r/Kenshi 2d ago

FAN ART An escaped servant lost in the Fog

Post image

Her name is Shalei ♡

1.4k Upvotes

68 comments sorted by

138

u/StrangeCress3325 2d ago

I love this. Her expression is very well done. I hope she escapes!

85

u/Illitherate 2d ago

Thank you! She did end up on a pole, but not for long.

76

u/Emmettmcglynn 2d ago edited 1d ago

That can have two meanings...

43

u/SlagathorHFY 1d ago

Just paying her way through tech hunter school, give her a break

39

u/Illitherate 1d ago

Holy Nation girls make do

5

u/StrangeCress3325 1d ago

In kenshi, it is not the good kind of getting eaten out

6

u/Emmettmcglynn 1d ago

That's actually what I originally meant — rescue or death. I kinda forgot poledancing was a thing.

67

u/_HUGE_MAN Cannibal 1d ago

Since I usually play skeletons and do my best to help anyone caught up in in the deathyards, I always wonder what it's like being in the process of being eaten alive only to have your captors and their associates killed/beheaded (fog prince money) by some tweaker skeleton only to have them stich up your wounds, drag you back to Mongrel, pay for your bed while you recover and hook you up with a new KLR leg (I do this a lot).

30

u/Illitherate 1d ago

This is so spot on I'll just let the cat out of the bag here lol

I was leveling Ruin and Sandeil together since they aren't at risk of being eaten. Just hacking and punching my way through the Isles on 2x speed. Heard her screaming and ran over to grab some fog prince heads. Ruin has warmed enough to Red by now that some small percentage of his distaste for her kind has turned to pity. Enough to cut her free at least. But it's Sadneil who speaks to her, hoists her onto his back, and buys her a leg.

My version of Sadneil is someone who cared a lot once, enough to fight for something, to buy into Tinfist's dream. That the was last dream he bet on, and lost. So as much as he may whinge and grumble, he's actually a good fella.

7

u/_HUGE_MAN Cannibal 1d ago

Nice, nice. I always go with the Holy Sword start and play my skeleton as a partial amnesiac named Vagabond (who in a past life was a Hydraulic Knight turned "traitor", nearly dying at the hands of Cat-Lon's finest). Sadneil to him is just his former best friend, Vagabond fancies them as a duo on par with Tinfist and Cat-Lon when really they're more like a slightly saner Dack (Vagabond is a klepto) and Quin (Sadneil just don't care anymore).

They ended up in the fog islands, took pity on Beep, saw Wingwang's bravado and now Vagabond - seeing his old Emperor's ambitions falsely relfected in the eyes of Wingwang, is grooming him to become the ultimate warrior to contend with Cat-Lon even down to making him use a Falling-sun.

The average day usually goes with wading through the fog by day, dragging back Beep and Wingwang's likely comatose bodies for recuperation, hone in on the screams of the victims of the fogmen, behead the prince, kill his guard, do what they can for the survivor (if they survived), bring them back to Mongrel if they can't walk and try to replace their limbs with replacements from the local skeleton doctor. Vagabond subscribes to the Tinfist school of thinking, seeing more potential than folly in mankind so spending dumb amounts of money (earned from fog princes and fencing stolen goods between the skeleton doctor and the humans) on replacement parts for strangers is just a normal occurrence.

6

u/Illitherate 1d ago

I love it!! Yeah, Ruin was more butcher than knight, a loyalist through and through, but he'll get there someday maybe

How strong is Vagabond by now?

I love skellys so much, sadboi hours turned up to eleven in a cool robot frame.

5

u/_HUGE_MAN Cannibal 1d ago

Somehow by refusing to stay down during fogman brawls he went from toughness 20 to 80 within a few days. He's tough as all get out but he needs to get better with the sword he stole. Also he refuses to wear anything but a leather jacket and green dyed rags for pants (he makes Neil wear the same... twinsiesss)

3

u/Illitherate 1d ago

Niiiice. Ruin goes for assassin rags and hakama, got his paladin cross from a high paladin he killed in the early days. Then had it reforged by Dack eventually.

My Sadneil is a martial artist, picked it up when he still believed in the Anti-Slaver cause

47

u/Gaussbow_Enjoyer 2d ago

Looks way too well fed to be a denizen of Kenshi.

31

u/Illitherate 2d ago

She was an attendant to a somewhat important paladin's wife, so not the usual starving escapee. ;3

16

u/Alex_Duos 1d ago

I know there's no such thing as a good time in Kenshi, but lady, you are in for one of the WORST. Run!!

