Aneva Ashworthy – halfling open hand monk
The challenge for this project was putting Aneva in profile, since the picture in my head wanted her looking out to sea and I didn’t figure her backside would be very interesting. Considering how much repurposing and frankensteining usually needs to be done to produce a side view, it wasn’t all that tough. MVP goes to that half-tabard that has the perfect contour for a tucked-in shirt when you shrink it down. The biggest issue turned out to be the fact that there are no bare feet with the big toe on the side away from the viewer. So I made my own left foot out of a boot and some lines, and it only looks slightly derpy. I like how the setting came out quite a bit, and I’m glad I decided to go through with adding the random dude walking by for a sense of scale (and I think it kind of highlights how isolated Aneva is even in the midst of civilization).
Aneva was always fascinated by tales of lands abroad, and when she came of age she embarked on a sea journey to see as much of the world as she could before she returned home to settle down. While initially more of a passenger than a sailor, she gradually took a larger role in working on the ship and was eventually accepted as a member of the crew. She spent four years as a sailor before she was shipwrecked on a deserted island, the only survivor among her crew.
She did her practical best to survive on her own, but her lack of combat experience was a disadvantage when dealing with the wild animals that seemed to consider her a tasty morsel worthy of contant attention. Everything changed when she discovered the ruins of an old temple located in the deepest parts of the island. The deserted and dilapidated temple had clearly once been a thriving place of study and training for a group of monks, and fortunately they had left behind enough of their legacy for Aneva to begin studying and learning their vocation. As she gained a rudimentary understanding of their techniques, she found an inner resolve and physical strength that were more than a match for the island’s predators.
For nearly 12 years Aneva lived in solitude, making the best of her situation and taking solace in her meditation and training. When she was finally rescued, she returned to a society that was at once familiar and foreign. Although initially intending to return home, she found that she wasn’t quite ready to turn her back on the path that the previous 12 years had set her on. She missed the tranquility and feeling of mastery she had experienced at the temple, and she was sure that there was so much more that she could learn and become if she could find the right guidance. And so now she travels in search of clues that might lead her to a greater understanding, and uses her skills for good by helping whomever she can along the way.
