Some PoE doodles (Ive decided I dont have the energy to make more cleaned up drawings but I still wanna be sharing drawings sooo… this will do)
also some soul-peering shenanigans: I love how varied the different scenes are that you can see, buttt, some of them certainly stick with ya afterwards.
Summary: Edér tries his best to be a good uncle and parental figure after Vela lost everything.
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When kith consider places to raise their family, the deck of a ship is typically not at the top of the list of the most desirable locations. In Eora, a life of extensive travel brings as many dangers as it does opportunities, not to mention the lack of stability.
Though any place is good, in Edér’s mind, compared to the small town he once called home.
While places like Nekataka, Port Maje and Hasongo are considered relatively peaceful, the crew of the Defiant rarely has the chance to set foot on dry land for long periods of time. The seas of the Deadfire Archipelago, on the other hand, are as beautiful as they are deadly; their azure surface being a home for many pirates, miscreants and beasts alike.
Not to mention a certain God that has recently gone rogue. The one, who sows discord wherever he appears…
Eothas. The Shining God himself.
His God. The sole reason the crew had sailed in the first place.
All for his dear friend and their adoptive daughter.
Edér was sitting on an old wooden chair, lost in thoughts. Near him, various notes and maps were strewn across the massive desk. No smoke came out of his pipe, the last of his Whiteleaf now nothing more than ash. Meanwhile, an adorable Space Piglet was sleeping soundly on his lap, without a care in the world. Edér was laying one of his large farmer’s hands on its smaller head; normally, giving the small beast headpats was something that calmed his mind.
Suddenly, the large blonde heard a soft knock on the door of his cabin, followed by the loud creaking of the iron hinges. He gazed at the wooden door to his side, wondering if it was the helmsman with his report for the night…
Until he saw the familiar mess of brown hair, and the ever inquisitive gleam of blue underneath it.
“Uncle Edér? Are you busy with the ship?” The Orlan girl asked in a rather tired tone. Something must’ve gotten her out of her sleep.
“Nah, c’mere. Was going to leave it for the night anyway.” He stood up with a loud creak, the piglet now snoozing safely in his warm embrace. He turned to Vela. “I thought you went to bed earlier?”
“Nope, too cold. And the sailors are loud. Can I sleep here tonight?”
Vela stepped further into the small room, a small yawn escaping her small lips. She had a soft blanket wrapped around her tiny, fuzzy frame, all to keep at least some warmth around her. However, the vast majority of the green Wyrwool cascaded behind her, slowly tugged along whenever the Orlan moved.
It was a sight Edér thought to be just as funny-looking as it was adorable.
“Sure thing. Would you also like a story?”
“Yep.” The voice was little more than a hushed, tired peep. It was a stark contrast to her usually highly energetic self. “Can it be about Uncle Woden and the chickens?”
“Sure thing.”
“Yay!” Vela tiredly exclaimed, her long ears perking up… before launching herself with the last of her strength at the very large bed in the corner.
Almost all of her small body, with the sole exception of her face, disappeared under the soft, green blanket. Edér followed behind, the floorboards creaking with each step he took. He then sat down at the side of the bed, laying Cosmo next to Vela.
“Alright, so there was this guy named Hereward, who was our neighbor. Not a day passed where he didn’t talk about how he had the whitest chickens in all of the Dyrwood. Actually convinced the local butcher to pay him double than what the other farmers got…”
The little Orlan girl soon dozed off before she could hear the ending to the story with the white chickens and the old Fighter’s prank. Her small arms were wrapped snugly around the sleeping Space Piglet, a content smile on her face. The piglet snored lightly, gladly taking in the warmth of the small girl’s embrace.
Edér gazed at these two, stroking the girl’s head softly. He was happy to see her and Cosmo resting well. He knew just how much they deserve some respite from all the injustices Eora throws at them.
The large man sighed, his sight wandering towards the yellowing map. The deck of a ship is no place for a child, especially one as impressionable as little Vela.
But they had no other choice.
The only home the little one knew had been destroyed by the God he once revered. Edér bemoans not being able to provide her with something better. He regrets seeing her life uprooted overnight, hopping from place to place, not knowing how the journey across the Deadfire will end.
However, it was the only thing he could offer her.
While the journey they have embarked on is perilous, the alternative was, in Edér’s mind, just as awful. It would’ve broken his heart to have to leave her behind, even if it was for her own safety, as he grew to see her as his own child. And it would have no doubt broken her even more, right when she lost just about everything she held dear. Her home, her adoptive parent.
Only Cosmo and Edér were left.
In the quiet of the night, when the ship was gently swayed by the waves of the Deadfire, the Fighter made a silent promise. A promise to do his best to ensure that the little one feels loved in spite of all the chaos that life throws at her.
