Hall Of heroes Character Concepts

Story

In this universe, eternal rest is avoidable.

If you become a hero for the people and achieve greatness. You will become eligible for entry into the Hall of Heroes. A hall dedicated to those who sacrificed themselves to protect our precious city from harm! but do not fret! these heroes are fine, their wounds have been dealt with and they are placed into a deep sleep, kept alive with the power of our  deity! Only when a great disaster threatens our city, our top priest will ring the sacred bell and awaken these heroes from their slumber. Forever protecting us from the eternal threats of monsters and evil! Will you become our next great hero and protector of the city?

Sounds a bit dark, doesn't it? you never die but your put to sleep and only woken up when you're needed to protect the city. It sounds messed up but in a universe where powerful monsters are constantly threatening the city, it felt like the people's only hope. Why depend on one hero at a time when you can have the aid of all the great heroes who ever lived?

Astrea, the star maiden was one of these hereos. She was ranked as one of the top heroes for her bravery, grace and skill when defeating her foes. She had defended the city from various evil wizards and monsters. She used the power of the stars and the cosmos to defeat her foes. But one day, her title would be challenged when the powerful sorcerer, Zosma threatened the city. Their battle lasted for hours, everyone was unsure who would be victorious. That was until Astrea used a powerful spell to land a devastating blow to the sorcerer! She had won! But something went wrong. Her wand had cracked earlier during the fight and the spell revered, hitting her as well. Zosma had been defeated, but by doing so, Astrea had unintentionally hit herself. Before she could utter her dying words to her distraught husband and see her infant child. Her dying body was rushed to the hall of heroes. She was put into a deep sleep and kept alive by the powerful magic that runs through the halls. Leaving her grieving husband and her newborn daughter to suffer the aftermath.

Hall of heroes story is an epilogue of Astrea's demise. It's in the perspective of her daughter, Luna. By now, Luna is 17 years old and has one year to make some difficult decisions. Being the daughter of a legendary hero, many expect her to follow in the footsteps of her mother and become a great hero as well. But as she has grown up, she's learnt a lot about the hall of heroes and the impact it has on others. Many of the heroes are still young when they are put into a deep sleep. Many of them don't get to see their children grow or live with their families. To be frank, Luna is terrified of the hall and doesn't want to share the same fate as her mother. To be put into an deep sleep instead of passing away...that isn't a way to live. Luna wants to live the life her mother never had. She wants to raise a family and live a full life. But everyone else, except her father wants her to follow her mother's footsteps. She fears her desires will upset all the people that count on her. Will She follow in her mother's footsteps? or will she carve her own path?

Luna, the child prodigy. 

Luna is a young, determined woman. But she has a lot on her mind. She has exactly one year before she turns 18. She then has to make some difficult decisions in regards to her future. Everyone expects her to become a hero like her mother and eventually be stored in the hall of heroes. A mystical hall where previous fallen heroes are put into a deep sleep  before they pass away. These heroes are kept alive with an unknown magic. Luna didn't know her mother personally, as Astrea had fallen when Luna was just an infant. But she knows that Astrea was young and had a dream of raising a family. Which is interrupted because of the expectations the city put on her. Knowing this, Luna is unsure if she wants to share the same fate or live her own life. She fears disappointing all the people of the city, her mother included.  

My earliest concepts of Luna explore someone who shows an aggressive front. Someone who grew up too early and lives a life of caution because of her mother's demise. I wanted to show this through less soft features. I used more squares than circles. This was to give her a more serious tone. I imagine her as someone who's dead serious and very disciplined. 

During feedback sessions, I was told Luna's features were slightly antagonistic. I later fixed this by rounding Luna's facial structure and adding features to her clothing to suggest otherwise. 

Costume Design.

Outfits and Costume design are a personal favorite of mine. I did fashion and Fabrics during high school and my favorite part was the concept design.  I believe a character's outfit can really emphasize their personality. I took inspiration from the Victorian era for Luna's design. I also gave her a theme of space, similar to her mother's. But while her mother shows off the beauty of space with bright, vibrant colors and round shapes. Luna's design shows how scary space and it's vastness can be. 

Above are my three main concepts for Luna's outfit. I explored different shapes and silhouettes. While keeping a similar colour scheme to fit her space theme. With her costume design I wanted something that would compliment and put emphasis on her serious and well disciplined personality.  

A problem I came across during the process was when my dad gave me some input about Luna's eye patch. 

