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Billie-Bonce — The Cossack: character design

#cossack #characterdesign
Published: 2011-02-07 00:20:05 +0000 UTC; Views: 14577; Favourites: 23; Downloads: 329
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Description The character designed for the Fantasy World of Aiers [link] . Visit for more info.

Name: Levko Nepyipyvo
Race: Human, Caucasian.
Age: 32
Height: 180 cm
Skills: Skilled warrior. Handyman. Poet and Musician.

Some details
Levko Nepyipyvo insists that he is an descendant of an old noble Ukrainian Cossack family. The legend tells that his grand-grandfather was a real Ukrainian Cossack.

The grand-grandfather was taken prisoner in a battle, and as a slave he was a rower at a Turkish galley until he was liberated by pirates who attacked the galley. Then he joined the pirate command and have been to all the continents of the Earth. One day he visited an ancient temple in the mountains of South America. When he came out of the temple, he noticed strange changes around, but only two days later, when he met strange people with long pointy ears, he realized that he was transported to a different world. Nobody could show him the way back to the temple. Since then he and his descendants look for the temple that can bring them back to the Earth, but in vain.

Very likely, all this story was invented by that very grand-grandfather who just decided to follow the traditions which he discovered in an ancient book. But Levko really tries to find that temple. He persistently looks for somebody who may know the way. With this purpose, he time to time visits a slave market and buys exotic slaves that were brought from faraway places.

Perhaps, search for the temple is not his only purpose, because he always buys pretty girls, mostly elven. Funny thing, but despite his experience in dealing with crafty traders, he always goofs. All the girls sold to him by dwarfs never had those skills and knowledge which he expected. But surprisingly they usually proved to be nice, kind, and sexy.

As the Ukrainian Cossack, Levko is an orthodox Christian. He believes that his worst enemies are Muslims and Catholics (however, he is able to deal with them peacefully). He realizes the danger that the Orcs cause, but he considers them as animals, like wolves or hyenas. He likes various races of elves (especially girls), but he have never seen drows yet.

With his first slave girl he went to the Orthodox priest to baptize her, but the priest angrily refused. He also said that Levko will never get blessing to marry an elf girl. Levko was very upset, but he didn't refused to live with the elf girl. And since Levko was already a sinner, he decided that he may go further and live with more than one elf girls. What he continues to do.

He is very gentle with girls, and they are happy to stay in his house for awhile. Then he simply lets the girl go if she asks him, and soon he goes at the slave market again. Usually the girls leave his house with a great skills of traditional Ukrainian embroidery of shirts, towels and tablecloths, and with great experience of cooking Ukrainian food and drinking Ukrainian liquors.

Levko is a good warrior, he used to be a mercenary, and he keeps himself in a good shape. He says that he learned from Saracens, but it doesn't seem to be the truth. Also Levko knows some crafts, like wood carving. He has a small farm where he fattens hogs and geese. Being aware of possible attacks of orcs, he dug the long tunnel with several hidden exits to escape from his house in case of danger.

His surname literally means "Don't Drink Beer", but in fact he drinks beer, and Ukrainian vodka (horilka) with pepper, and cherry cordial. After drinking, he may take a pandora (traditional musical instrument of the Cossacs) and sing long sad ballads. He has a great voice, and he himself composes his ballads.

Maybe I have forgotten something about him... Then I'll tell it later.
Related content
Comments: 64

Billie-Bonce In reply to ??? [2011-02-09 13:22:25 +0000 UTC]

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Ferrabra In reply to ??? [2011-02-07 06:25:53 +0000 UTC]

Hidden by Commenter

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Billie-Bonce In reply to Ferrabra [2011-02-07 09:06:24 +0000 UTC]

I thought about this character for a long time.

Don't be tricked by his tales - it's very likely that he invented his "family legend" himself. He really has an ancient book about the Cossacks, and he builds his life in accordance with the book. He insists that he speaks Ukrainian, but since nobody around knows Ukrainian, nobody can charge him in lies.

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Ferrabra In reply to Billie-Bonce [2011-02-07 10:01:51 +0000 UTC]

Hidden by Commenter

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Billie-Bonce In reply to Ferrabra [2011-02-07 11:02:05 +0000 UTC]

Да-да, это эпично!

