rapid and worrying.

Euran earls like Eric Trunswick style their facial hair into a neat moustache and beard; Worthy doesn't fuss over his as much. At sixteen, he has a faint moustache and a few dark hairs on his chin. He leaves it alone.

Elda was, in actuality, a black jaguar captured in southern Amaya -- not the true spotless wildcat of Euran legend. Worthy is turning into a jaguar, a completely different species than Donn or Wilco. Like all people with the curse, the transformation began at the site of the tattoo, in his case on his right forearm. Sleek black fur covers the length of that arm, thinning and fading back into human skin near his wrist. The fur spreads around his shoulders to his other arm as well, and in a long stripe down his spine to join with his tail. His tail is fully grown by the time of Heart of the Land, but only measures about two feet in length. Large rosettes with a spot in the centre are barely visible under the inky fur. He has long, pointed fangs and retractable claws on both his hands and feet. His senses are much sharper, especially his hearing and night vision.

He has the same Euran accent as Conor, but less broad due to his background. It is still very noticeable, though, leading him to go almost completely silent as a Redcloak to avoid being identified as a native of Eura.

Since Redcloaks generally wear the same sort of uniform to avoid giving away both their affliction and their nationalities, Worthy's clothing is similar to Shane's. He wears less layers and looser fabrics than Shane, though, so as not to restrict his movement. A dagger is fastened to his belt, but he rarely uses it, preferring his own claws in combat. Fashioned after Elda, his white mask has round ears and a feline snout. His hooded red cloak makes him seem bigger than he actually is.

Tasha

Tasha is a much different character in ARHoE than she was in the original books. In this universe, she is part of the royal family of Stetriol as Shane's cousin. After the events of Fall of the Beasts, she succeeds him and becomes the first queen regnant in Stetriolan history. Even after returning home to rule and rebuild, Queen Tasha is a recurring character in the following arcs. It is for this reason, and her introduction as a main POV in arc two, that she is considered one of the central figures of ARHoE.

She also looks completely different from how she is canonically described. In the original books, she is white, with blonde hair and blue eyes. In ARHoE, she is the Erdas equivalent of Aboriginal Australian.

She has brown skin and long, thick, straight black hair, usually worn down or in a loose braid. Her eyes are dark brown. She bears a strong resemblance to her cousins, Shane and Drina; they share many of the same facial features, especially the intense eyes. When standing next to Shane, their relation to each other is unmistakable.

She gains some muscle from her adventures with Abeke and Rollan, but had a strong, toned build to begin with. Her final height is 5’3" (160 cm). This is above average for a Stetriolan woman, but not enough to be considered tall.

Ever fond of jewelry, she likes to wear necklaces strung with shells and large, hanging earrings in circular or diamond shapes, hand-painted with detailed designs, some with bunches of swan feathers hanging from the ends. She got the idea of wearing Ninani's feathers from Rollan. These would obviously be a disadvantage in a fight, so if she is expecting action she will preemptively take them out.

The tattoo of Ninani is branded on her right shoulder, wings outstretched and neck curved in an S shape. Since the bird is all white, she manifests as only an outline in tattoo form.

Tasha shares the same Stetriolan accent as Shane. As royals, their accents are somewhat more cultivated than the common folk's.

While on the run with Abeke and Rollan, she had to forego her long dress in favour of more practical clothes salvaged from the Tellun's Pride II -- a too-large white tunic and trousers, with a belt to hold them up. As queen of Stetriol, she wears a beautiful white dress with gold flowers embroidered along its hem and sleeves, sometimes with a possum-skin cloak draped over top, and a simple gold circlet as a crown. A feathered headdress and white face paint are worn for ceremonial occasions. The quarterstaff she trained and fought with, a Euran weapon made of ash, remains with her in her castle chambers. In its place she took up a royal sceptre, tipped with a marble swan. It serves as both a symbol of her sovereignty and a comforting reminder of the weapon she came to rely on.

Takoda

Takoda is included because he became a main POV in Fall of the Beasts, along with Tasha.

His hair is dark and curly, but he is required to shave it off as a monk. He has no way of doing this properly while underground with Conor and Meilin, so in the long months of their journey his hair grows to be about two inches long. He has medium-brown skin and dark brown eyes. His features are more Niloan than Zhongese, but still ambiguous enough to indicate that he is of mixed race.

