top of page

CHARACTERS

LAMENT takes place in a world that had already been brought to its knees by war, plague, famine and the Undead Curse. When the Great Fog that collapsed the age of Antiquity rolled across the land, it delivered the final blow that shattered what remained of civilization. The Divine has seemingly fallen silent to the prayers of men, leaving those left to wonder if they have truly been abandoned. Now scattered survivors and Ventours scavenge the remains of crumbling kingdoms, where the deepest and most forsaken places crawl with horrors twisted by the Fog.

 

These characters inhabit the grim, dying world of LAMENT, where desperation often outweighs conviction and survival demands unlikely alliances. Though some would be bitter enemies under ordinary circumstances, the apocalyptic events of LAMENT force them to set aside old grudges and endure one another against the darkness.

​

Many of these characters belong to a class of people known as Ventours. A Ventour is a legally recognized free agent, licensed to travel, bear arms, and undertake dangerous work beyond the obligations of feudal service. Answering to no lord or monarch in particular, they earn their living through contracts, bounties, exploration, and the destruction of the world's many threats. Though protected by law, they are often viewed with suspicion and mistrust, and any who violate the law risk having their Ventour status revoked, forfeiting its privileges and facing justice as ordinary criminals, or, in the gravest cases, outlaws. Ventourship is a special legal status, not a birthright or profession, so many different people from all walks of life may choose to become one in search of adventure.

​

Obviously it would be impossible to list every single character I've ever drawn here, so this page is reserved for the few that have titles, and the fewer still that are given names. The intent behind this is to provide world lore in a similar way to Dark Souls, where information is shared and learned through item descriptions rather than an encyclopedia. You can look at these characters as a sort of "adventuring party" who delve into dungeons and have adventures throughout the foggy and undead-riddled world of LAMENT.

​

These characters are in no particular order.

THE RELIQUARY PILGRIM

Reliquary Pilgrim.png
GEAR:

  • Reliquary Shrine

  • Pilgrim's Hat

  • Pilgrimage Badges

  • Pilgrim's Staff with Lantern

  • Dagged Red Hooded Cloak

  • Blue Coat

  • Green Hose with Brown Socks

  • Turnshoes

  • Hunting Sword

  • Pilgrim Bag with camp equipment & food

  • Leather Pouch

  • Lockbox

  • Pattens​

​

Lockbox

The indulgences carried by the Reliquary Pilgrim are written letters bearing the authority of the Pope. They grant a remission of the temporal punishment due for sins already forgiven, lessening the soul's suffering in Purgatory. They are neither a pardon for sin nor a guarantee of salvation, but a spiritual benefit bestowed upon the faithful under the authority of the Diurnist Church and given in return for alms.

Background

A devout and loyal follower of the Church of the Divine Diurnity, this pilgrim is charged with the duty of acting as mobile reliquary shrine. It is a form of penance, either for his own sins, or in an act of selfless courage, for the sins of others. The Pilgrim carries a heavy reliquary wayshrine on his back, an ornate and lavishly decorated box containing a holy relic which people may pray at. Dangling from the side is a lockbox containing alms and a few indulgences signed by the Pope. He carries a pilgrim staff, on which a lantern dangles from the hook. A pilgrim hat sits atop his greying head, adorned with various pilgrim badges from holy sites he's been to and pilgrimages he's been on.

​

Place of Origin: Cobhamshire in the Kingdom of Albelond

Character Archetype: Support, Buffs, Rerolls

​

Also Known as: The Pilgrim, Pardoner, Shrineback, Wayshriner, or Reliquarian

THE BELL CLERIC

GEAR:

  • Bell Cleric Hood​

  • Blue Cloak

  • Blue Sleeveless Surcote

  • Yellow Dress

  • Diurnist Scapular

  • White Gloves

  • White Hose

  • Blue Turnshoes

  • Pattens

  • Leather Pouch

  • Arming Sword

  • Lantern

  • Severance Bell

​

Severance Bell

A consecrated hand bell carried by Bell Clerics and other servants of the Church. Though fashioned by mortal hands and imperfect compared to the lost bells of the angels, its toll carries enough divine grace to be used in the rite Divine Severance, loosening the soul's bond from its body and granting the faithful passage to Purgatory. Its efficacy depends upon the purity of its consecration and the patience of the one who rings it.

Background

The Bell Clerics are a martial subsect within the Bell Bringers, a sacred order devoted to Divine Severance. They are healers, scholars, and wandering clergy who accompany bands of Ventours (adventurers) into the forgotten places of the world, tending the wounded and safeguarding the souls of the dead. Their foremost calling is the recovery of the lost Angelic Hand Bells (holy relics once carried by the angels themselves) and the performance of Divine Severance wherever it is needed.

