Merriphel: A Visual Identity

In this AU, Merriphel is a feathered serpent of unknown age who once led the middle world. In his humanoid form, I kept two feathers on his head that sometimes give away how he feels. He has wings, too, but rarely shows them. That let me keep the serpent visible in small details even when he is in human form.

I drew the costume from the front and back, tried dark, blue and red colourways, and pulled out details of the face, the small serpent and the patterned fabric. I also drew the dagger, necklace, anklet and glove separately, so their shapes and details could be seen at a scale the full figure did not allow.

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I imagined three layers that rarely communicate and cannot see one another directly. Some residents have never heard of the other layers. In the third world, only about a hundred people know the others exist. I sketched a cast of inhabitants alongside a map and a cross-section to work out how the layers relate.

In the middle world, the sky and the ground pull in opposite directions. Waterfalls can run towards the ground or rise into the sky, and people can sometimes use the pull to reach the other side. The icy and volcanic landforms on the map are two of the environments I tried out for this setting.

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I wanted his main weapon to suit both showy spellcasting and close combat. The staff draws on the energy of a blue gem, but can also be wielded like a lance and thrown. I explored a hook at the end and combinations of jewellery, stone, wood and bone. Merriphel favours elaborate magic, even though he may be better at fighting up close.

For a second, easier-to-carry weapon, I took the silhouette of a cobra spreading its hood and used it at the top of a wooden sceptre. Fluorite sits in the open centre, with feather carvings below the snake and Maya-inspired motifs further down. I also designed objects for everyday rituals: an astrological chart for divination at the start of the day, and a stone censer powered from its base that residents use to make magical pills.

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I designed Avery as a companion who could help in combat and carry messages. Unlike Merriphel, Avery cannot take human form. I used deep blue and teal feathers and pale plates along the back. I wanted the blue to suggest mystery and ritual, and shaped the claw like exposed bone as a reference to sacrifice in the project’s visual language.

I looked at feathered serpent carvings and architectural reliefs for the creature and its associated objects. For the ritual mask, I imagined a craftsperson translating the serpent into a totem carved from lightweight stone, framed by large leaves and feathers.

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