He is naturally slender and willowy, but grows quite gaunt during his travels in Sadre. His final height is 5'5" (165 cm).

As a baby, Takoda received the tribal marks of his mother's people, the Belawa of southern Nilo. Unlike the deep grooves of the Yufandi, Belawa scarifications are raised bumps on the skin. Two rows of the small marks form a wide arc around Takoda's right eye, beginning above his brow and ending at his cheek. Usually, both sides of the face are marked in this way. Takoda's particular style signifies that he is Belawa on only one side of his family.

Like in the original books, his tattoo of Kovo stretches from his neck to his collarbone, a location that is impossible to miss. It does not, however, extend up to his jaw. Takoda doesn't like the placement very much, but luckily for him, Kovo rarely confines himself to the passive state.

He has a southern Niloan accent, with minimal influence from his Zhongese father.

In his monastery, he wears his signature blue cotton robes, fastened with a white sash, and sandals. When he temporarily joined the Greencloaks, he switched to the practical travelling clothes that everyone else wears -- tunic, trousers, boots. The tunic he chose was blue, like his old robes. His travelling cloak doubled as a blanket.

Irtike

Irtike is included on this list because, much like Tasha, she has an expanded role in ARHoE. She was a part of the Greencloak expedition to Stetriol in The Evertree, was infected by Zerif in Fall of the Beasts, and all throughout, has an important role as Abeke's cousin. Finally, she joins the main cast in Path of the Heroes.

She has cool-toned dark brown skin, darker than Abeke's, and dark brown eyes. Her short, coily dark hair is worn in the Yufandi style of braids and adorned with wooden beads. It sits at about neck-length, and she lets them hang loose around her head. Her resemblance to Abeke is not as noticeable as Tasha's to Shane; it takes a few moments of studying her face to realise the similarities. They both favour their mothers, who were sisters.

She is slight in stature; unhealthily thin in Nilo, but filling out to a more average build after enough time in Greenhaven. Her final height is 5'2" (157 cm).

Her tribal marks are similar, but not identical, to Abeke's. Irtike has the same three vertical grooves on each cheek (meaning that she is Yufandi), but only one on her forehead (meaning that she is Marked). She lacks the additional two forehead notches that her cousin has, which are for Rain Dancers.

Her tattoo of Mikak curls around her ankle. She wanted her spirit animal tattoo to be in the same place as her mother's.

As a former inhabitant of Okaihee, she has a western Niloan accent.

Irtike was so accustomed to the fierce heat of Nilo that the much milder climate of Greenhaven Island was a massive change for her. It took her months to acclimate, and even now she still prefers to wear several layers. She typically wears a fur-lined coat or woollen shirt with brown trousers and brown leather boots. A small, fur-lined bag to hold Mikak in is secured to her chest. She is very fond of her thick travelling cloak, and is usually seen wrapped up in that rather than a regular green cloak.

Song

Empress Song deserves a place here, as she was the main villain and a recurring POV in arc three. Although she is taken for dead in Path of the Heroes, her demise cannot be proved, and she haunts the arc's narrative.

She has tan skin (a lighter shade than Meilin's, due to her spending so much time indoors), long, straight black hair and dark brown eyes. She places a dangling, jewelled hairpin (called buyao) in her hair, one that sways as she moves. For public appearances, both as princess and empress, she powders her face, neck, hands and any other exposed skin, applies rouge to her cheeks and red gloss to her lips, and draws her eyebrows. For Song, a full face of makeup is like a mask that she can hide behind. Few have seen her without it.

Her petite stature belies her true nature. She stands at 5' (152 cm), which is somewhat short for a woman from her part of Zhong.

Her ears are pierced, and she wears dangling pendants made with gold, pearls or cut glass as earrings. She especially loves her glass earrings, admiring the way they catch the light.

Seaspray’s long body twists up the length of Song’s upper arm in tattoo form. His tail snakes around her elbow, and his head rests lovingly on her shoulder.

She has a refined central Zhongese accent, like Meilin.

The silk robes she favoured as a princess were in dazzling shades of green and blue. As empress, her formal wear includes a rich purple robe, lavishly embroidered with dragons and phoenixes, and a heavy, ornate fengguan (phoenix crown) made of gold and precious stones. Her headpiece holds her updo in place; it is a notably stiffer style than how she wore her hair previously, half of it loose and streaming over her shoulders with a bun at the back of her head.

