"Although little is known of the sect of witches and warlocks known as the Shedren, there was a somewhat famous member from the early to mid eighteen hundreds known only as Lilit or Lilith, although most references call her Lilit The Reaper.
After the Dust Fae Hordes drove the Imperialists, Arabs, and assorted disorganized negro tribesmen from North Africa in 1826, the entire region became a wild and barbaric place, even worse than the reputation given to the American south west. The Goblin and Orc warlords organized gladiatorial matches that briefly rivaled those of the ancient Romans in order to keep their savage clans from revolting or dispersing after their victory.
Only the strongest humans were allowed or could even survive in such an inhospitable culture, but some were able to thrive and a slow integration of the Moorish complected humans began. It was at the height of the integration and gladiatorial spectacles that Lilit appeared.
It is a testament to her prowess and powers that a woman of clearly European ancestry was so feared and respected by such a primitive, warlike culture.
She fought in the arenas for nearly five years, and was never once defeated. No one could predict where she would appear, or when, but it was soon common knowledge that when she did arrive, always unannounced, she would be given the privilege to fight the strongest available competitor or the organizers and guards would face her reputedly cold and murderous wrath.
She favored battling monstrous, beastly foes, very often imports from the deepest parts of Africa or sometimes Russia or Asia. Oni, Trolls, Ogres, and any other Fell beast that was shipped in was fair game.
By all written accounts, she was a true terror in battle, toying with her foes as a cat might play with a mouse, stalking and evading while attacking with the great runed scythe that was her trademark weapon. She could blend with the shadows and dust as most Shedren are said to be capable of. The scythe was chained to her armor clad right arm, which was by all accounts, literally pinned to her flesh. She could throw and spin the scythe on its chain as if it were as easy to use as a cattle driver's whip. It was said that wounds inflicted by the awful blade could never heal, and that a victim would bleed out as surely as the sun would rise the next day.
Although petite of frame and stature, with a pixie-like countenance, she possessed incredible strength, nearly matching the historically renowned brute force of the Order of the Titan Knights. These abilities have lead many to believe that she was, in fact, a true demon of some sort, but such exaggerated hyperbolic reputations are not uncommon in the history books.
The records indicate that she vanished after four years and ten months; her last battle was against a remnant of the Titan Knights themselves, a legendary Slavic brute named Sir Crzebolg. she was wounded during the battle, a first amongst all of her recorded matches, but nary a month later the tenuous alliance of warlords collapsed and the gladiatorial arenas were closed and fell to disuse as the entire region boiled over into an all out civil war.
What happened to her after that, or if she ever recuperated from her wounds, is a mystery lost to time, for better or for worse. The Shedren are reluctant to speak of her, and betray a mix of contempt and irritation towards the topic, but do not deny that she was one of their sect."
- From the research notes of Dr. Fordrick Wilkinson
- Professor of Occult Studies, Oxford University, 1933
This started as a livestream sketch that I spent a lot of time trying to polish up in the end. I think the end piece has around 80 layers. Lilit is a somewhat obscure historical figure from the Steamvolt alternate-earth universe I'm slowly developing. I can't say whether she'll ever make an appearance in the comic, or if she's even still alive, but you never know ;)
All work done in Photoshop CS4, on my Fujitsu 5010 tablet PC.
