Romance of the Four Nations OFFICIAL

Sup!  This is a tumblr/art archive for the art of the Romance of the Four Nations:REF webcomic and further developments of this project!

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RIGHT people HEY I'm horrible at using Tumblr but it seems like Twitter's not getting any better so I might as well learn how this site works too lol I draw a webcomic over on Webtoon called Romance of the 4 Nations: REF! It's a sci fi fantasy about these lovely folks piloting mechs and acting as peacekeepers from aggressive powers in and out of the government! We upload every week there, and I'll start uploading old comics on here!

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This one’s pretty old by now, but I’ve gotta get in the habit of posting here too lol  Here’s our fearless mech captain Reikimaru in his high speed Foresworn! 

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juuuust testing, we’re BACK everyone.  Sorta.  I’m still not really committed to using this site but if Twitter’s shutting down or anything like that I better get used to this site lol

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Hey, friends and readers alike!  You’ve just been hanging around a base with the state of the art M-15A Helldart, the New Mankind Alliance’s mainstay all purpose mech.  Pretty neat, ain’t it?  Bit of a problem though, the pilot’s not inside!  Did he get killed in a surprise attack?  Likely.  Did he have problems in the john?  Perhaps.  But the only question now is whether or not you’re willing to jump in and save your base from this surprise attack!  Think you’ve got the right stuff? 

For those wondering, this is both a drawing exercise for myself and an opportunity for any potential artists to get involved a bit.  For anyone interested, feel free to insert any character of your liking in this Helldart and show off their battle cry.  Or their battle smirk, however you roll.  There’s no deadline or anything of the like, this is simply a place to test out your hot-blooded mech shouting.  A solo picture of the cockpit is provided too, just in case anyone out there needs/wants just the cockpit.

We look forward to seeing any submissions!

-Nick

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HISTORY ARCHIVE: The Blue Pact

After the completion of the Mechanical Saviors and their transference to the militaries of their native creators, the Four Nation’s armies save for the NDF sought to mass-produce their new Mechanical Saviors.  However, this was not without problems, as the Kinetic Ion Pulse generator is extremely costly to produce as well as specialized equipment like the AWD system or the “Eye of my Mind” FCS.  The Coalition was forced to step in considering the dangers of allowing the military to spend their budget however they desired.  Admiral Gwen then arranged for an agreement to ensure that the Four Nations do not go bankrupt nor destroy entire cities in mere scuffles.  The Blue Pact was signed, ensuring that no more Kinetic-Ion Pulse Generators were to be made and that the native militaries cannot use Mechanical Savior specialized equipment for production mechs.  Years later this pact seems to have been a wise decision.  No one has yet questioned this, as mechs are powerful enough without unlimited operation times to boot.  The Blue Pact was named after only blue ink pens were present to be used by the generals to sign the agreement. 

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HISTORY ARCHIVE: Archimedes Project

After the Krillin War the Four Races reached an agreement that the Krillin could possibly return, and the races requested creating mechs of their own to defend their lands using the NG-86 Foresworn as a template.  Admiral Gwendolyn and Lieutenant Reikimaru were both involved with designing and supervising the construction of each mech.  The Four Races each built a mechanical champion of their own, based off Foresworn in one way or the other.  The prototype mechs would be christened “Mechanical Saviors”, finally reaching completion about two years after the Krillin War.  The human’s mech was named the Azure Knight, a balanced mech with weapons specializing in close combat.  Elves made Red Shift, an extremely frail looking mech with a focus on speeds surpassing even Foresworn.  The Dwarves created the Verde Paladin, a heavily armored mech with superior firepower designed to destroy mechs in a single barrage.   The Reiko were less enthusiastic about betraying their philosophies in the name of self-defense. This caused the High Council to reject their Mechanical Savior, as they decided it was bad enough that they chose to build arms for a self defense-force on their own accord.   After completion of the project, each mech was given to the respected races for testing, and research for mass production.   During this project as well, the four nations agreed that they would require a neutral presence in the world, one that would be there to keep the peace in these difficult times. Tensions were already high before the Krillin war broke out, and now that they had even better weapons, they needed something. Thus the Coalition of United Armies was founded as a worldwide peace keeping task force based in Australia.

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Hey! my name is Tomas and I have done commissions as well as illustrated a childrens comic book! all my work can be found on my deviant art which is also spoopyspaniard or on my art tag on tumblr! I'd love to work on a comic with you and find this to be a very interesting project!

aw yeah! Well we are definitely looking for comitted artists and what not, what we would like to do (if its at all possible) get a few different artists and people and interview them and check out their art, you’re the first person to come onto the tumblr and ask about this project though which makes me very excited! If you like I can send you some information about the world and the characters and possibly issue one if you’d like to read it? All I need is your email and a promise you won’t steal it ;) 

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What are we all about?