And with that, the character design posts are complete! As mentioned in part one, everything you see described here is how I picture the characters, and how they will be portrayed in A Revised History of Erdas.

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Character Designs

At long last, here is the masterpost for the main characters' designs. This is how they appear in my head, and how they will appear in A Revised History of Erdas. So much thought (and research) has gone into this. I've taken a lot of creative liberty here, but I hope you enjoy how I envision these characters!

Conor

For Conor, I drew inspiration from Celtic and more specifically Irish culture.

He has strawberry-blond hair, as shown on the covers of Hunted and The Dragon's Eye. The colour is usually described as reddish-blond or reddish-gold because the term "strawberry-blond" does not exist in Erdas, but for clarity's sake I have named it as such here. It is slightly wavy and long enough to rest on his shoulders. Occasionally, he will incorporate braids into his hairstyle in light of his elevated status after the war. Otherwise, it is left loose. His pale skin is sprinkled all over with freckles; he has gotten a lot of them more since he left Eura, due to sun exposure. His eyes are green as described in Against the Tide.

He is chubby and muscular in equal measures. His weight is known to fluctuate due to the harrowing events he goes through on the daily, but he normally has a generous amount of extra fat all over. He started off on the shorter side, but had an impressive growth spurt during the war and the year after. His final height is 5'6.5", or 5'7" (170 cm) by rounding up, which he reaches by age sixteen. This is a little above average for Euran men.

When his facial hair starts to come in, he lets it grow, resulting in a patchy beard by the time he is sixteen. Shaving is not in a Euran shepherd’s nature.

He is physically disabled in two ways. The first is that he is missing the first joint on his left index finger from being bitten by an unidentified animal in Fire and Ice. The second is the permanent limp in his right leg from a broken ankle in The Dragon's Eye that healed badly. He uses his bond token, Pathfinder, to support himself when he walks.

Many scars crisscross his face, arms, legs and back, but they aren't easily visible against his pale skin. The ones that stand out the most are the burn scars from the fire Kovo unleashed in Sadre, particularly one running along his jaw. The spiral-shaped mark of the Wyrm on his forehead eventually shrinks and fades away to nothing, much to his relief.

His tattoo of Briggan is on his right bicep, frozen mid-run.

While not a physical trait, he has a heavy Euran accent that is comparable to Irish in the real world. At times it can be hard for non-Eurans to understand, but luckily his friends know him well enough to decipher his speech even when it is thickest.

He wears the simplest clothing of the bunch: Just a beige tunic, grass-stained trousers and a pair of warm sheepskin boots from home. His thick travelling cloak is worn over his shoulders, fastened to one side by a wolf-shaped brooch. He rarely swaps out his travelling cloak for a regular one, preferring its weight.

The head of his hand axe is inlaid with silver designs. He covers the blade with a piece of leather and keeps it in his belt by way of a special loop, with his cloak gathered over the arm that draws it.

Abeke

For Abeke, I took inspiration from the Yoruba and Igbo ethnic groups of Nigeria.

Her coily dark hair ends just below her shoulders. It is worn in braids that begin at her hairline and trail down her scalp in straight lines, ending in up to twenty individual braids. She often stacks wooden or green beads on the ends. This style of braids is unique to her tribe. It also denotes her marital status; Yufandi girls and women wear their hair in braids if they are unmarried, and loose or covered if they are married. She only ties her braids back when she is hunting, travelling, fighting or doing some other kind of physical activity, letting them down at times when the group is resting. She has warm-toned dark brown skin with some freckles scattered here and there, mostly on her arms and face. Her eyes are dark brown.

She is broad-shouldered but lean, with toned arms and legs. Her final height is 5'8" (172 cm), which she reaches by age fifteen. This is considered fairly tall by Niloan standards. She has been the tallest member of the Four since the very beginning.

Like many Niloans, she has tribal marks on her face. Three long, thick, vertical grooves on each cheek indicate that she is of the Yufandi tribe, and three smaller ones in the middle of her forehead indicate that she is both Marked and a Rain Dancer. Chinwe cut the latter three onto her skin immediately after she summoned Uraza, as part of the ritual. This is an age-old cultural practice, one Abeke harbours no ill feelings about.

She has a number of other scars, both from the war and from her life as a hunter in Nilo. These are quite noticeable due to her dark skin tone. The most prominent is a mass of scar tissue on her left shoulder from when Tai Li stabbed her in Fire and Ice. The wound left her with permanent nerve damage, and she still experiences mild discomfort and tingling in that area. She also experiences numbness and increased sensitivity to cold in her toes from the deep frostbite she sustained whilst in Arctica.

