Yay characters! Karu is still my favorite, even if I did get the humans kinda close to matching his style. And the lion demon is cool too.
And at least I actually spent time on these backgrounds, even if I still suck at 'em.
As for the story behind these, here's how it goes:Paye is a young man who lives in a nomadic herding tribe in Africa, content to do his part as a member of his tribe. His best friend and pet is a perky little cheetah named Karu, raised from cubhood. His people allow this, but are not entirely happy with the arrangement – after all, cheetahs are predators and known to hunt the flocks the tribe survives on.
The time comes to move the herds to better grazing ground, but soon afterward, some of the livestock starts disappearing… two or three animals a night. By themselves they aren’t great tragedies, but things like this add up fast and the tribe depends on their herds for survival. It isn’t long before Paye is approached by the chief (Kitok), who tells him the tribe blames Karu for the lost animals and that he’s got to go. Paye refuses, and while Kitok is sympathetic, his hands are tied. The only way Paye can take the blame off his pet is to prove that something else has been killing their herd animals. And thus begins his journey… where he finds that there is in fact a witch at fault. Her name is Imamba and she can summon animal demons, using them to possess predators which she sics on the herd.
Paye demands to know why she is attacking his people - she claims this part of the grasslands as her own and is infuriated that the nomadic tribe has brought their herds to graze here. Paye tries to reason with her, saying that the earth belongs to no one person. The argument escalates until Paye loses his cool, threatening Imamba with war, now that he knows where she lives… she will have none of this and possesses Karu with a demon. The climax of the story, then, is Paye’s moment of decision – he has to figure out how to avoid getting killed and save his tribe’s livelihood… without having to hurt his beloved friend.
BIOGRAPHIES:
Paye (hero) – young warrior, generally helpful to his people and gentle to Karu. He’s a decent enough sort, but not excessively mild and definitely not a pushover. He also has the tendency to get a little arrogant and will definitely become belligerent if pressed. His threat to the witch is an example of this, and he immediately regrets it when she reacts on his feline friend. Despite his faults, Paye’s heart is in the right place and he’s up to any challenge if it’s for a noble cause.
Karu (comic sidekick)– two-year-old cheetah and Paye’s constant companion. If cheetahs had middle names, Karu’s would probably be “Fun.” He loves to play and hunt for his master, and doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. As he is an animal, Karu never speaks in a human tongue, but as many pet owners are, Paye is familiar with Karu’s grunts, trills, growls, and chirps… and can interpret his general emotions well enough. Not like Karu makes it hard to begin with.
Kitok (misc: mentor figure)– The chief of Paye’s tribe. He is a just man with some eccentricities, but all in all a strong and wise leader for his people. He has nothing against Karu and probably doesn’t think he’s responsible for the livestock deaths, but he has to be concerned with the wishes of his tribe as a whole. After all, he plays no favorites.
Imamba (villain)– a solitary woman who needs nobody to get along just fine. Imamba found her own tribe life as a young girl trying and was probably hurt by someone in those early days, souring her views of community life. She has a very strong sense of pride and is quick to squish those who bruise it or try her patience otherwise. The demons are merely her weapons against those that would invade her personal space, and also her way of hunting food without a tribe to support her.
The time comes to move the herds to better grazing ground, but soon afterward, some of the livestock starts disappearing… two or three animals a night. By themselves they aren’t great tragedies, but things like this add up fast and the tribe depends on their herds for survival. It isn’t long before Paye is approached by the chief (Kitok), who tells him the tribe blames Karu for the lost animals and that he’s got to go. Paye refuses, and while Kitok is sympathetic, his hands are tied. The only way Paye can take the blame off his pet is to prove that something else has been killing their herd animals. And thus begins his journey… where he finds that there is in fact a witch at fault. Her name is Imamba and she can summon animal demons, using them to possess predators which she sics on the herd.
Paye demands to know why she is attacking his people - she claims this part of the grasslands as her own and is infuriated that the nomadic tribe has brought their herds to graze here. Paye tries to reason with her, saying that the earth belongs to no one person. The argument escalates until Paye loses his cool, threatening Imamba with war, now that he knows where she lives… she will have none of this and possesses Karu with a demon. The climax of the story, then, is Paye’s moment of decision – he has to figure out how to avoid getting killed and save his tribe’s livelihood… without having to hurt his beloved friend.
BIOGRAPHIES:
Paye (hero) – young warrior, generally helpful to his people and gentle to Karu. He’s a decent enough sort, but not excessively mild and definitely not a pushover. He also has the tendency to get a little arrogant and will definitely become belligerent if pressed. His threat to the witch is an example of this, and he immediately regrets it when she reacts on his feline friend. Despite his faults, Paye’s heart is in the right place and he’s up to any challenge if it’s for a noble cause.
Karu (comic sidekick)– two-year-old cheetah and Paye’s constant companion. If cheetahs had middle names, Karu’s would probably be “Fun.” He loves to play and hunt for his master, and doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. As he is an animal, Karu never speaks in a human tongue, but as many pet owners are, Paye is familiar with Karu’s grunts, trills, growls, and chirps… and can interpret his general emotions well enough. Not like Karu makes it hard to begin with.
Kitok (misc: mentor figure)– The chief of Paye’s tribe. He is a just man with some eccentricities, but all in all a strong and wise leader for his people. He has nothing against Karu and probably doesn’t think he’s responsible for the livestock deaths, but he has to be concerned with the wishes of his tribe as a whole. After all, he plays no favorites.
Imamba (villain)– a solitary woman who needs nobody to get along just fine. Imamba found her own tribe life as a young girl trying and was probably hurt by someone in those early days, souring her views of community life. She has a very strong sense of pride and is quick to squish those who bruise it or try her patience otherwise. The demons are merely her weapons against those that would invade her personal space, and also her way of hunting food without a tribe to support her.
Hisk and other baddies 
Then I went back and used photo reference for these to get a feel for how the real animals are built... then I could see how much of that could be retained in an anthropomorphic design.
...and then finished it up with some architectural/conceptual notes.
