Gossip with Clara.

Rough sketches of Clara.

It’s been quite a long time since I made a post here, and what better way to get back into it than by introducing a new character that you can meet while playing Cedaria: Blackout? We’ve already introduced Josephine, Silas, Edwin and Quentin, and this time around I’ll be having a chat with Clara McRedmond, your go-to source for information in Castellum.

Clara did not want to be a bar maid; she had hopes of becoming a respectable lady of society, but things did not go as planned. However, as a love child her future was doomed from the start.  She was dumped at an orphanage without a backward glance, her background tarnished and her education lacking. No gentleman would even consider putting a ring around her finger despite her beauty, and no employer would hire her even as a scullery maid or a waitress, and… whoops, maybe I should let her take the floor, she’s looking rather cross.

Clara: About time you noticed.

Me: Clara, you are looking lovely today!

Clara: Fat load of good that has done me. You’d think beauty would be a decent currency around these parts, but nope. Nobody wants to be associated with the love child. Thank goodness I was able to find something useful to do with my life.

Me: Gossip.

Clara: I resent that word. It reminds me of fat old ladies chattering about who married or divorced who over tea and crumpets. Please call it confidential information.

Me: Got it. Where do you get your confidential information from then?

Clara: I have my sources. Don’t expect me to share them with you though, you could drive me out of business.

Me: Oh believe me, I have no interest in taking over your job.

A full body sketch of Clara.

Clara: That’s what they all say. Why wouldn’t you want my job? I earn a lot of money for every piece of information I give, people are careful never to annoy me so I wouldn’t start spreading rumours about them, the Delanty brothers love me…

Me: Those mafia dudes?

Clara: They are gentlemen with habits that do not fit the norms around here. But really, who are we to decide what’s normal? People like me should be normal, they shouldn’t be shunned and discarded like a piece of garbage. It’s not my fault that my parents were stupid and careless! Why should I be made out to be a villain just because they couldn’t own up to what they did?

Me: I am sensing that you feel strongly about this.

Clara: *rolls her eyes* How do you figure? I’m worn out now. Do you have my money?

Me: But you didn’t tell me anything!

Clara: You thought this interview was for free? That’s cute. Now pay up.

—

And that was Clara; she can fill you up – either with information or liquor – and run you dry at the same time. I’m sure if her circumstances had been different she would’ve turned out a completely different person… but that could probably apply to anyone. We are all products of our own environments.

Clara wasn’t inspired by anyone in particular. I just liked the idea of having a sassy bar maid with a dark background and a definite purpose, and thus Clara was born!

What do you think of this new character? =]

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P.S. We have launched our new crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo! We are also having a giveaway, so do enter for a chance to win a copy of the game!

Tomorrow we will be having an AMA for the Reddit folk, so if you have any questions for us, start getting them ready now. 😉 We’ll be announcing the start of our AMA via our Twitter!

A Whiff of Westlock.

I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to like the antagonist/villain in the story more than the protagonist/hero. There’s always something that sets them apart and makes them more interesting, never mind they’re less than redeeming qualities. I am especially fond of the villains I write, to the point where I actually want them to win rather than the hero. Thankfully my voice of reason (almost) always stops me from letting the villain “win” in the story.

Cedaria has its share of villains, and the first one to be created was Edwin Westlock III. He is an industrialist who got the short end of the stick when the Phoenix broke down, and that made him more bitter and immoral than he already was. I could tell you more about him, but I’d rather just show you… hello, Ed!

Edwin: Do not call me Ed. My name is Edwin. You had better have a good reason for calling me here and wasting my time.

Me: I just want to introduce you to the masses, you should lighten up a bit. What, had another argument with your wife?

Edwin: My personal life is none of your concern. It is true that Elizabeth is dim-witted and an eyesore, and her money is the only thing that  compels me to share a roof with her, but I still refuse to divulge any information regarding our comings and goings.

Me: You actually told me more than I need to know.

Edwin: Are we done then? I have other matters to attend to. People rely on me to get them to different places, whereas you… what is it you do?

Me: I created you, so you will sit here and give me a few minutes of your time.

Edwin: I do not appreciate your tone. You may want to think carefully about what you say to me. Many a person has wished they could take back their words after I dealt with them.

Me: You don’t scare me, Ed. You may talk big, but I know that right now you’re in a tight spot and in no position to make any threats. How’s your business coming along, by the way? I saw one of your ships in Angel Wharf this afternoon… looks like it’s starting to collect some dust. Won’t your father be proud when he sees it? Won’t he be proud when he knows what you’ve been doing in the shadows?

Edwin: Don’t bring my father into this, you insolent little girl.  Or talk about things you know nothing of, for that matter. That old man is dead and Westlock Industries is mine now, and I am free to run it the way I wish, and I will not have someone like you lecturing me about the error of my ways. If I wanted to thieve and kill my way to the top, then believe me I shall, and nothing anyone does can stop me. And since you refuse to remove yourself from my sight, I will now bid you farewell and good riddance.

—

A bundle of sunshine, isn’t he? He’s been more twitchy than usual, and stupid as she may be, I think Mrs. Westlock has slowly started to realise that her precious Edwin didn’t marry her for love and now he has been forced to pretend all over again. Plus, he gets absolutely furious when anybody talks about his father; he’s not fond of him you see, and – though he won’t admit it – feels inferior when compared with him. That said, Edwin is quite easily agitated, it’s just a matter of knowing which of his buttons you should press.

I didn’t draw inspiration from any specific source; Edwin is just the bad boy of corporations who will stop at nothing in order to maintain his financial security and social status, and these are of course abundant in our societies.

As with the previous three characters, I have here with me some of the earlier versions of Edwin Westlock. Sadly, we do not have any 3D art for him yet.

We were still deciding just how evil we want to make him appear.

A sketch of Edwin and a final draft! We decided to make his leg piece – a result of a particularly violent brawl – a little more elegant. =D