As a tattoo, Uraza crouches on her right forearm, claws extended.

She speaks with an elegant western Niloan accent, similar to a Nigerian one on Earth.

She prefers light, comfortable clothing that allows for ease of movement. In Nilo, she wore a simple wrap made of handwoven cloth. When she joined the Conquerors and later the Greencloaks, she switched to more practical clothing for the colder environment: A long-sleeved white shirt under a length of goatskin and a pair of light pants. The triangular, tasselled thing at her waist on the book covers is a small bag, attached to her woven grass belt and used to store her personal belongings. She has leather shoes, more like slippers, that allow her to move silently. If the environment demands it, she will switch to hardier, but still graceful, boots. She prefers to wear her regular cloak over one shoulder, but wears her travelling cloak over both so it doesn't trip her up.

She uses a self bow, well-made, crafted from Niloan wood and embellished with subtle yet beautiful carvings. Lenori gifted it to her after the war, with the help of the Keeper. When not in use, it will either be unstrung (for long-distance travel) or left as is (if she needs it at the ready). In both cases, it is carried on her back, secured to her quiver.

During their stay in the Gulf of Amaya with the Conquerors, Abeke and Shane got matching beaded bracelets to represent their friendship. These bracelets are recurring items for the both of them that provide comfort and, later, anguish. Abeke stopped wearing hers after Shane's betrayal, but could never bring herself to get rid of it. Inexplicably, she thought to take it in her bag when she and Rollan set out from Greenhaven in Fall of the Beasts. When she made up with Shane, they discovered, to their shared surprise, that they had kept their bracelets the whole time. Abeke's is gold, white and black with striking geometric patterns, evoking the Huichol beading style of Mexico. It is one of her most meaningful possessions.

Meilin

The Han dynasty of Imperial China is where the inspiration for Meilin's character came from. Central Zhong overall is meant to be reminiscent of this period.

She has tan skin and long, straight, silky black hair which is usually styled in a topknot behind her head, with or without short plaits running down the sides (the hairstyle she is shown with on the cover of Blood Ties). Her eyes are a brown so dark they appear almost black.

Her build is stocky and well-muscled; she could not be called slender. Her final height is 5'3" (160 cm), which she reaches by age fifteen. This is the average for women in central Zhong, and makes her the smallest member of the Four.

It is perhaps a testament to her skill in battle that she has by far the least physical scars of the Four. The most noticeable are the light burn scars on her back that wrap around to her right shoulder from the fire in Sadre, and even then, those are covered up in public.

For her pierced ears, she usually opts for small teardrop earrings made of jade or silver.

Her tattoo of Jhi rests on the back of her dominant hand. She made the bold decision to get more tattoos in Jano Rion after the Second Great War: A sword, modelled after her own legendary Sword of Teng, along her inner right forearm, with a Yin Yang symbol at the tip near her wrist. These tattoos hold great personal meaning.

Though she speaks the common tongue with ease, she has a discernible central Zhongese accent, which could be likened to a Chinese one in the real world.

Her usual attire is a paofu robe (more specifically jiaolingpao) over a sleeveless white shirt and beige trousers, with a belt or sash at her waist and black leather boots. The robes she favours are knee-length, allowing for freer movement, padded for warmth and with fitted leather sleeve-cuffs to restrain the wide sleeves and protect her wrists and forearms. Her favourite robe is made of red silk and embroidered with dragons. She wears her travelling cloak over her shoulders, but is also known to don a green robe instead, especially for regular wear. In general, she gravitates to stronger colours like reds and oranges. She dresses the most vibrantly (and expensively) of the Four.

Generally, Meilin presents herself in a masculine way. Her favoured clothing, accessories and even hairstyle are more typical of men in Imperial Zhong. On top of gravitating to these styles because they are simply the most practical for a warrior, Meilin feels more comfortable and like herself in men's clothing, and enjoys dressing this way because of how confined she felt when conforming to the standard imposed on Zhongese women.

Her sword, the legendary Sword of Teng, is a jian that has been passed down through her family for many generations. In times when she needs it strapped to her, she will wear a belt instead of a sash to hold it in its scabbard.

