The Terror BEHIND THE MASK!!!

[BEHIND THE MASK]

Good evening comrades...

The following pics are of three original characters:

Burldon Blavonovich (My Own Name Ego Freak) [Warrior Of The Plague]
Murad Hussein (Inspired by Turkish/Arabic Influences) [Professor Of The East]
Ruri Takahi (Inspired by Japanese and other Asian Influences) [Maiden Of The Cards]

These are just profile pics, hand drawn and sketched. I would like honest opinions and critisms. I actually might make a series out of them. If you like I could post a brief bio of them and their abilities.

[Waku]

Cool..Not too bad..I like the first one. o_o What kind of series?

[BEHIND THE MASK]

My idea is for a series that focuses on the 3 Main Characters... It is set in a Medieval-Like World... a mix of European, Mid Eastern (Heavily Influenced) and Asian Influences... I'll probably draw up a small map. I will admit that 'Naruto' had a large influence on the creation of the story (I'm coming up with an idea to mix Chakra and Jutsu and ect. into the Series... Not very origional but still entertaining)

[Main Idea] Burldon Blavonovich and Ruri Takahi are well known Mercenaries. During a battle, Burldon is injured and seperated from his comrade. He stumbles into the Mid Eastern-Like Village of Batsu. There, he met and cared for by Murad Hussein, a well known warrior and professor. Ruri begins her search for Burldon, meanwhile, the Army they had fought, a 'Crusade' force led by Marcius The Devout (Picture soon to come [?]) closes in. The Crusade attacks and slaughters the village. Marcius finds Burldon and downs him, but as he nears to deliver the kill, he sets off a trap set by Murad. An angered Murad strikes he Crusader down and leaves his ruined village in company of Burldon and Ruri.

I understand it may sound as if it is going nowhere, but following this set up I have some plans for a more permanant plot for more then just a few Mercs running around a slaughtered targets for cash.

I also want to have the series focus on a number of points. Religion, Islam vs. Christianity in a way, I show no preverance for either but while I do have them fight (Jihad/Crusade) I also have several characters coexist to show that diffrent people can get along. I really want to work on the relations between characters and make it very deep.

Some Characters I plan to Draw :::

- Maxius The Devout (Captain of the Crusades)
- Augustus The Holy (Grand General of the Holy Wars)
- Harlan Barnaby (Professor of the West)
- Kemal The Wise (A Great Merchant from the Far East)
- Kanna The Great (Priestess of the River)

This Story is more influenced by European and Mid Eastern Influences but dont worry, it will most certainly have heavy influence from all of Asia (Mainly Japan)... I also hope to make it so the use of Chakra and Jutsu does not seems so alien from the setting.

Also, like Naruto the technology in my Universe is quite diffrent. Some far advanced from others. The use of Jutsu has made Gunpowder weapons slow to develop and constant bloody Religious conflicts has driven them away from Enlightenment causing few major advances.

[Daenerys]

Aw man, I was hoping for horribly scarred art of people who need to wear masks

[Waku]

Sounds cool. I wanna see the other characters. And the character bios too.

[LiLi.]

Lol i thought the 2nd one was Gaara at first by looking at the thumbnail. Hmmm~ Lets see, i think you should try drawing different poses for them

[BEHIND THE MASK]

He... ya, that scroll does sorta look like Gaara's gourd at first sight... I do have some diffrent poses for Ruri and Murad (Though, again, it sorta reminds me of one of Gaara's)

I'll also post a short Bio for Murad and Ruri, I always have trouble drawing hands!!! The 2nd Picture (Ruri) is meant to be a credits page I'm working on. :::

Murad Hussein (Professor of the East) [Male] [32] [Islam]
Murad is a former Jihadist Warrior who, following the Wars, became a well know preacher of Islam and a major innovator of Logic, Reason and Technological Advancement. He currently resides in the village of Takusa where he is employed as a professor. Though claiming to be a peaceful man, he is a fearsome opponent whose specialty lies in his large arsenal of Traps. On his back he carries a large Scroll (Which he actually 5 scrolls put together, these are his 5 'Big Ones') He also carries 1 smaller scroll on one of his legs. These Scrolls summon his traps when needed. Besides summoning traps, he can also summon multiple chains to capture and kill enemies. Murad is a fearsome Warrior not to be underestimated.