"If she's a fencer, wouldn't an eye patch be a problem? She needs her peripheral vision on both sides to fight" (not exact quote but it was basically what he said.) 

Usually I would brush comments off like this if I think it's an essential part of the character but dad did have a good point. It was also interesting to see how many people thought her concept (more specifically number 2) would look better without it. Originally, The eye patch was a part of Luna's cautionary side. She would only show the wound underneath to reckless heroes in training as a cautionary tale of what reckless behavior can do. But I realized she could do the same without the eye patch. 

I changed her story a bit. Her scar is still the same origins. As an infant, she is 'gifted' with Zosma's perspective. Which makes her mostly blind but still able to see silhouettes and shapes. She gains a the scar when Astrea, desperate to get her baby back uses a spell to hurt Zosma, resulting in the wizard scratching Luna.  

re occurring feedback suggested I added a belt and sheath for the rapier. Something which I actually almost forgot. I struggled a bit with how I was going to integrate it into the final design. Above are some sketches + notes on different designs. I even explored the possibility of Luna using a pocket dimension. 

Final Design 

[Above; Turnaround image of Luna's final design.] 

For her final. I rounded her facial structure but kept her body squared. I also added hints of blue to her outfit instead of it being fully purple. This tames down the design and also gives her a sophisticated, proper look. Another key change was her hair. I felt the colour of her hair was too much so I changed it to a natural hair colour. personally, this makes more sense too, as a child would inherit the father and mother's genes. (the blonde hair is from her father). 

Astrea, The Star Maiden. 

Astrea was a legendary hero and a protector of the city. In her short life she had defeated many powerful foes with her magic. A power sourced from the cosmos. She was described as bubbly, bright and optimistic by many. But to her husband, Dorian. She was a loving woman who sacrificed way too much and was suffering the effects of carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. 

Astrea is her earliest design was too busy. Although I thought I captured her personality I realized it was too complicated. And with 5 years of clothing design under my belt (high school level. But still) I knew I could a lot better. Firstly, I researched different materials. Ones that I thought matched her personality I could get more references of and try to redraw the material. What I got was a lot of vinyl and see through materials. I Chose Vinyl material because of the multicolored, see through aspect. The material felt magical looking at it and I knew it would fit Astrea a lot. A lot of her concepts also show see through fabrics like chiffon. 

I experiment with another colour pallet in concept 2. But I felt the colours look too mature on her. Astrea is bright and optimistic. The mature colors would contrast her personality too much.  

You may notice in her revamp (left) that I have her hair tied up. originally, She was going to have wavy hair. But I played with the idea of having her hair tied up. Although she is more carefree than Luna, I Imagine all the long hair while she's flying around. Getting in her face, mouth. Blocking her view. At least with her hair tied up, her line of sight is better. As a magic user, she can't be distracted by things like hair in her eye. 

Final Design 

In the end, I'm a lot happier with Astrea's new Design. I feel I captured her personality a lot better than in the earlier design. Although there are some complicated aspects like the skirt and shoes, it's still less busier than the early design. It's more subtle but the bright colours and rounded shapes compliment and emphasize her bubbly, optimistic personality. 

Extra Concepts 

I focused a lot on the Characters more than anything. But as a bonus, I also made some concept art of some key items for each Character. Below are some concepts for Astrea's wand and Luna's Rapier. 

[left image, early concepts of Astrea's wand. Right image; Newer concepts of the wand]

Astrea's wand was a personal favorite to design. I explored the idea of a small nebula trapped in a glass sphere. This small pocket of space was Astrea's way to Chanel the energy from the cosmos and use them to protect the city. Feedback really enjoyed the pinkish hue/warm colors I used in the early designs. With this in mind, I elaborated this in the next set of concepts. I also made the designs less complex. I'm personally in love with the first design on the right image. Mostly because of the crystal design I made for the handle. 

Luna's rapier was a new experience for me. I hadn't designed a sword ever and weapons are not my specialty. But I challenged myself to do something new. I mainly took inspiration from various rapier handles. Both Symmetrical and Asymmetrical. I also made it that the rapier was a Luna's way of honoring her mother without using magic. When she had the sword made, she asked for a space theme and pink hues. I kept this in mind when drawing up these concepts. 

Thank you all so much for taking the time to view my entry! I hope You enjoyed seeing the designing process and the final outcomes! Although there is still a lot to work on, I hope this gives you a taste of what I have in mind for this project! 

Have a wonderful day!

-Amelia Rose Burgisser.