Посмотрим, как его использует Алекс "Шабазик". Где-то в дебрях его галереи я уже видел казака, и как он мне написал, в его мире казаки обитают давно, и активно воюют с тамошними аналогами турок, татар и поляков. Так что он адаптирует образ под "реалии" его мира. Представление о казаках (правда, не о запорожцах) у него вполне адекватное - он читал "Тихий Дон"! Вообще я не устаю поражаться тому, насколько широко и глубоко он продумывает свой мир...

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Ferrabra In reply to Billie-Bonce [2011-02-07 11:48:54 +0000 UTC]

Hidden by Commenter

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Billie-Bonce In reply to Ferrabra [2011-02-07 12:52:45 +0000 UTC]

Да, взаимное обогащение - это одно, а эклектика - уже совсем другое.

У меня знакомство с фэнтези произошло недавно, и совсем не с того конца. О Толкиене я узнал всего лет десять назад, да так и не читал. В основанные на фэнтези компьютерные игры я тоже не играл. А вот научную фантастику обожаю с детства. Мне всегда импонировала возможность создания серьезной философской притчи или жесткой сатиры на безобидном технократическом фоне. Я, можно сказать, фанат Стругацких.

Поэтому у меня и возникла идея - пусть эльфы в роли DID побарахтаются в простом SF сюжете.

Из тех, кто здесь на dA хорошо и с юмором обыгрывает темы фэнтези и традиционных ролевых игр, не могу не назвать Например, вот это чудо: [link] . Обожаю его вебкомикс [link] (который, к сожалению, долго простоял на "запасном пути", но похоже уже вновь поехал Как он сам пишет про этот комикс, "The adventures of Bree Starval, a lone elf versus a dungeon full of cliché. Not for the easily offended."

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Ferrabra In reply to Billie-Bonce [2011-02-07 13:17:14 +0000 UTC]

Hidden by Commenter

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Shabazik In reply to Ferrabra [2011-02-09 00:55:56 +0000 UTC]

(after using google translator

XD)

I only wanted to say that you don't need to worry for me mixing fantasy and sci-fi!

X3

my world go progressing, and after a single moment of messing things around (but who is explained "in-world" as a legendary situation, not science fiction: The Technology of the new humans and their own nuclear destruction become the magic of "tekkno-loki" and the "Bright Light of death" X3)

After that, never the science-fiction mix with fantasy, but the medieval fantasy slowly turn into modern fantasy, industrial human world, and finally post-industrial human world, and space age sci fi

XD

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Billie-Bonce In reply to Shabazik [2011-02-09 12:46:10 +0000 UTC]

The Google translator has peculiarities. Say, it translates from Russian to Spanish through English. I've noticed some errors that could be caused only by such way of translation. Yes, it is a great tool to make communication of people from different parts of the world possible. But be careful with it!

The good example of Google Translate bugs: The sentence "They have stolen my wallet!" was translated into Chinese as "I have stolen their wallet!" Don't use Google translator when dealing with the police!

So, you have translated, and did you noticed the mentioning of brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky [link] , whom both I and appreciate as the best Sci-Fi writers ever? I recommend! Haven't seen their books in Spanish, but some very good books are available in English in good authorized translation - for free. Also, as I know, their books were translated into German, too.

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Shabazik In reply to Billie-Bonce [2011-02-09 16:10:45 +0000 UTC]

XD

How changes things with Google translator!

I haven't hear of these autors... I should see if I find them!

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Billie-Bonce In reply to Shabazik [2011-02-09 19:29:40 +0000 UTC]

[link] in English

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Shabazik In reply to Billie-Bonce [2011-02-09 21:00:12 +0000 UTC]

thanks! X3

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Ferrabra In reply to Shabazik [2011-02-09 08:52:06 +0000 UTC]

Dear Alex, believe me, I have personally faced with the problem of a combination of SF & F. Me with great difficulty managed to find a harmonious combination of these components. I understand how you care your world, but I'm sure you will be able to make this world better than it is now.

Do you have a magnificent achievement. You well know how to show even the secondary and tertiary characters. You follow the necessary measure in the image of eroticism, which is very important. Battle scenes and heroics you are very strong. Finally, your characters are depicted so that they can fall in love I think you will achieve this perfection.