 

Although trained to contend with the undead, Bell Clerics are not executioners. Their purpose is not simply to destroy the dead, but to free the souls bound within them. They are especially sought wherever ancient skeletons and long-forgotten dead stir, for these souls have remained imprisoned for centuries. Armed with consecrated Severance Bells forged by mortal hands, they seek to grant the final mercy denied to the restless until the lost angelic bells may one day be found again.

​

Place of Origin: The City of Fontregny in the Kingdom of Beaugencie

Character Archetype: Healer, Cleric, Support, Holy Magic​

​

Also Known as: Bell Bringer, Bell Bearer, Cleric

THE DESERTER

Deserter.PNG
GEAR:

  • Liripipe Hood​

  • Green Coat

  • Frayed Noose

  • Shortsword

  • Rondel Dagger

  • Broken Handaxe

  • Leather Pouch

  • Tattered Red Hose

​

Frayed Noose

Hanging is the fate reserved for cowards, deserters, and other oathbreakers. Yet among the faithful, an old belief endures: should the hangman's rope snap as the sentence is carried out, it is taken as a sign that the Divine has withheld judgment. To defy such a miracle is considered sacrilege, and the condemned is granted their life, for no law in the kingdoms of men may overrule the will of the divine.

Background

Granted a divine second chance at life, the Deserter wears the frayed noose around his neck as a reminder that his life is meant to mean something. Bereft of purpose, he drifts from town to town, guided by coin, opportunity, and open doors. He is no hero, and makes no pretense of honor. A rogue by nature, he fights dirty because clean fights get you killed. He kicks, bites, and steals when needed, treating locks as minor inconveniences rather than barriers to entry. When trouble comes, he slips through it with ease, always ahead of consequences and responsibility.

 

Still, beneath the grime and stolen coin, one question lingers: why did the Divine spare him when others were not. He claims not to care, but the noose ensures he never forgets. Until he finds an answer, or a distraction strong enough to silence it, he keeps searching.

​​

Place of Origin: The County of East Albia in the Kingdom of Albelond

Character Archetype: Rogue, Thief, Dirty Fighter

​

Also Known as: Rogue

THE LEPER

Leper.PNG
GEAR:

  • Tellerbarret​

  • Secret Helmet

  • Leper's Mask

  • Thrusting Sword

  • Leper Clapper

  • Slashed Wappenrock

  • Slashed Hosen

  • Soderlingen-Style Cuirass

  • Soderlingen-Style Gauntlet

  • Leper Hand Wrap

  • Leper Clapper

  • Checkered Sock

  • Red Bow Garters

​

Leper Clapper

A compulsory burden of those afflicted with leprosy, the clapper proclaims disease with every step. Its dry, hollow knock clears roads, empties streets, and warns the healthy to keep their distance. To fall silent is to invite ire from the authorities; to be heard is to be reminded that one is an outcast. The clapper wielded by the Leper is used as a focus implement and catalyst for casting heretical Rot magic.

Background

Once a capable mercenary, the Leper was stripped of his place in the world the day his affliction became known. Feared by strangers, abandoned by friends, and condemned to wander with nothing but the sound of his clapper for company, years of isolation hardened sorrow into bitterness and bitterness into hatred. In time, he abandoned the comfort of prayer and turned instead to forbidden arts, embracing heretical black magic to strengthen the sword arm that disease had begun to steal from him. Instead of rejecting the rot, he embraced it. Though his body continues to wither, his resentment only grows stronger, driving him ever onward in a world that has shown him neither mercy nor compassion.

​

Place of Origin: The Imperial Duchy of Soderlingen

Character Archetype: Heretic, Swordsman, Black Magic Caster

​

Also Known as: Heretic

THE ACCURSED

Laplynn.png
GEAR:

  • Arcane Ward (Atribyssal Magic Head Protection)

  • Bevor​

  • Tattered Cloak

  • Swordbelt

  • Broken Longsword

  • "Gothic" Cuirass from Bodenburg

  • "Gothic" Leg Harness from Bodenburg

  • "Gothic" Arm Harness from Bodenburg

  • "Gothic" Gauntlets from Bodenburg

  • Mail Brayette

  • Bandage Wraps

​

Broken Longsword

The steel of this sword was shattered by the torque of a powerful beast, leaving only its hilt and a fragment of its former blade. In its place burns a blade woven from darkness itself, as tangible as steel and far deadlier. Tiny black crosses creep endlessly across its guard, forever threatening to consume the weapon and the hand that wields it.