Her trademark accessory is a small Yin Yang amulet attached to a silk thread, meant to be worn as a necklace, but often just carried by her side. It was her last birthday gift from her father, given to her on the day she summoned Jhi. This amulet later becomes her bond token, Peacefinder.

Rollan

Although the original books made it a little ambiguous, from details sprinkled throughout and especially the description of Aidana, we can conclude that Rollan is the Erdas equivalent of Native American. In ARHoE, this is an integral part of Rollan's character. For his tribe, I referenced the Algonquian (and more specifically Wabanaki) peoples of eastern Canada.

He has weathered, light brown skin and long, thick, straight black hair. In the first arc, he wore his hair loose or tied back in a ponytail. After the war, when he and his mother had the opportunity to reconnect with their tribe in Amaya after being isolated from them for so long, Rollan adopted many of their customs. He came back with his hair in two braids, a style that had been practised by the Wascow and many other Amayan tribes for centuries. His eyes are dark brown.

Years of malnourishment on the streets made Rollan leaner and lighter-built than the others, and even while living the good life at Greenhaven he remains somewhat scrawny. For the same reason, his final height of 5'4" (162 cm), which he reaches by age sixteen, is below average for northern Amayan men.

He isn't able to grow nearly as much facial hair as Conor -- just a few dark hairs above his upper lip. He scrapes off his thin moustache when circumstances allow it, in accordance with his tribe's customs.

When he was a child, he was caught stealing and had his nose slit as punishment. The scar left behind is one of his most recognisable features. He has too many other scars to mention.

Both of his ears are pierced, a procedure he had done while staying with his tribe. He owns and wears a variety of earrings, but his favourites are a pair of feathers that fell from Essix.

Essix's tattoo is emblazoned on his upper chest, her outstretched wingtips skimming his collarbones. He has a multitude of other tattoos, all of which were done during his time with the Wascow. His whole body is marked with symbols representing his tribe, spirit animal and achievements, including one for every battle he has won. The process was gruelling, but Rollan's ego has soared since getting them.

The subject of his accent is an interesting one, because unlike the other three, Rollan didn't grow up speaking the language of his people. Common is the only language he is fluent in, and, of course, he didn't grow up with a fixed person to influence how he spoke it. The result is his accent being an odd blend of speech habits from the constantly changing cast of people around him -- his mother, the people at the orphanage, the Widow Renata, his street gang and even foreign traders who spent time in Concorba. There is influence not only from different Amayan tribes in his pronunciation patterns, but parts of Eura and Zhong. Conor, Abeke and Meilin have never heard anything like it.

He typically wears a long-sleeved grey shirt, trousers and a pair of deerskin moccasins. Even though his choice of attire is rather simple, it is worth more than anything he ever owned as an orphan in Concorba. Beadwork features prominently on his clothing and accessories, including on his earrings, in patches sewn on his trousers and moccasins, and his treasured sash (which is best visible on the cover of Fire and Ice). His worn green cloak hangs around his shoulders. He doesn't own a regular one, only Tarik's travelling cloak.

The dagger he favours is a straight, mean-looking blade with an ornate hilt. He keeps it sheathed at his belt when not in use.

I thought it would be fitting to give them all a matching item. Something they carry around that reminds them of each other. Of their team. So, while in the capital of Zhong on their victory march after the war, the friends came across a collection of attraction charms and decided to each buy one. They were made of semi-precious stones, small and teardrop-shaped, attached to a little ring with a cap of silver or gold. They each chose a stone with meaning that resonated with them. Conor's is labradorite, which symbolises inner peace. Abeke's is sunstone, which stands for strength. Meilin's is amethyst, which symbolises balance. Rollan's is garnet, for clarity. The kids paired them with charms of their spirit animals and wear them in various ways -- on bracelets, in pockets, on necklaces close to their hearts. Every time they look at them, even if they are a thousand miles away from the people who keep the other pieces of the set, they think of their family.

There you have it, the altered character designs for the Four Heroes! These will be incorporated into the ARHoE masterdoc when it is completed. More pivotal characters to follow!

Part two

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Welcome to a new Erdas 𖥔

Hello and welcome to the official source for A Revised History of Erdas!

You can call me Bay (she/they). This blog is for all things regarding my revision and expansion of the Spirit Animals series. Here, I discuss the project from a professional standpoint, accept asks and announce new uploads.

Included in A Revised History of Erdas

Here is a rundown of everything you can expect from this project.

