IMPORTANT
For objective reasons, I wasn’t able to take part in the Contest, but I didn’t want my work to be lost. Hope you’ll enjoy)
This is a tale of the man and the woman who, by the kismet’s volition or by the whim of the Gods, were bounded against their will. Two souls enslaved by greater power, yet found freedom in gaol. Or maybe they are the wolves in sheep’s clothing? Where does the truth speak and where does the deceit hide? Only the listener decides what to believe.
Some say they were enemies at first. She was a militant tribal woman. He was one of many who came to their village to turn their fields into dust and soak the walls of the blockhouses with their blood. The ones who came to their lands to strike like demons, cut like lynxes and crush like bears. Only the Gods knew what the Hyperboreans had forgotten here in the Cimmerian hamlet. And only the Gods knew what happened next.
In the heat of slaughter, wherein Hyperboreans were putting to swords frightened men and distraught women, blubed kids and dumbfounded olders, there was a scream, a startled growl that no one heard.
At the moment when the enemies cooled their blades, one noticed that his commander was dead. And near the body he saw a man, a brother, who clamped commander’s mouth with one hand, and with the other plunged a stiletto deep into his throat. He could not even believe what he saw, if this man, a brother, had not flung the body away and immediately thrown a stiletto in his eye.
This is when the second slaughter began, which now the Hyperboreans did not understand. Besotted with flaming fury and snarling like a lion, the man jumped into the crowd of the frazzled brothers and became a permeating nightmare, a walking death for every swordsman. No one could grasp such transformation.
Some of the brothers got injured, some even fled along with freed slaves in the turmoil. Few of them even died. But the others, led by the one-eyed survivor, pounced on him and shackled the madman.
At the trial, the one-eyed, who by this time had become the commander, accused him of treason and asked for a death sentence. The condemned said no word, only looked at the people around with a hard-steel gaze. But there was something else in the eyes. It’s said that shard of sadness glistened in his pupils. Of course, no one noticed that, as they all were thinking about conquering Cimmeria. So his trial, as many others, was quick. He was condemned to die one of the hardest way possible: crucified on the cross in the Exiled Lads.
After that, everyone started talking about a Cimmerian witch who hocused him, then quickly found the most furious harlot and hanged them both to rot on the crosses.
Some say that in one of the starless night, enduring the stings of pain, he tore out the nails and left his cross. Other believes that without each other’s help the man and the woman would be fried in the merciless sun for the amusement of vultures. There are even dunces who think they were freed by a “noble barbarian” – one thing is certain: those two survived and left the homes behind. He trained her to hold a weapon, she taught him how to fish. He hunted deer and rabbits and she cooked for both of them.
Yet even in the coldest nights they did not sleep in one bedding, for she did not forget what he and his former brothers had done to her neighbours. Nor he did not forget the time when he shed as much innocent blood as the Western Sea could hold. That is why the haunted past is still tearing his sleep apart.
They don’t speak much, so their names are rumored. Someone once heard how she called herself Enika of Cimmeria, and he – Geirr the Vagabond.
Played on PS4 so the quality is pretty bad
As a fan of realism and low-fantasy genre, in costumes I prefer everything battered, ragged and leathery (due to mobility). Wearing not just shiny armour and clean trousers, but something that says these clothes have a story. That’s why in the savannahs of the Exiled Lands I wear closed, baggy apparels.
So for my style, I found the Black Hand Vest to be the most attractive. It’s rude and tattered, but with the Dyer’s Bench and a touch of my hand, the vest’s cape became calmer due to the light blue color. I added Cimmerian Blue to the vest to balance the cape. For the overall look with brown elements i painted the lining with tan dye.
I like the look of the Light Gauntlets because of the leather bands: the left one goes down to the wrist and the right one wraps around the palm. The protective part is also interesting, as the right gauntlet consists of plates. But I think the default gauntlets are savagely black and don’t fit my theme, so I added Light Grey and Tan.
For the vest and the gauntlets, the Shemite Leggings recolored in Dark Tan and Light Blue would be a nice addition. These trousers are wide enough, so they harmonize perfectly with my character’s large chest.
Going down to the boots. These ones are very nice but for me the metal inserts are too brightened, so I added Light Ash to darken the tone. Now they look like they’ve been battered by time.
And for the finishing touch, steel blade. It’s kinda useless against most enemies but it looks really cool! Less classical fantasy with fancy golden blades and more brutal bloody dourness!
If you enjoyed my origin and want to try on my clothing, here are two sets both for Geirr and Enika (sign “–” means default color).
Vagabond set:
Black Hand Vest – Cimmerian Blue, Light Blue, Dark Grey, Tan
Light Gauntlets – Light Grey, --, Tan
Shemite Leggings – Dark Tan, Light Blue, --, –
Heavy Sabatons – --, --, Light Ash
Enika’s set :
Medium Harness – Dark Muted Brown, Brown, --, Green
Aquilonian Bracers – Light Green, Dark Muted Brown, Tan
Barachan Reiver Breeches – Tan, Green, Tan, Light Ash
Hyena-fur Boots – Muted Brown, Dark Muted Brown
P.S.
And sorry for any grammatical mistakes, I hope I avoided crucial ones)