Background

Laplynn was lost to a mysterious alternate dimension known as the Atribyss, and by every account should have remained there. How long she endured within that sunless realm is impossible to know, for she refuses to speak of it, and whatever answers she may have brought back are kept closely guarded. She returned a cursed woman. Her once-brown hair turned white, her fingertips blackened, and countless tiny crosses sprout from beneath her skin, encrusting her body and armour like a coarse black hair. Each crystal-like formation of cursed black crosses must be painfully scraped away before they spread further and petrify her completely, leaving her arms and legs perpetually raw and bound in bloodied bandages.

 

Whatever happened within the Atribyss also left Laplynn with knowledge no living soul should possess. Shadow bends readily to her will, answering through strange and heretical magics unknown to even the most learned occultists. Whether these arts were discovered, taught, or forced upon her remains a mystery. Laplynn herself offers no explanation.

​

Place of Origin: Somewhere in the Southern Gottesreich or Northern Valeria

Character Archetype: Heretic, Atrabyssal Magic Caster, Longsword

​

Also Known as: The Lost, Laplynn the Lost, The Cursed

THE LUMINARY

GEAR:

  • Warding Nimbus (Holy Magic Head Protection)​

  • Mail Collar

  • Capelet

  • Painted Kastenbrust Cuirass Imported from Ludland

  • Painted Leg Harness from Ludland

  • Painted Gauntlets from Ludland

  • Belt Pouches

  • Bloody Handkerchief

  • Tuck (Sword)

  • Mail Skirt

​

Bloody Handkerchief

Stained red despite countless washings, this linen handkerchief bears the cost of every spell cast. Lady Élunia keeps it close at hand, for those who wield the magic of the Divine too freely soon find that faith has a way of drawing blood.

​

The body is governed by the Four Humors: Blood, Phlegm, Yellow Bile, and Black Bile. Every spell disturbs this delicate balance. Holy magic inflames the Blood, driving the body into a fevered excess that first manifests as flushed skin and persistent nosebleeds before worsening into more dangerous afflictions. Other schools of magic burden different humors in much the same way, and those who rely too heavily upon any one discipline inevitably pay the price in flesh and mind. Even the most practiced spellcaster cannot escape the limits of their own body.

Elunia.PNG

Background

Born to a minor noble house in Eastern Beaugencie, Lady Élunia abandoned the comforts of courtly life to become a Ventour and devote herself to the Church of the Divine Diurnity through adventure and skill at arms. She learned to channel holy magic as readily as steel, believing without hesitation that every wound suffered in the Divine's service was a privilege rather than a burden. Years of faithful service have left their mark upon her, however. Each holy spell she invokes stirs the Blood humor beyond its natural balance, and the familiar trickle from her nose has become as constant a companion as her prayers. Though she remains steadfast in her devotion, the silence of the Divine grows harder to ignore, and with each wretched undead slain she cannot help but wonder whether she serves a living deity, or merely the memory of one.

​

Place of Origin: The County of Tournelles in the Kingdom of Beaugencie

Character Archetype: Paladin, Spellsword, Holy Magic Caster

​

Also Known as: Lady Élunia

THE KNIGHT SEVERANT

Knight Flagellant.PNG
GEAR:

  • Helmet Crest​

  • Thorned Orle

  • Bloodied Bascinet

  • Albish Half Cuirass

  • Albish Arm Harness with Spikes

  • Albish Leg Harness with Spikes

  • Albish Gauntlets

  • Barbed Arming Sword

  • Barbed Rondel Dagger

  • Belt Pouches

  • Thorned Plaque Belt

​

Bloodied Bascinet

An Albish hounskull bascinet, its visor forever stained by blood that has seeped from the breaths and vision slits like foul runoff from a castle garderobe. An orle of thorns encircles the helm, biting deep into the steel and preventing the visor from ever being fully raised. This act of self-mortification embodies the doctrine of Inter Sollicitudines, by which the Knights Flagellant conceal their faces and identities, ensuring that neither their suffering nor their deeds bring glory to themselves, but only to the Divine.

Background

The Knights Flagellant are a militant penitential order of the Church of the Divine Diurnity devoted to the destruction of unholy forces and the protection of mankind from spiritual corruption. Wandering endlessly between plague villages, haunted ruins, battlefields, and monster-ridden wilderness, the order fights demons, undead, ghosts, monsters, heretics, and other manifestations of unresolved death and supernatural evil.