A master document (henceforth simply referred to as the "masterdoc") detailing everything there is to know about the altered world of Erdas, from the geography and religion to the plot changes and character designs. This is intended to serve as the reader's guide to ARHoE.

The revision of the main series, arcs one through three. These will be referred to as the original book name, followed by Revised (e.g., Wild Born: Revised).

Tales of the Four Heroes, a collection of short stories that offers a glimpse into some of the unseen adventures of Conor, Abeke, Meilin and Rollan during and after the Second Great War.

Vow, an additional chapter of The Book of Shane that reveals how the Redcloaks came to be.

The revision of Essix's chapter in Tales of the Great Beasts, in which she befriends one of the first Greencloaks in Amaya.

Wyrmslayer, a novella centred on Abeke and Uraza in the aftermath of the War with the Wyrm.

The fourth and final arc, Path of the Heroes, in which the Four and their spirit animals must face a new adversary with their bond tokens.

An as of yet untitled book that jumps forward in time to the next generation -- the Four Heroes' children.

Standalone short stories set in this universe.

AUs that branch off from this primary AU.

Art that is commissioned for this project.

Things you might be wondering

Who is this blog run by? This blog is run entirely by myself, @bayofwolves. I write the posts, answer the asks and manage the account overall.

When do you post? Posts are scheduled for Saturdays (and sometimes Sundays) at 4:00 p.m. PST. There will not be a post every week, but when there is, it will fall on one or both of those days.

Why are you making this project? I have wanted to continue writing for Spirit Animals ever since The Dragon's Eye was released and the series was concluded. Fourteen years old at the time, I was unwilling to part with the world and the characters that had been a huge part of my life for the past four years. Additionally, I wasn't entirely satisfied with where they left things. In fact, I wrote to Scholastic to tell them so, and to request that they continue. I never heard back, of course, but that didn't stop me from taking matters into my own hands and beginning to work on the idea for a fourth arc that had taken shape in my mind. That original idea is now abandoned, but many years later, it inspired me to re-imagine what a continuation of my beloved childhood book series could look like. I created the concept for Path of the Heroes, and one thing led to another until I had plans to rework the whole universe of Spirit Animals. This all started because I never wanted it to end, and because I was unhappy with where and how it ended. A Revised History of Erdas is my attempt to make it feel more complete, to reconcile with my brokenhearted child self. Essentially, this is a passion project that was many years in the making, and a love letter to the books that shaped my childhood.

Where can I find samples of your writing? My Archive of Our Own is currently bare, as I haven’t written a standalone short story in a while. I do have some in the works, however. In the meantime, you can read the final chapter of The Return: Revised here.

When are you going to release [x part of ARHoE], and where can I read it when you do? At this point in time, I cannot predict when I will finish writing any part of ARHoE. This will likely change as work on the project progresses. I lead a busy life as a young adult and write when I can find the time (and motivation). This means that progress will be slow. However, rest assured that this project will be completed before I die. All stories will be posted (chapter-by-chapter, if applicable) on Archive of Our Own. As was previously mentioned, I will announce new uploads right here on this blog.

How does the content of this blog differ from that of your main? The most important difference is that this blog is dedicated exclusively to ARHoE. My main is where you'll find more varied and personal content, as well as discussion of the original Spirit Animals series. I do sometimes talk about this project on my main, but those posts are simply me brainstorming and coming up with ideas. It's casual, and nothing I say on there is set in stone. On this blog, however, my posts are polished and final. All the topics you see discussed here are fixed elements of ARHoE.

Can I send you an ask about [x]? Questions about anything in the universe of ARHoE are very welcome, but keep in mind that there are some things I can't reveal before certain volumes are released. Anonymous asks are on for those of you who prefer them. Send in as many as you want; I love answering them.

And just for fun...

How long have you been a fan of these books? I first started reading Spirit Animals in 2014, at around the same time Fire and Ice came out. I was ten at the time!

Favourite character? My favourite character is Abeke, followed by Shane, Irtike, Conor and Tasha. I have identified strongly with Abeke since I was very young; she will always be close to my heart.

If you lived on Erdas, what animal would you summon? It's a hard question for me because I love so many different animals, but I think my spirit animal would be a sea wolf.

Useful links

Archive of Our Own (TBA) Ask a question Main account

Thank you all for your endless kindness and support! Each and every one of you in this little community means so much to me. I hope you enjoy my work!