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SHADOWS OF ESTEREN IS PRODUCED BY STUDIO AGATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, AUTHOR NEL

ART CHANE, CHRIS, GAWAIN, NICO JAMME AND YOANN LOSSEL LAYOUT:GINL
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Ean

E an hails from Tulg Naomh. Destined to take after his

father and pursue an honest career as a tanner, he instead
became one of the city’s shadows, a nameless mercenary,
a spy. Digging up certain truths about powerful people is dangerous,
and Ean learned it to his detriment. He is now a fugitive, laying low
in the region of Melwan, where he has become a discreet bodyguard
in the service of the regent, Maoda Mac Lyr. As the situation in
the region worsens, he has been spending more and more time in
the forest. The sounds, the smells… everything reminds him of his
childhood, back when he accompanied his father on hunting trips.
Several times, he has almost left the vale, but something has kept
him from abandoning the old lady. What will he do?

Tissera

T issera was designed for one of our backers. A knight

of the order of the Blades, she is a pious, courageous
follower of the Temple, and a formidable swordswoman.

Arven

A “
rven, you keep leaving to spend days in the wild, in this
valley that saw your birth. What is it you seek through
these lonely expeditions? It is your fragile heart that
you wish to strengthen. There it is, making you suffer, stifling your
breath as you climb up a steep slope. Had you been stronger, could
you have saved them that evening? You were just a child, there
was nothing you could do. Why them, and not you? This senseless
injustice is agonizing. So you clench your teeth and keep moving
forward, heedless of the pain.”
“Magience? It changes the world, sonny. Changes it
fast. Now, we’ve got physicians curing diseases when
Demorthèn resign themselves to death and accept it as
part of a cycle, a necessary balance. Magientists reject
death. They want to live, at any cost.”

Factory. This building has been erected in the capital

city of Reizh, where it remains an exception. For
some, it embodies the nightmare of an upcoming Ma-
gientist revolution.

Saraid the Magientist. Saraid was designed as thanks

to one of our longtime proofreaders. This Mineralist
is about to face the harsh realities of the practice of
her art. Will she manage to keep her ideals intact, or
will she yield to temptation?

Finn’s Fall. Remaining impervious to pressure and

power games is no easy task. This illustration shows a
cynical Finn, willing to do everything to climb the
rungs and achieve his ends. Corruption and forsaking
one’s ideals are major themes in Shadows of Esteren.
How can an idealistic, sensitive student become a
cold, power-hungry, and manipulative entrepreneur?

The Laboratory. This is Talacien’s laboratory,

featured in the Poison scenario, from Book 0 –
Prologue.
Jalan’s Book

A n Object of Power for some, a cursed book for others,

and a treasure for occultists, Jalan’s Book is at the heart
of the Vengeful Words scenario. As with many texts
and other lore pieces of the series, an attentive reader may find
hints on the secrets of the world of Esteren. Among other things,
Jalan’s Book depicts the guardians that await departed souls. It also
illustrates the gruesome fate of Mac Snòr and his metamorphosis
into a cannibalistic monster.
In seach of the divine…
“The seeker, the occultist, the scholar. Sometimes,
faith in the Temple or in the Demorthèn is no
longer enough. Some accuse Magience of having
sown trouble and dissent among young minds. The
spirits of nature and the gods give meaning to our
existence and answer our questions. What is the
purpose of this life, my friend, I wonder?”
Art Direction for Feondas

R omanticism and Symbolism have inspired the art

direction of Feondas, as well as other aspects of
the series. These mysterious creatures haunt Tri-
Kazel’s wilderness. Here are two specimens. On the previous
page, Lady Fir Patience was imagined by Iris and illustrated
by Gawain. The main source of inspiration was a painting by
Arnold Böcklin, Pan among the reeds. For the second one
below—imagined by Nel and illustrated by Chris—we have
drawn from the figure of Ophelia, in particular as depicted by
John Everett Millais. As references, here is a reproduction of
Böcklin’s painting and an excerpt from Millais’s. Working
from classics is fascinating; it drives authors and illustrators
to pore over these masterpieces for hours, striving to
understand them and draw from them.