(Full Bio - Coming Later)

Ruri Takahi (Maiden of the Cards) [Female] [23] [No Religious Alliance]
Ruri was born a poor peasant girl in the Village of Bell. Growing up she enjoyed watching local entertainers do Card Tricks on the sides of the streets. She eventually bought a deck of cards and decided she wanted to try it to. As she grew up, she was discovered by a foreigner passing through the Village. She was 15 at the time that Burldon Blavonovich passed through the town. He noticed the young girl doing card tricks, but noted that unlike many of the other entertainers, she had found a way to do it diffrently (By using a Mixture of Genjutsu and Ninjutsu). Ruri had already became a talented fighter of sorts and Burldon saw talent in her. He made the request that he train her, Ruri (wanting to learn more) agreed and ,after a lengthy good bye, departed. Ruri, like Murad, can summon using her special deck of cards. She can summon pidgeons with razor edged wings. Some cards will explode (and yet, go structurally undamaged) and others can be used like blade weapons and hurled at an opponent.

(Full Bio - Coming Later)

[Waku]

I think I like Ruri the best. >>; You write your profiles really well... When I write it seems like everything is all over the place. I really like the second picture of Ruri with the card. And you did the hand good too. The first pic there seems a little flat or something though. Anyways..>>; Nice job..wanna hear and see more o.o

[BEHIND THE MASK]

Funny thing about Ruri is she is the very first Female character I have ever made. I had previous ideas for her but i like this one the best.

My work on some of my other characters is not going as well as I hoped... The 2 Crusades (Maxius and Augustus) are developing rather slowly. The problem lies in their clothing... I want a sort of medium between Medieval and Modern but thats not going to well. I'll give you a choice between what I got for them:

Crusader Out-Fits (Robes heavily decorated with religious symbols, chain mesh armor, ect.)

Modernized Out-Fits (Jackets/coasts decorated with personal and religious symbols. 'Thick Vest-Armor', ect.)

Other (Your choices and Ideas)

And also, Waku, Id like to personally thank you. You were the first one to post in this thread and you have been so positive.

Also, I am working on designs for Kemal The Great Merchant. I was thinking of a more Asiatic design (including those chinese 'pan' hats) but I'd always appreaciate your opinions.

[Waku]

Lets see...Theres this game called Suikoden..The clothes on there are cool, maybe you can get some ideas from it. I dont think Im allowed to post links..not sure..But the site is called Suikosource..If you wanna look it up. And you go to the character page then to character list, shows lots and lots of characters. Hope that helps some..

[BEHIND THE MASK]

Certainly some intresting characters and designs... defiantly worth a look.

Thanks comrade, hopefully I'll have some ideas by tonight and will have a character or a few posted.

[Waku]

Looking forward to it. =)

[BEHIND THE MASK]

I must apologize comrades... I made a promise however I seem to be suffering from a block as I have had some trouble with new designs.

However, I have managed to color one of my original pictures. I colored it by MSN paint and took about 3 hours, I took away some things but I'm rather happy with the end result:

Burldon S. Blavonovich ::: Warrior of the Plague

Burldon was born to a peasant family in a presporous town known as Deingrad. His family made a profit as lowly farmers and had a home in the city. Burldon had a decent life. He had a caring father who, besides being a farmer, doubled as the local physician. His mother stayed at home and raised the younger kids, Alexi, Nicolai, and Yevin... When Burldon was 14, a plague took Deingrad. The Plague was a flesh eating bacteria that usually killed swiftly. His mother died early on and his father treated his patients while wearing a Gas Mask, though it didn't help in the end. Burldon fell victim to the plague but somehow managed to survive and use the Plague to create a new Immune System and make it into a weapon.

Burldon ofter wears his Father's Gas Mask, taken after his death, and a dark green coat. He has dirty blonde hair, it is not certain what his face looks like for he rarely even moves it. At the most raising it slighting up to reveal a mouth surronded by a short beard while he eats.

Burldon's primary way of battle is to use his plagues (He has actually mutated the original strain in order to create newer and deadlier ones) His greatest defence is when he releases a cloud of flesh eating bacteria around himself. Any enemy who gets near the cloud will likely die withen a few minutes as the basteria easts away at them.

Burldon took in and trained Ruri personally. Teachering her to use her powers ti manipulate her cards, she has become a valuable ally and friend.

Despite the difficulties the character has faced. He usually has a cheery attitude, overing help to those who ask for it and jokling around with friends (Though, the faceless gas-mask can make it seem like he is cold and rejecting)

Burldon's other main features is his right leg and left arm. His left Arm is a puppet arm, his original arm having been eaten away while he initial fought the plague. His right leg is fitted with a Brace that has concealed weapons and helps his mobility (If you look closely, you'll see a reference to Suna from 'Naruto') He is an able warrior and a strong opponent.

[BEHIND THE MASK]

I'm working on some new designsm but none are done yet. I've also decided to change the names of same characters:

Murad Hussein is now Murad Osman (Sounds more Turkish)
Ruri Takahi is now Ruri Bakatsumi (I think it sounds more Japanese)
Maxiux The Devout is now Marcus Daxos
Augustus The Holy is now Augustus Leeds
Kemal The Wise is now now Obi Kymoto
Kanna The Great is now Kaede Uzumi

I also have some new ideas for two new characters:

Patrick Gordon
Richard Tibil

I'm gonna do more then just announce this time around
... I've been doing some more painting and just recently finished Ruri.