Hello everyone! Welcome to the official tumblr of Romance of the Four Nations!

What is romance?

Romance of the Four Nations is a comic book written by Sean Harlan and Nick Guarente which is a mixture of modern day fantasy and sci fi tech. We have been in production for a little over a year now and we are still not published. 

Basic story plot?

A hardened survivor and a depressed mech pilot find themselves tasked with keeping the peace in a world full of magic and technology while tensions slowly rise to a boiling point. Freya mcdohl and Reikimaru Oroshima will learn more about themselves and eachother while going on missions to save the world from itself.

What are we looking for to complete this project? 

First we need people willing to stay on this project til the end with us. Full commitment is what we require. We specifically need an artist, letterer and colorist and also an inker. Nick and Sean are entirely motivated to complete this project and get it published and we would like to see the same from our co workers. 

NOTE: I realize this isn’t the best description of what we’re about, if you want to talk to us more about this project, whether you want to know more about the world or about us please message us! We’d be more than happy to talk about this project. More lore to come!

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CHARACTER PROFILE 001: Reikimaru Oroshima (Pronounced Rai-Kee-Maru)

The now legendary hero from the Krillin War, Reikimaru almost singlehandedly  saved the world from extinction by the invaders.  He pilots the NG-86/RO Foresworn and he proved the amazing abilities mechs can perform with an adequate pilot.  Interestingly, despite his abnormal animalistic ears Reikimaru insists he is fully human rather than Reiko.

Reikimaru’s most notable aspect in his personality is perhaps his easy going nature, often acting uninterested in most matters.  However, when the situation becomes dire he becomes deathly serious.  Another would be his unending bravery, advancing the battlefield without even a smidgen of fear.  Reikimaru’s personality can also be testy at times, he is fiercely loyal to the ones he cares about and if anyone threatens with them he will stop at nothing to make them pay, bordering on obsessive.  Unlike most of his peers, Reikimaru has no qualms about killing his opponents and will do so without a second thought, his laid-back personality can offset this cold-blooded demeanor in combat.  Reikimaru is quite hot-blooded and headstrong however this confidence only really shows itself in combat. Perhaps his Achilles heel lies in his impulsivity, which more often than not will both recklessly endanger his life and cause him to say things he will come to regret.  Ultimately,  he is a very warm and well-meaning man with a rather dark sense of humor and trouble maintaining relationships.  He doesn’t like following the rules all too much because he gets tunnel vision when it comes to missions. He also feels very cautious around making new relationships because of past traumas, causing some to wonder if he has a social disability. He has long silver hair, quite Caucasian skin, the pointy ears of an animal, and steely blue eyes, long canines and has one of those faces that looks young but just feels as old as time itself, he wears whatever he wants. 

Lately in the peacetime following the Krillin War, Reikimaru has gained a celebrity status for his heroic actions.  He has been starting to become a covered topic for the media however as they now prefer to move on to the Four Nation’s still blooming mech units.  Reikimaru is currently enlisted with the Coalition of United Armies as Captain of his own mech squadron.  Given his exceptional pilot skill, experience and a burning desire to do good, Reikimaru is possibly one of, if not the greatest mech piloting hero who has ever lived.  Age listed as 28. 

(Also a note from Nick, I do have other drawings I’ll upload later, but this is the only one I’m comfortable uploading for now from both myself and our former character artist.)

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MECH PROFILE #1:  NG-86/RO Foresworn

The first mech ever found by the four races, featuring the unique Kinetic ion pulse generator, Foresworn is capable of exceptionally long operation times.  Initially intended to be scrapped, Foresworn and its pilot Reikimaru proved the combat potential for mechs in the Krillin war by single handedly turning the tide of the war, easily trouncing any Krillin invader.  Reikimaru has a rather close bond with his mech, as it is one of the very few things he can fully put his trust in.  Foresworn is notable for its rather unorthodox shape, with large round shoulder armor/radiators and large thigh armor for enabling weapon/ammo storage and housing for the boosters and fuel.  The mech specializes in high speed hit and run style combat, equipped with large boosters in the knees, back and with wings, the mech is even capable of short term flight to aid its exceptional mobility.  However, it is offset by a rather heavy curb weight, offering both decent durability and a weapon for Reikimaru to utilize in high speed kicks or tackles.  Armaments are rather light, with a variable rifle with both TH and ballistic ammo, and dual TH sabres.  The TH sabre is Reikimaru’s go-to weapon as he excels in close combat, however the K-IP generator cannot fully accommodate two TH sabres and retain full thrust power.  The options are to either limit or not use boosters at all, or weaken the output of the sabres and convert them into TH daggers.  Reikimaru prefers the latter, as he is quite skilled with knives and would rather not compromise mobility. Fortunately, these weapons are compact and easy to draw, allowing Reikimaru to switch weapons on the move with ease.  Featuring a gunmetal grey paint job with navy blue accents, and an intimidating red camera glow.  It may be the first, but currently Foresworn and Reikimaru know no equals.  Shortly after the Archimedes project was finished and the Coalition was incepted, Lt. Reikimaru was assigned to be the commander of the “Silver Ravens” mechanized unit whilst enjoying a promotion to Captain.  Unfortunately Reikimaru is not a very capable field commander, instead preferring to tackle missions by himself on his own terms.  Despite this, it does not change that the Silver Ravens have a 100% mission success ratio.  Reikimaru and Foresworn are more than capable of handling missions that would normally require an entire squadron.  

