WORLD OF AEDERERA
My passion project about mages who sacrifice parts of themselves in order to gain power, Aederera is the name of the world in which the story takes place. It follows the witch apprentice, Yishan of Jubo, who has lost her ability to speak and her mysterious mentor, Gewyir the Farseer of Summerforte, who suddenly disappeared 15 years ago into woods that can no longer be entered.
A fledging sorceress from a small, hardly remembered village in Lower Madgip, it was a surprise to no one when Yishan successfully passed her Divine Trial and committed her first sacrifice to the Gods. However, upon giving up her voice, she was unable to communicate telepathy as all other mages do. After puzzling even the village elder, Yishan set off to find a mage of substantial power to help her regain her voice.
Once a great monk of The Sanctum of Edrelaris, many believed that Gewyir, the Farseer of Summerforte, could ascend to be one of the youngest Gallandwell Sages if she so chose to. However before that time could arrive, she suddenly disappeared in the forest where she lived. Even more puzzling was the strange, magicless curse the befell over the woods, confusing those that entered before the emerged without memory a few days later. It will be 15 years before Gewyir is seen again by those who knew her back then, though she is hardly the same.
A pursuer of knowledge, Einar joined the monks of Edrelaris to experience first hand their teachings and methods, intending to leave when he was satisfied. There he met Gewyir, where they became the closest of friends—even closer still as "Uncle Einar" to her daughter. In adulthood he received a scholarly position in the capital and, sure Gewyir would soon follow, went ahead with promise of keeping in regular contact. It was not long after that she and her daughter disappeared. He returned to Summerforte to join the search for them, but eventually came to the bitter conclusion that they succumbed to strange curse over the forest.
The focus of these illustrations and sketches were character interactions and exploring the before of Gewyir's disappearance. A large part of her character and what she represents is a great loss and how it weighs on her and affects her life. I wanted to better understand what exactly is she mourning and what fragments of her past she encounter to cause change in her that hasn't happened in her isolation.