​

The order believes suffering possesses sacred value. Through acts of penance, self-mortification, prayer, fasting, and relentless service, the Knights Flagellant act as living indulgences for the sins of mankind. They reject comfort, wealth, and even absolution itself, believing their suffering may lessen the torment of souls in Purgatory. Because of this, the order is regarded with both reverence and discomfort by much of the faithful world.

​

Among the order exist specialized paths and disciplines. Most notable among these are the Knights Severant, brothers who dedicate themselves specifically to unresolved death and failed Divine Severance. Severants specialize in combatting the Undead and performing Divine Severance to the unfortunate souls. They work closely alongside Bell Clerics to rid the world of the Undead Plague.

​

Place of Origin: The County of Oxney in the Kingdom of Albelond

Character Archetype: Paladin, Flagellant, Holy Magic Caster

​

Also Known as: The Knight Flagellant, Sir Alistair

THE GRAVEWALKER

Gravewalker.PNG
GEAR:

  • Tellerbarret​

  • Pipe

  • Tattered Cloak

  • Tattered Waffenrock

  • Leather Gloves

  • Gravegun

  • Katzbalger Sword

  • Belt Pouch

  • Knitted Wool Hose

  • Garters

  • Cow-Mouth Shoes

  • Dog named "Grim"

​

Gravegun

The iconic tool of the trade of a Hunter-Sexton, these matchlock firearms are retrofitted with all manner of unusual bayonets. Forged from a special alloy known as Ossein Steel, the bladed weapons on the end of a Gravewalker's gun are designed specifically to combat the undead and put an end to their wretched existence.

Background

​A Gravewalker's path is one of exile. They are are outcasts, shunned by society yet vital in their selfless duty. They hunt undead in cemeteries, battlefields, and deadyards, preventing them from amassing into a larger threat. Though a crucial task, it’s an unending struggle that can never truly be won.

​

Place of Origin: The Imperial Duchy of Soderlingen

Character Archetype: Undead Slaying Specialist

​​

Also Known as: The Hunter-Sexton

THE LOANSWORD

Loansword.PNG
GEAR:

  • Straw Rōningasa​

  • Mino Rain Cape

  • Mino Rain Skirt

  • Rain Gourd

  • Obi Belt

  • Blue Kosode Shirt

  • Brown Hakama Pants

  • Borrowed Blade

  • Wakizashi

  • Shamisen

  • Waraji Shoes

  • Tabi Socks

  • Geta (Pattens)

​

Borrowed Blade

An uchigatana from a foggy land to the Far East, stripped of its regular fittings and kept instead in a plain wooden shirasaya. Sheathed, it resembles little more than a curved block of wood, until ringing steel is drawn from within. Its tang bears the swordsmith’s mark alongside the inscription of an executioner who once tested the blade:
“Three torsos cut through. One stroke.”

Background

​The Loansword came from a land now swallowed whole by the Great Fog, carrying little with her but a sword that was never hers to wield. How she escaped, to whom the blade belongs, and what became of those who entrusted it to her are questions she refuses to answer. Now impossibly far from home, she lends the borrowed blade to whatever cause will keep her moving.

​

Place of Origin: Unknown

Character Archetype: Samurai, Ninja​​

​

Also Known as: The Loan-Sword, The Loan Sword

THE IMPERIAL KNIGHT

Imperial Knight.PNG
GEAR:

  • Unit Leaders' Helmet Pennant​

  • Painted Sallet with Bevor

  • Shield

  • Pontish Sash

  • Over-Armour Coat

  • Brevian Field Harness

  • Brevian Gauntlets

  • Mail Skirt and Voiders

  • Arming Sword

  • Pollaxe

  • Spurs

  • Turnshoes

​

Pontish Sash

A scarlet wool bend worn diagonally across the torso with the livery badge of Pontz sewn on to signify allegiance to the faction. The alliance between Pontz and Brevia-Landau is old and strong, but few believe the relationship one of equals. To many, the Brevians are the hounds of Pontz, unleashed when the principality would rather not dirty its hands.

Background

The Imperial Knight hails from the lesser nobility of Brevia-Landau, though he has spent much of his life beneath the banners of Pontz. At five-and-twenty years of age, he has already outlived three wars and thrice as many companies. No longer bothering to learn the names of the men under his command, he expects obedience without question, courage without complaint, and considers any man who dies fulfilling his orders to have done precisely what was required of him. Anything less is cowardice.