What do you think?

[Waku]

Nice.. I like Burldon's background story. That sounds like a pretty cool thing to use as a weapon.. Argh...I really should do my story, its not going anywhere. I guess, you kinda..Make me wanna finish it >>; Both the characters look better drawn..Nice job.

[BEHIND THE MASK]

Thanks comrade (especialy for posting, I was becoming discouraged)

I have a design set out for my next character, Obi Kymoto The Merchant

The basic design is that of SouthEast Asia (Mainly Vietnamese)... He wears a conical hat (The sorta pan-ish looking ones) and has a short goatee (I dont know why, but most of my male characters have facial hair, I dont know, I suppose I've always seen that as a sign of maturity and I do really want this to be a series series.) The character's look has numerous inspirations but the main one being the Vietnamese Leader Ho Chi Minh.

OBI KYMOTO ::: Merchant of the Far East

Obi is a man with a vast fortune but chooses to live simply. He currently owns a market (Obi's Market) in Tukrat and is a good friend of Murad Osman. He owns a number of mines that produce things such as copper, iron, incense and even a small ammount of gold thus adding to his wealth.

Obi for the most part is disdainful of fighting, but has the ability to put up a rather tough defence. his most powerful weapon was fashioned by Murad Osman but paid for by Obi's cash. It basically a pack carried on his back fashioned from bamboo poles. The pack contains a number of containers filled with things like Gunpowder bombers, a powerful acidic vapor (he claims it came from one of the mines) and other things. The pack itself is detachable in places and its parts fashioned into weapons. The most noticeable part is a hollowed out bamboo pole fixed up to fire a line of fire (Based of Greek Fire, Murad's Scroll has the same ability.

Aside from being quite wealthy, he also has a number of friends in high up places. He is very valuable if you need to get somewhere and have it kept underwraps.

Obi for the most part is comical around his friends. Respectful towards enemies (Especially other merchants) and chariotable towards lower classes (He cares greatly for the mine workers he has employed.)

::: Obi may be a lesser character, and alot of this may not come up in the stories I plan to write and draw but I always believed it was important to know a person's background in order to understand their personality in the story.

[Inamorata]

Never get down on yourself just because people dont post as much as you'd like. I think your works are awesome. I also like your idea for this Obi character. I think you'll do good. ^_^ Believe in yourself. Thats all you need.

[BEHIND THE MASK]

Thank you.

Id also like your opinions of something.

Basically, I want to try and draw a map of this world but I'm having some ideas. Originally, I planned to draw a map very similar to the one of our world, but with some changes and such... But now, i'm wondering if I should just use a real map and make up some borders... Trouble with that is I fear some people would get confused and think its happening during an actually point in history (which its not) It would also hinder my ability to make up places with their own geography.

What do ya'll think? Id like to make my own map personally.

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Also, If you would like to hear some ideas for character abilities I'll be glad to tell you. Also, I'm working on a great way to combine the points of Chakra and Jutzu into the European World. If you'd like to hear that idea to I'd also be glad to tell.

[Waku]

Minor characters are cool, I end up liking them the most. Hm... I am not sure on the map, I'm having the same problem, kind of. Maybe take our map an just make it your own. Change it up abit, maybe mix the names around or something, or you can keep the names, too, if you want. Alot of anime or stories are based in a certain point of time in our own world, but that doesnt mean its really happening, so I dont think you should worry about that, because it is supposed to be fiction after all, right?

Yeah, go ahead and tell your ideas, i'll read it. o.o

[BEHIND THE MASK]

Minor characters are cool, I end up liking them the most. Hm... I am not sure on the map, I'm having the same problem, kind of. Maybe take our map an just make it your own. Change it up abit, maybe mix the names around or something, or you can keep the names, too, if you want. Alot of anime or stories are based in a certain point of time in our own world, but that doesnt mean its really happening, so I dont think you should worry about that, because it is supposed to be fiction after all, right?

Yeah, go ahead and tell your ideas, i'll read it. o.o

Thanks. And also, Happy Thanksgiving.

(I have 2 new pictures... I'll only post one because the 2nd is unfinished, the picture I am posting is a redrawn versions + Colored Murad Osman)

I'll start off with how Chakra and Jutzu fits into the story...