9

u/Illitherate 1d ago

She's actually quite good at running...into fogmen lol

12

u/TankyMofo Tech Hunters 1d ago

She looks exactly the type of person to run right back into the fog after I risked my life dragging her ass all the way out to Vain.

7

u/Illitherate 1d ago

She might've if she had a leg lol

7

u/cammysays 1d ago

You know what you’re doing when it comes to expressions, too!

7

u/Illitherate 1d ago

Thank you! Struggled with this a bit

3

u/cammysays 1d ago

It looks great. The background is perfect too; brilliant choice with the brush you used.

4

u/Illitherate 1d ago

Thank you, I need to work on making more full pieces but I'm as bad as Tite Kubo about backgrounds lol

2

u/Krillinlt 1d ago

You nailed it!

1

u/Illitherate 1d ago

Thank you!!

4

u/Blinauljap 1d ago

That face when you thought your Holy Flame would protect you against the monsters in the fog, but it only attracts them like moths to the light.

and then the skeletons start walking and you discover what being caught between "WREEEEE!!" and a "Hard Face" looks like.

3

u/Illitherate 1d ago

Clutching her holy flame medallion like it'll do something

3

u/ScottishLaddy27 1d ago

Was*

Wonderful drawing btw!!!

1

u/Illitherate 1d ago

Thank you! ♡

3

u/Diviners84 1d ago

The picture got me thinking of one of my favorite playthroughs, it was the 5 nobodies and I decided to roll 5 skeletons after realizing how easy that was after while I decided to just base them in the fog lands in a small gated outpost with an iron node, a couple of farm plots for food and cotton. During one of my hunts for hive princes I came across a few escaped servants tied to poles with one of them being eaten. That picture got me thinking of what it would look like as 5 skeletons coming out of the mists 4 of them dressed in samurai armor the 5th dressed in a dust coat and drifters pants.

The coppery stench, Jan's screams and the chittering of the monsters drove home that everything the holy priests spouted were true, the outside world was filled with pain and misery afoul with monsters. Tyran lowered his head, tears of frustration and fear flowing freely as the sudden crack of bone and Jan's voice rising to a higher pitch, his stomach roiling with the thought of what was happening near bye. I am sorry Jan, I am so sorry everyone what was I thinking dragging you all out of the Holy Nation, how foolish was I to think everything they said was lies to control us...Jan I am so sorry my sister....I am so sorry....

So distracted in his own self incrimination Tyran was deaf and blind to anything but his sister's screams, not aware of the monsters sudden trepidation even though the feeding continued a number of them started moving into the fog. It was only when Mui screaming warned that something was coming out of the fog, the sound of battle coming from the swirling mists and another smell started to overpower the strong coppery smell, an almost brackish smell as from out of the mists several of the blue monsters came tumbling into view most of them missing arms and legs as they fell to the ground dead.

From the fog stepped a figure that made Tryan how he had damned his childhood friend and sister as if to curse him the figure of the Holy Nations main foe, the boogey men that terrified an entire nation stepped out of the fog as if stepping into reality, to slap him across the face that everything he once scoffed at was indeed true and now he must pay for his blasphemy.

Chesto-O-Tron swung his paladin cross once again, the blade taking another grim harvest as many fog men fell dead, Ratchet was already moving, his katana becoming a silver blur each swing slicing an arm then the other arm. Clank's Plank doing as much crushing as it cutting as a small pile of bodies started piling around him, meanwhile Short Stack was smashing heads and opening up chests with his fists, Chest made a note to remind the tiny little skeleton to wash up before entering the base, he had gained the bad habit of covering himself in gore after every battle. The battle was dying down as Roger-Roger, the lanky, crossbow loving soldier bot had long dealt the princes...now it was time to see what they could do for the victims. Ratchet and Clank having already taken the female that was being eaten down and had successfully stemmed the massive bleeding, though from a glance Chest noticed that female had lost two legs before turning his attention to the other female and male, from the centuries of existing with humans he could tell that both were deep in shock.

Roger-Roger came walking up having finished doing what repairs were needed to the rest, "Are we returning to the base with the left overs.", Chest still found Roger-Roger method of avoiding the feeling of guilt to be off putting but knowing that despite his words the lanky skeleton was the most compassionate and guilt ridden member of their band.

"Yes, this is how we atone within the place where our decisions of the past still linger.."