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History Archive:  The Krillin War

Years ago, a shooting star gazed across the sky.  Some wished upon that star for everlasting peace and tranquility, unfortunately whatever higher power was listening in on that wish granted the complete opposite.  Soon, many shooting stars were cascading across the sky.  What was left from the hot red streaks were the Krillin.  About 30 foot tall, multi-eyed and brimmed with large bladed tentacles these monsters went to work.  Decimating any form of life they could find, the Four Nations mobilized to quell these monsters and restore peace. 

Tragically, the brave soldiers that sacrificed their lives of all kind found themselves unable to even graze these monsters, let alone kill them.  The Krillin utterly demolished all in their path and left behind scorching landscapes of ruin and devastation.  The militaries of the Four Nations began to panic at this point, as seemingly nothing could stop these abominations.  However, hope was at hand and it was not far behind. 

Lieutenant Reikimaru Oroshima, a young man from the Human’s territory was keen to jump into the action with a prototype weapon.  However, the New Mankind Alliance was stiffly against this considering the weapon was untested and unproven.  Admiral Gwen Mcdohl, a respected officer in the NMA also advocated for the weapon’s deployment but she too met rejection.  Therefore the strict military chain of command had to be just temporarily defied, and the two set out for the Lieutenant to deploy in the weapon.  It indeed managed to sortie, and to the surprise of many there were no Krillin survivors following the battle. 

Realizing the error of their ways, the NMA quickly deployed Lieutenant Reikimaru and Admiral Gwen to various other areas to kill every Krillin invader to tread the Earth.  After eight months of fierce fighting and unimaginable tragedy, the Four Nations were successful and the Krillin were vanquished.  The power balance shifted greatly following the war, as Elves and Dwarves were not keen to see this powerful weapon in human hands.  This weapon of course being the NG-86 Foresworn.  Following this, the Elves and the Dwarves both demanded access to the mech to build their own and a compromise reached.  This compromise of course being the Archimedes Project and the inception of the Coalition of United Armies to moderate the now blooming mechanized armies. 

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The Four Major Races

In Romance of the Four Nations there are four major races with each race having a few offspring that aren’t considered real races when it comes to government recognition. These are the four major races with information about each race. 

HUMANS- Plain old humans, since the great cleansing they have been struggling to make a comeback on the planet earth. Due to extreme circumstances of survival, they have been living in ruins of the great civilizations that once existed on the planet. Another problem is the birth rate of humans. Due to some unforeseen force, 50 percent of all children born are stillbirths making the humans return to physical presence even harder. With the advancement of modern technology and more humans being able to use magic, humans are slowly starting to come back into the forefront. Live in the ruins of North America, and parts of Europe. 

ELVES- Tall beings with long pointy ears. They live the high life in their great castles and cities lying on the water. Most elves view themselves in a higher standing then other races, believing themselves to be superior and more beautiful than any of the other races. Not all elves are like this of course, there’s always a few exceptions  to that rule. The leader of the elves has a strong dislike of humans leading to some military and governmental policies that keep that strong dislike in mind. Live in central Europe, China, Mongolia and surrounding areas. 

DWARVES- Around four to five feet tall. All dwarves both male and female have the ability to grow beards, it’s in their blood. Dwarves have it in their nature to be aggressive and bravado when dealing with other individuals. They’re a proud race that can drink almost anyone under a table. When it comes to other races, they have their differences with the Reiko and do not get along with them, humans and elves they’re more so indifferent about. Live in Russia and Western Europe. 

REIKO- Reiko are genetically modified humans spliced with the traits and abilities of animals, for lack of a better word, furries. They have various enhanced senses due to their animal roots, and they put these traits to good use with their lifestyle.  Most Reiko are nomadic, traveling year round culturally important trails.  However, some Reiko settlements are permanent, but they are few and far between. There are many different type of Reiko due to different animal qualities. Some are more animalistic than others. Most Reiko get along fine with humans, but have a difficult time befriending Elves and Dwarves.  Live in South Africa and South America.