Introducing Vilm!
Queue the Super Smash Bros sound effect…
New Artist Approaching
I’m so excited to introduce you to the work of Vilm, the second of two character artists we have working on Ampliterra: Echoes of the Rift. Ampliterra has over 75 characters for you and your players to meet spread out through its 26 settlements. 23 of those characters are illustrated, 9 of which Vilm brought to life.
Here’s a bit more about Vilm!
Vilm has a wonderful style that fits Ampliterra so well. They have a real knack for drawing very expressive characters that have so much personality and charm. Their use of rich colors and soft textures also really makes their work stand out to me.
Meet Bluva Vazorwyn, the Head of Taotuma
Of course, I’m not just going to intro Vilm without showing you some of their beautiful work! This is one of my favorite illustrations they did for us depicting Bluva Vazorwyn, the Head of Taotuma.
Built into the dense jungle of an island in the Atolón Archipelago, Taotuma is a city torn between the past and the future. The original home of the city was Tuma in the Jidoa Wilds on Oceros, but was displaced when the intense fighting of the Abiding Conflict between Ceshad and Aspela forced them to flee.
Today, the elders of the city still remember what Tuma once was and hope to return once the fighting ends to rebuild. The newer generation, though, is determined to build a future for themselves that isn’t tethered to their ancestral home.
Standing in between these competing factions is Bluva. Bluva loved growing up in Tuma. She and her friends would spend their days running among the towering trees of the Jidoa Wilds, snacking on wild berries, and chasing each other from treehouse to treehouse. It wasn’t until her early twenties that she heard rumors of conflict breaking out between her city’s two neighbors. She didn’t think much of it.
That changed when the Abiding Conflict erupted into a full-scale war. Tuma had never created much in the way of a self-defense force and they were quickly overwhelmed by the two armies. Bluva vividly remembers the day Tuma fell. The sights and sounds of arcane blasts shrieking through the air, her home on fire, and running with her family to the Nottrie Waters play repeatedly in her mind’s eye.
When Bluva and her family finally landed at what would soon become Taotuma, Bluva helped the survivors process their grief and channel it into rebuilding. She was quickly chosen as leader and has been in charge of the city’s affairs ever since. While she is deeply proud of what her people have achieved on the island, she looks forward to being able to resettle on Oceros once the Abiding Conflict has ended. As she nears her 400th birthday, it is looking increasingly certain that it won’t happen in her lifetime.
Vilm’s illustration beautifully captures a woman who has lived a long life full of difficult trials, but has persevered through it all and never lost hope for a better life for her people.
That’s all for now - until next time!
Austin
