The Young Stallion of Cape Gala
Wolf King Character Design Details: Lord Conrad
Light spoilers for Season 2 of Wolf King and Rage of Lions
A surprising delight from the second half of season 2, Conrad's screen time is hardly wasted. Even allowing actor Colin Ryan (who also voices Vincent) to show his range.
In terms of the adaptation of his appearance, Conrad is notably changed from his book counterpart.
Though still a handsome young man, he has a thin beard in the books. As well as blue eyes and long blonde hair tied back in a pony tail (very funny Jobling).
In the show they opt for brown hair and brown eyes, as well as making him clean-shaven. They even seemed to design him to be asian in matching with his voice actor (as most characters in Wolf King do). They also alter his pony tail to instead be this more ornamental braid that goes along the sides of his head and to his neck.
Which honestly gives it a more visually implied cultural importance, which the pony tail is mentioned to have in the books. As it's considered a great shame for a horse lord to have their hair shorn.
I also want to note the little loose tuff he has. It's a small detail but it implies a sort of casualness to him in spite of how put together he is.
His therian form is also different than it's described in the books, though this is just down to coloration. In the books he's a white stallion with a yellow mane, while in the show he's a grey stallion with a brown mane. Though I like the detail that his braid and pony tail remain when he transforms.
His attire, I'm going to be honest, makes him look like he's from Atlantis. Sincerely, the aesthetic of the Sky Stable, the guards and Conrad really feel like they come from a Greco-Roman/Mesopotamian culture. Given Poseidon was also god of horses, it actually would be an oddly appropriate visual design for the horselords. (If his clothes are based on an actual culture I don't know about please tell me)
In terms of his character, once again, he is notably different than he was in Rage of Lions. But there's a reason for that. He's not the main horselord Drew and co interact with. That would be his uncle, Duke Lorimer, who does get a name drop in Wolf King when Broghan recalls Bergan having raced him at the Sky Stable years prior.
In the books, Conrad isn't that different from Drew, being an - at times naive - idealist that supported his uncles goal of horselord independence (Lorimer wanted the Longridings to become an independent realm from the throne in Westland). Though he eventually joins the Wolf's allies after Opal (Onyx/Orsino's sister) kills his uncle in front of him.
For the show, they make him more of a Lando Calrisian-type who's as much a hostage as the main cast one the villains spring their trap. Forced to play along with Lucas and Orsino's whims to keep his people safe. This character change seems entirely resultant of the removal of Lorimer from the story. Though I could see a world where the Duke was killed prior to Drew and Co's arrival, hence why Conrad is the one who greets them.
Essentially we're dealing with a young lord who's been shoved into a position of leadership where - like Ewan eventually does - he chooses his people's safety over helping Drew and co. At least initially anyway. Gretchen quickly is able to put him on the right path.