My understanding is that all beings can do jutzu and use chakra... in my story, it will be explained that the 'jutzus' used are actually variations from far Eastern Lands (The Lands being isolated, like Japan, and the secrets being partially stollen) These variations allow them to use jutzu's and chakra but mostly in imperfect ways (Though, some of the characters do use hand signs)

Some Ideas for Abilities and Attacks :::

Plague Clone (Burldon) : By focusing his Chakra and combining it with specialized (rapidly multiplying) bacteria, Burldon can form a 'Plague' Clone. The clone is not very durable, but it can be combined with other bacterias that can spread through touch or contact, discouraging physical attacks. Burldon can also make the clone 'explode'. throwing about the bacteria and disease. The clone is incredibly deadly and should not be underestimated.

Razor Wings (Ruri) : By using 20 of her special cards and a large ammount of Chakra, Ruri can summon 20 'razor-winged' doves. The doves usually circle the enemy in a hurricane like manuever and cut them with the tips of their wings. The can form other formations and are incredibly fast and durable.

Summon Tobi The (Kimodo) Dragon (Burldon) : Burldon can summon his good ally, and friend, Tobi (Tobias) The Komodo Dragon when he is in a tough spot. Tobi is not only immune to Burldon's diseases but can also mimic his attacks. Tobi is incredibly reliable and clever.

Trap Scroll, The Brace (Murad) : This trap was inspired by Burldon's disability. A simple scroll can be hidden only an inch underground, undtectable and when the enemy steps on it, the bace quickly summons and triggers a trap similary to a bear trap that digs spikes into the enemies shin and a razor into their knee. If successful, the trap can be crippling or fatal.

(These are just some ideas)

If you'd like some help with your own story comrade, Id be glad to help... after all, you have been a good help to me.

[Waku]

Thanks... Hope your thanksgiving was good. 'Jutzu'..is actually spelled 'Jutsu', in case you didn't know. Those are some nice attacks and abilities. Thanks for the offer, but I don't think I need much help. I just gotta put more thought into it. But if I do I'll ask you. Nice drawing.

[BEHIND THE MASK]

The offers always open...

I know its spelled Jutsu but for some reason I always spell it with a Z, maybe its because I always spell things the way I say them and I say em with a sorta accent that sorta makes it a 'z' sound.

I've also finished two new drawings... Obi Kymoto and Richard Tibil

Origionally, in Obi's drawing he was gonna wear a sash to keep the pack on... But instead I decided on a vest that uses magnets to keep it on. I like how it turned out.

Heres Richard's Bio:

RICHARD TIBIL ::: RICHARD THE JANISSARY (Greek/Turkish Influence)

Richard is a Janissary, an elite of the Moslem (Turkish) Army. Richard was born a Christian in the city of Legion. He grew up and became a skilled soldier in the Christian Armies of the lands.

At the age of 22 he was sent off in a major campaign but was captured by Moslem forces.

He was given a choice... Convert and have a chance to become a Janissary or face execution. Richard appearantly favored his life over his religion... He converted and raised his weapons against his former Christian allies.

Janissaries are Slave Troops. Slaves and Captured men in Military Service. Richard initially suspected he would be treated very poorly, however he was fairly surprised. As a Janissary, Richard enjoyed a rather pleasant life (with the exception of war) he was paid well, he has his own land in Moslem land and was respected.

Richard is currently rather low ranking. He is of high ability but is quite happy where he currently is. He is stationed in the village of Tukrat with 49 other Janissaries and is a good friends with Murad Osman and Obi Kymoto.

Richard no longer shows much passion for religion. He follows Islam ways but has several times been court martialed for promoting drinking and gambling in his corps. He has always been reinstated for his abilities but it doesn't seem he will move up any time soon.

[Waku]

Okay. >>; Hurray, new drawings. I like them both. I was like..Oh no hes a slave ;~; But im glad hes happy. >>; Do you have Obi's bio yet? I wanna see his too when you can.

[Inamorata]

Thank you.

Id also like your opinions of something.

Basically, I want to try and draw a map of this world but I'm having some ideas. Originally, I planned to draw a map very similar to the one of our world, but with some changes and such... But now, i'm wondering if I should just use a real map and make up some borders... Trouble with that is I fear some people would get confused and think its happening during an actually point in history (which its not) It would also hinder my ability to make up places with their own geography.

What do ya'll think? Id like to make my own map personally.

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Also, If you would like to hear some ideas for character abilities I'll be glad to tell you. Also, I'm working on a great way to combine the points of Chakra and Jutzu into the European World. If you'd like to hear that idea to I'd also be glad to tell.

I think for practice you should draw a real map. Then once you've gotten an idea of what your world is going to look like map it out on what you've learned. ^^

[BEHIND THE MASK]

Waku - I posted Obi's (Incomplete) Bio up a bit.... You must have missed it.

Inamorata - That is a good idea. I already have some ideas, the map will somewhat resemble the real world one but will carry many variations.

Upcomng Characters ::: Harlan Barnaby

I'm also working on some characters that don't really play major roles overall but are highly significant for their actions...

Pope Gregory V
Sultan Saladin of the Turks