The Ghost Hand

Finally... Those guys killed me (comment from Sylven: "Err... Girl, this is their job after all...")
As promised the colored version of the Ghost Hand... Sylven's five most important lieutenants at least. They can also be considered as his "companions" or "comrades" though the young Half-Elf tends to not show a lot of attachment to them.

In this composition I decided to place them from the most recent hired one (Merukan) to his very first associate (Zeryn).
So let's try to introduce this crew

MERUKAN: As you can notice it, he is tall... Very tall. Thin and muscular. Three adjectives to describe him. You can also add  deceitful, strong and crual. Merukan is a mighty force but this doesn't mean he is stupid ("I see, I hit" is not for him, trust me...). Within the Ghost Hand, he is in charge of racket, kidnapping and executions (mostly within the organization itself). His name is feared by every criminals, he is known for enjoying killing and torturing... and for being maybe the only man able to defeat Sylven himself. Merukan seems to be very protective with the other lieutenants, he has a kind of paternal behaviour toward them, despite his impressive appearance. He can be very calm and quiet (his main hobby is reading and playing chess) but during battles he becomes a true monster; his weapon is usually a "simple" chain, however, looking it carefully, you can notice the little blades welded to some links (sadistic, you said ?). He used to be a street gangster who faced the authority of the Ghost Hand, killing some henchmen Sylven sent him before the Half-Elf decided to solve the problem himself. Their very first fight ended with a draw and Sylven offered him to join his organization...
Concerning his design, I really wanted to give him a lout look, so well, black leather, chains, belts and piercings. Not mentionning his unlikely hairdo >_< Among the five, Merukan is my fav and he really has an important role in the story...

GILROY: She is a woman... a tough woman dressing and acting like a man (she bandages up her breasts to hide them). She was a respected commander in the royal army of Markland but she deserted when the Civil War began; so she finally retrained to the civilian life as a bodyguard for noblemen and rich mechants. This is while protecting one of those lords she met Sylven who had a contract on him. Gilroy obviously protected her customer but soon realized he was despised her and did not even respect her as a warrior. Too bad for him, Gilroy can easily bear grudges... and was suddenly very interested in working for the Ghost Hand. Among Sylven's comrades, she is maybe the most loyal, honest and upright; however, she considers a woman has no right to be feminine or weak within such organization, this is why she acts and want to be treated as the other men (and this is also why she is always arguing with Kael >_<). She usually works with Zeryn to collect information (she is still linked with some comrades withtin the army).
About her design, I wanted her blond with short hair; she also had to wear practical clothes, close to an army uniform, not something very elegant or feminine of course.

KAELLINIA: She is somehow the "little princess", a Half-Elf like Sylven. She is the youngest, stubborn, grumpy, sometimes really boring but she is basically a kind person. She met Sylven while he was planning a long-due revenge and used her as a bait. She was only a mere orphan in the streets, "protected" by sweet priestesses from a temple. But at the moment she met this man, she decided to follow him; of course, at first, Sylven didn't want a brat to annoy him, however when he realized she was not at all feared by his threats (she even promised to denounce him if he wouldn't grant her wish), he decided to keep Kael with him and train her within the Ghost Hand. She is not very talented with a sword but with a bow she has no rivals within the organization. She even protects his rear during missions (and she is the only one allowed to cut his hair ). Kael is also in charge of artefacts trafficking. Little trivia: the coin she is holding as a pendant is like a lucky charm for her; it symbolizes her very first meeting with Sylven and her first "pay". Her chief can be very tough with her, he doesn't want Kael to be close to him, knowing perfectly that he could die at any moment with this dangerous life; he is also amazingly protective with her (little sister, even if you will never hear him telling such words XD); for example she is not allowed to use make-up, no cleavage and she can't hold her quiver on the back (yes, the strap would... show a bit too much her breasts...). Sylven is afraid a man from the Ghost Hand would assault her (something which is almost impossible, none would dare to attack one of his comrades...). Let say, he can a real... nag...
I chose to dress her with elvish clothes with colors such as brown and green, but clothes very simple (yes, Sylven threatened me...). She is also the only of my OC with a fringe and freckles (for the childish look ).

DALIM: He is the doctor... and the lieutenant in charge of drugs. Before joining the Ghost Hand Dalim was already a doctor, though he had very big problems with alcohol which lead them to "kill" a patient and her kid. This is why officially he was not anymore allowed to practise medicine. Sylven hired him and detoxified him (with his famous "sweetness"), promising Dalim he would kill him if he saw/smelled alcohol around him. You can notice Dalim wears a scarf; it protects him against toxic fumes when he creates drugs but also hides (just as his gloves) the scars from his suicide attempt after the death of his patient. He always has a sad and melancholic look, speaks with a peaceful and droning voice, he is really discreet and retiring. This is also why he is in charge of the purge of the organization when Sylven wants a quieter result than with Merukan's methods. Speaking of Merukan, oddly enough, Dalim can be considered as his best friend; the two men are really close, something none is able to explain considering how different they are. Dalim is believed to have maqlabahs roots because of his facial features; he is also the most "neglected" about his clothes, not really taking care of his appearance.
So well, a coat, boots and scarf and this is enough for him (with veeeery original colors as you can notice it ). Dalim is also the only of my OC with distinctive looks (more or less "arabian") and curly hair... Yep, he is so discreet I didn't even know how he would look like

ZERYN: Sylven's very first associate (and friend even if he doesn't accept this word ). He is in charge of administrative work, relations with the authorities and information, a work he was already doing for the city of Kefka before joining the organization. Zeryn was the victim of a tough blackmail (and this is a bit... his fault): he is hooked on money games... and he has a rotten, very rotten luck... So he lost a lot (and was not able to pay his gambling debts). Sylven let him choose between dying and giving him informations about cash transportation, the relief troops etc etc... Soon enough, Zeryn realized that he was actually enjoying working for Sylven, much more than in his former office in which he would get no consideration. This is why he spontaneously offered the Half-Elf to enter the Ghost Hand and work exclusively for him. After all, this silly work in Kefka was the only "gift" he got from his father; Zeryn is in fact the  illegitimate child of a sparvierese nobleman who never took care of him. Zeryn however loves his mother, a weird and sweet woman (she chose a tuatha name for him while he has absolutly no elvish roots ), who even seems to be somehow a bit "retarded". Among Sylven's lieutenants, Zeryn is the one wearing the most refined clothes, a privilege his chief grants him since he is supposed to meet personnalities, noblemen (but he always keep and eye on his expenses... Zeryn is a real spendthrift...). Oh yes and... Zeryn is also in charge of... cooking... But he is not... very talented...
I chose almost the same colors and kind of clothes than Dalim to show the contrast between the two men: Zeryn is really elegant, close to a nobleman (the design of his clothes is close to what Deke and Ugo as wearing, considering the sparvierese/singlione roots ). And glasses... for the very first time I knew he had to wear glasses

So here it is, hope you like those five brats


References for the poses
Paper texture
Related work:

BIOGRAPHIE DES LIEUTENANTS DE LA MAIN: www.tjukurpa.net/?p=3751

And don't forget the ongoing contest: dameodessa.deviantart.com/jour…