Part of TÖKEN's design overhaul has led us to need a variety of characters.
I'll spare the reasoning and explanation for this for another post, however here, I will present some of the world building and characters that have been created to frame our new story.
World History:
An immense valley stood at the center of four natural barriers.
To the north rose towering mountains no man was strong enough to scale.
To the south sprawled desolate swamps no man was foolish enough to cross.
To the east raged stormy seas no man was skilled enough to sail.
To the west lay barren deserts no man was prepared enough to survive.
Almost as old as these impenetrable lands were the bloodstained fields of the valley. Warring tribes of feral men had painted the countryside with their clubs, spears, and knives for centuries. So savage and untamed were these bloodthirsty people their constant cruelty twisted them into wild animals.
One day the Golden Idol came to this land of war and death. He shared in their wanton bloodshed wielding sky and earth, fire and salt until even warlords and elders feared him. Then the Golden Idol traveled tribe to tribe demanding the loyalty of the peoples there. With the clans united he erected a city without walls. The lands where the tribes had once stood were burnt and salted so that the only habitable lands were within the city borders and the city outskirts.
The Golden Idol instated many laws in the early days of his rule. A concept that was challenging to understand for the natives of the valley. Though these laws affected many aspects of their lives, the most prominent was the order to play a board game called TÖKEN one-hundred times each day. Breaking laws and failing to keep up with the Golden Idol's demands is harshly punished.
Characters:
I won't go into specific details regarding each character but as the narrative developed we realized that the characters' designs all needed to incorporate elements of the world history, their personality, and the game of TÖKEN.
As the main story takes place 20 years after the Golden Idol came into power, many young characters have almost no memory prior to his rule. As such, TÖKEN is just a part of day to day life. They don't hold the same animosity towards the game that many of the older folk have. These younger folk are much more civil in societal terms, having never known war or bloodshed. The older generation bears signs of previous wars and usually embody their animal instinct more literally.
Here's some WIPs from our talented Concept Artist, Emerenciana Hartshorn!
The Golden Idol is not shown here! ^_~