It took me several years to learn to see the excess in their own writings. It happens to everyone who wants to become a master.

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Shabazik In reply to Ferrabra [2011-02-09 16:10:09 +0000 UTC]

well: many thanks! X3

I will try to keep making better my world!

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larqven [2011-02-07 03:05:18 +0000 UTC]

A nice character design and backstory! Nice bright colors and intricate design on his shirt collar!

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Billie-Bonce In reply to larqven [2011-02-07 08:49:49 +0000 UTC]

Thank you! I used a photo of real shirt as a reference. Embroidery is a very traditional craft in Ukraine.

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larqven In reply to Billie-Bonce [2011-02-07 16:54:53 +0000 UTC]

You're welcome! It was very complex, and must have taken some effort to color in. You also kept the design stable and even!

Since humans are basically 'aliens' from earth, maybe 'everything you wanted to know about Cossacks' was on a data storage device? The information might have been created in hard copy following whatever nuclear war or whatever took place between humans colonizing Aeirs? That information may have later been copied into a vellum bound book that was passed down to Levko in his family, or he found it and took it to heart?

The whole 'portal' part of the story may have been embellishment, or a heroic metaphor created to explain the essential fact that "we are aliens here, and must not lose our identity!" Cultures and religions from earth have managed to survive and have even been revivified in ways both good and wrong. Clearly, many of the cultures have had a direction in guiding them towards the societies that they emulate--Levko may have a peice of the 'guiding manuals' that allowed that to happen.

If he trains his slaves to cook, bake and embroider as per his book, he is still spreading the Ukranian culture. Albeit, it may be a tribe of elven and half-elven folk who might have a Ukranian culture many years into the future!

Maybe the 'treasure' in the temple is another peice of human reference data? What if it was 'info-genie', an artificial intelligence that can answer many questions and give much data--albeit, there is now a massive difference in the frame of reference and maybe even language that Levko speaks?

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Billie-Bonce In reply to larqven [2011-02-08 11:18:26 +0000 UTC]

Let's see what would do with it. I just gave a bunch of ideas.

All that started from the picture of the slave market with the drow trio on sale. I thought, what if a Cossack walks between the dwarfs and looks for a certain slave elf? Of course, the dwarf trader would easily fool him and sell him something inadequate! That was the starting point

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larqven In reply to Billie-Bonce [2011-02-08 20:10:38 +0000 UTC]

Wow! You did have the idea for quite some time now! XD

That may have been the pic that started it all for me! I spent some time looking at Shabazik's gallery to be sure!

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Billie-Bonce In reply to larqven [2011-02-08 21:08:16 +0000 UTC]

It was the pic that started it all for me as well! And I found it by the colored pic done by

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Shabazik [2011-02-07 00:58:22 +0000 UTC]

X3

I like him, and I may not use his whole "back-story" to make him fist better in my world, but I do have a cossack human nation X3

But due the distortion of the language with generations, they call themselves Kossak X3

But they appear pretty late, after the Dark Age of Demons :3

... and the Kossak, after the "fantasy age" had as well their sometimes difficult history with Baziks (generic name for muslim, as saracen), Torcs (you can suppose from who they descend XD) and the Slovs nations Orthodox from the north and catholic from the west XD

...and finally in my Space Age they where part of the EUS (United Spotzen States), and latter, they own space "kossak" nation. XD

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Billie-Bonce In reply to Shabazik [2011-02-07 08:58:01 +0000 UTC]

Wow, great! I always suspected that Levko invented his "family legend" exclusively for the purpose of seducing cute elven girls. He likes them.

But the truth is that he was more than once tricked by unfair traders when he tried to buy a slave who can work for him as a guide to some unknown region. No one of those whom he bought were familiar with that region...

Maybe he says that he is looking for the temple, but in fact he is looking for the buried treasure?

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Shabazik In reply to Billie-Bonce [2011-02-07 13:21:05 +0000 UTC]

Yay! Treasure under the Temple! XD

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Blades-123 In reply to ??? [2011-02-07 00:44:03 +0000 UTC]

Excellent character!

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Billie-Bonce In reply to Blades-123 [2011-02-07 08:58:12 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!

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