​

Place of Origin: The Imperial Duchy of Brevia-Landau

Character Archetype: Knight, Tank, Commander

​

Also Known as: The Knight, The Hound of Pontz

THE FRIAR

The Friar.PNG
GEAR:

  • Tonsure​

  • Tattered Cowl

  • Friar's Habit

  • Diurnist Scapular

  • Pilgrim's Staff

  • Longsword

  • White Rope Cincture

  • Belt Pouch

  • Bollock Dagger

  • Prayer Beads

  • Sandals

​​

Diurnist Scapular

A devotional scapular of the Church of the Divine Diurnity, formed from two flat blocks of wood suspended over the chest and back. The foremost is carved with a radiant sun, while the other bears a moon, together representing the twofold nature of the Divine. It is worn openly as a sign of faith, obedience, and devotion to the Church.

Background

A Lobertine Friar from Piney who has spent much of his life walking the road north to Cobham Cathedral, tending to the sick and carrying the prayers of those unable to make the pilgrimage themselves. He has buried brigands, soldiers and pilgrims alike, and prays for each with equal sincerity. Years on the road have taught him to carry a sword beside his staff and to keep a wineskin close at hand, though these days he reaches for the blade far more often.

​

Place of Origin: The Shire of Pitney in the Kingdom of Albelond

Character Archetype: Monk, Drunkard​

​

Also Known as: The Monk, The Brownfriar

THE LANDSKNECHT

The Landsknecht.PNG
GEAR:

  • Tellerbarret​

  • Secret Helmet

  • Painted Soderlingen Field Harness

  • Captain's Sash

  • Zweihander Sword

  • Katzbalger Sword

  • Dagger

  • Mail Skirt

  • Slashed Hosen and Wams

  • Red Bow Garter

  • Checker-Painted Greave

  • Cow Mouth Shoes

​​

Symbols of Service

A red garter tied in a bow beneath the knee and a checkered stocking are old soldiering traditions born in the shining Imperial Duchy of Soderlingen. The garter is traditionally given by a loved one before departure for war and is said to bring good fortune to its wearer, while the checkered stocking marks a man who has seen battle. Both customs have spread among fighting men throughout the Imperial states, sometimes imitated in painted armour as seen here, though their Soderlinger origin remains unmistakable.

Background

The Landsknecht is a shining example of the perfect Soderlinger. A Doppelsöldner who has gambled away nearly as much coin as he has earned, and drunk the remainder in ale. Ordinary wages could never sustain his appetites, so he earns double by carrying a greatsword into the worst of the fighting. Every campaign is another wager made against his own life, and thus far he has always collected. He is particularly fond of the popular Soderlinger game of Keller Craps, and is seldom without a pair of dice tucked somewhere on his person, ready to lose his wages before the blood upon them has dried. Between wars he lives like a prince in taverns, gambling dens and brothels until his purse is empty. Then he takes up the zweihander, finds another war, and sells his life all over again.

​

Place of Origin: The Imperial Duchy of Soderlingen

Character Archetype: Guy with big sword

​​

Also Known as: The Doppelsoldner, The Hauptmann, The Gambler

THE MONGREL

Black Dog.PNG
GEAR:

  • Kettle Hat​

  • Mail Coif

  • Black Dogs Escutcheon

  • Hourglass Gauntlets

  • Leather Costrel

  • Lockbox

  • Bollock Dagger

  • Arming Sword

  • Blue Jack

  • Mail Shirt

  • Red Hose

​​

Pay and Plunder

The Black Dogs follow the same terms of service used by the armies of Albelond. Soldiers are paid a daily wage under 40-day indentures, which may be renewed indefinitely. While some join between trades or harvests for extra coin, most are professional soldiers with few other prospects.

​

When plunder is permitted, a soldier keeps two-thirds of his loot and ransoms, surrendering the remaining third to his Sergeant. The Sergeant passes a third of his share to his Captain, who in turn passes a third of his to Lord Barnaby.

Background

The Mongrel served enough forty-day indentures with the Black Dogs that nobody remembered what trade, if any, he practiced before becoming one. He preferred the months between wars, when Barnaby’s Hounds returned to the roads and a man’s purse could be taken without first fighting through an army for it. He robbed pilgrims, cheated his comrades of their shares, sold stolen goods back to their owners, and more than once collected tolls on bridges that were never his to guard. The name Mongrel began as an insult, but he liked it enough to keep it.

​

Place of Origin: The City of Burnham in Cessfordshire, Albelond

Character Archetype: Scumbag

​​

Also Known as: The Black Dog, The Brigand

THE RANGER

The Ranger.PNG

THE FIELD KNIGHT

FIeld Knight.PNG

THE FOX

Fox.PNG

THE BIGGER FISH

Sir Adelard.PNG

THE POWDER BURN

The Gunner.PNG

THE VETERAN

Veteran.PNG
bottom of page