And now for something completely different – my first painting of 2020! Seeing The Witcher adapted into a tv series on Netflix re-ignited my old love for this fantasy world, so I thought I’d take a break with my own fan homage. I couldn’t resist hopping on the Witcher OC bandwagon with a Witcher concept of my own – a Witcher of Ofir!
Ofir is a country south of Nilfgaard consisting of numerous desert tribes and kingdoms united under a Malliq. It is a land of great cities said to be even more grand than those of Nilfgaard.
This gal is from the Ofieri School of the Cobra (a school of my own creation), who train Witchers in alchemy, oils, and poisons made to fight monsters.
I don’t have a name for this gal yet, as she was very much a spur of the moment inspiration! I get the sense that she’s:
- Extremely sarcastic
- Casually talks about horrible things
- Very picky about what poisons go into her body
Comment with your suggestions!
The Witchers of Ofir
DISCLAIMER! This is a fan concept for how Witchers might operate in Ofir. It is not canon and I have not read all of the novels yet, just the first three, so there may be other obscure lore of Ofir I might have missed.
The Witchers of Ofir are not feared as their counterparts in the Northern Realms, but are revered as experts. However, royal decree states that only a certain number of Witchers may exist at any one time, the Malliq’s subtle population control of these powerful beings. When one falls, another is chosen from among volunteers to take their place.
Witchers of Ofir undergo their own unique Trial of the Grasses which is said to be the origin of the techniques used in the Northern Realms and lauded to be superior, resulting in more powerful mutations with less side effects and lethality to the subjects of the Trial.
Witcher Gear
Ofieri Witchers also do not use medallions to detect magic, but rather sense it through the markings tattooed on their faces, which also identify their School of origin. Created with infused dyes, these tattoos grow warm and tingle in the presence of magic and are iridescent in appearance.
Ofir is the homeland of masterful Runewright mages who have perfected the technique of enhancing the properties of blades with runic symbols. The Witchers of Ofir benefit from this talent, each individual granted a unique weapon imbued with runes upon their initiation and survival of the Trial of the Grasses.
Work-in-Progress Pics
I created this image in Photoshop with an experimental method of using multiple adjustment layers and effects. I’ll be uploading a wallpaper pack featuring this gal for all of my Patrons, plus a PSD for my $5 and up Patrons to study and enjoy!
References for Ofir from the world of The Witcher. Including the Witcher comic “Of Flesh and Flame”, the Witcher 3 video game, and excellent swordcraft of Kaer Morhen Forge.
Exploratory sketching. I dropped the hood so she would read less like an Assassin’s Creed character.
Trying out different hairstyles. I chose the style she ended up with since it reminded me of the cowl of a cobra, which is symbolic of her school. I imagine she could also use the silver hair thong as a garrote in a pinch as well!
Final line art.
Completed color flats.
A collage of all the details I spent entirely too long on.
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I’ve been missing doing more traditional dark fantasy work, so this was a nice break from my usual art mode.
And now back to our regularly scheduled program of whimsical Art Nouveau ladies! I hope you enjoyed this brief diversion into my geek love.
♥ Ang