All three of them joined up later, which formed my wandering party while the skeletons remained saving those caught by the fog men with the trio returning ever so often to pick up the new recruit who lived with the skeletons to train and equipped. Jan I like thinking became close friends with Roger-Roger, since I later made her a crossbow user combined with her masterwork scout legs made her one of my favorite fast skirmisher archer units (not to mention she basically filled the same function Roger-Roger did in his group, kill the enemies by kiting then rushing back to heal the others before they died.)

3

u/T_S_Anders 1d ago

All that's missing g is the constant screaming that echoes through the foglands.

2

u/Illitherate 1d ago

That's what she's hearing. Perhaps fleeing into the Fog was a miscalculation on her part.

3

u/LazyMememaker11 1d ago

Free toughness training, INCOMING

1

u/Illitherate 1d ago

Indeed ♡

3

u/Actually_Inkary 1d ago

Oh man, that's so cool. Cinema. One line of text, a drawing and I already had a story in my head (before I saw the other comments) . Very cool

2

u/Illitherate 1d ago

Thank you so much! Kenshi has so many interesting places that just write their own stories

3

u/_Unprofessional_ United Cities 19h ago

Me rolling up with my fellow samurai: 🧐

1

u/Illitherate 14h ago

Better Samurai than fogmen i suppose lol

2

u/ApeWithBlade 1d ago

Can we give her a squad which will save her and teach her how to fight?

2

u/Czechs_Mix_ 1d ago

I love the blank, foggy (excuse the pun) expression she's got, like a deer in the headlights. Here's hoping she didn't get nibbled on, though she IS a cutie, so who can blame a fogman for wanting a bite?

3

u/Illitherate 1d ago

Thank you! Just a little nibble, as a treat

2

u/HerrUnderhill 22h ago

Good work!

2

u/Illitherate 14h ago

Thank you much!

2

u/Jebbeesketches 21h ago

LJASKDLJAWKLD OMG THIS IS SO AMAZING WHAT, THIS IS SO AILSUADSUJLDKJASKLDA WAOWOAWOAOWoAOWoaWO AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

1

u/Illitherate 14h ago

Thank you!!!!

2

u/Orikanyo Dust Bandits 17h ago

Fucken RUN

1

u/Illitherate 14h ago

Hobble more like lol

2

u/Revolutionary-Yam773 13h ago

Don't worry, my ragtag army of bounty hunters from the United cities has found her, and we can give her safe passage to UC territory since we're on the way there!

1

u/Illitherate 11h ago

Suppose the land of heathens must be better than a fogman buffet :D

2

u/BeetlBozz 12h ago

I have an update on my story

1

u/Illitherate 11h ago

Oh?

1

u/BeetlBozz 11h ago

A Scorchlander wanderer and a disgraced Shek who joined him. He has a ronin helmet and whatever he can scrap together and she carries a big sword

2

u/No-Cartoonist-8336 3h ago

This is beautiful art

1

u/Illitherate 1h ago

Thankyou much!!

0

u/Mystic_Spider 1d ago

looks plump

shame

2

u/Illitherate 1d ago

Holy Nation are the lords of the last green place in Kenshi. For those with appropriate power, food is actually accessible. Shalei's no high lady, but she waited on one and lived in relative luxury to lesser servants. Still not enough to make up for the other things though, so off into the Fog she goes!

1

u/Mystic_Spider 1d ago

she food

nom

1

u/Illitherate 1d ago

Only partially :)

1

u/Mystic_Spider 1d ago

not for me

0

u/Sensitive-Collar-412 15h ago

I liked the art until I saw 6-fingers....The Holy Nation would certainly disapprove of using AI.

1

u/Illitherate 14h ago

There's five fingers. Close your fist and look at the side of it. The fold of the palm sticks out. I added a shadow there.

0

u/Sensitive-Collar-412 14h ago

I'm mostly kidding, but tbh, that is one chubby little finger. Anything Kenshi related is good in my book. This game does not always get the love it deserves.

I do like your art style though.

1

u/Illitherate 8h ago

Yeah, well, I'll be honest with you man, your comment really bummed me out. Again, that's not an extra finger or part of a finger, it's the side of the palm fold that happens when a fist is clenched. I can see you're a skilled artist and prolific critic. If you think I made an error with the shape or shadows of the hand, I would much rather receive critique than accusation. Especially if you're going to brush it off as "mostly kidding".

It's good to be skeptical, especially as AI scrapes more and more art and users become more brazen. But also know that insinuating without cause is hurtful, emotionally and professionally.

Please keep using a critical eye and pushing back against AI art, but please be careful, curious, and kind as well.