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Who's Eryssel?

Even though I decided to start exploring the world of RPG's and D&D a year and a half ago, I've had a very specific character in my mind ever since I was a child.

She was inspired by all the fantasy tropes and ideas I grew up with and which I particularly liked. She was strong, courageous, and knew how to use a bow and arrows. She had no name, but that didn't stop her from being my ideal heroine.

She sort of acquired a more defined form through video games, and even through music. But, it wasn't until I came across with paper and pen role-playing games that she obtained a defined identity.
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Updated portrait, more info here
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The first time I sat down to create my own D&D 5e character, I knew it had to be her. After reading and watching a fair amount of guides and tutorials, some very specific elements such as race and class started to make sense. She was not entirely human. Her abilities had this je-ne-sais-quoi that resonated well with the traits of an elf... However, she was no elf! Aha! The realization came to me: she was half-elf. But, why? Where did she come from? How do half-elves come into existence?

Also, her above average dexterity explained why she liked using the bow as her weapon of choice. It made perfect sense for her to be an archer of some sort... or a ranger! That's it, I liked that. She's a ranger! And although she's civilized and well educated, she loved nature. In fact, she liked to spend more time in the woods than in cities. However, I noticed that whenever I took her general concept to OSR games or other RPGs that do not have rangers, she fell into the category of a fighter, thus receiving new skills. But... what's her name again?

Mmm... a name. I wanted it to be memorable, and somewhat related to what she liked, so I used google. I liked name generators, but I also liked Tolkien. I then searched for a Tolkien-ish name. Elven names perhaps? Yes. And they must speak of forests and trees! Oh, and found it! There was this name, Eryssel, made of eryn (woods) and sell (daughter, maiden or girl). She was the daughter of the woods! I loved it! Yes, that was her name: Eryssel.
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My set of characters so far. It's been a really interesting creative process. Eryssel is the second one from left to right.
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And, that's how she came to be! Of course, she has an entire background which I have been working on little by little, including also other characters and details. Pen and paper RPG's have transformed her from a vague idea, into her own self. She's the character I always bring along to different systems and adventures, which is why I've decided to call this blog Eryssel's Journey. So, there you go. That's Eryssel!
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 These two portraits were done using Artbreeder. 
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UPDATE (Jan 2021): I've added two new portraits of how Eryssel would look like. To this day, I consider these two images to be the ultimate representation of her looks. As more tools and technologies become available, it's easier to bring character concepts to life. I definitely recommend checking out Artbreeder; however, keep in mind that the entire process may be somewhat time-consuming as you refine the formula to get the image you've first envisioned.
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