Redeemed - Adebayo

Adé became a corsair when he was still young. It was the only way to be sure he could stay out of Joko's reach. He had to save himself, no one else mattered.

This mindset made him a cunning corsair, eventually gaining his own crew and vessel. It was a lonely life, but a free one. Far better than the one he'd have if he had stayed in Kourna.

The day eventually arrived that a worn wayfarer sought refuge upon his vessel, a strong Istani man seeking shelter from the endless sand. He called himself Solomon.

The Istani quickly proved to be a hard worker, a wise strategist, and an unflinching fighter. Likewise, he grew to trust the strong leadership of Adebayo, seeing a good heart in him underneath the jaded complacency. One night, Solomon told Adé his story-- of his centuries-old life, of the great assault against Abaddon, and how he witnessed the ascension of Kormir with his own eyes.

Moved by Solomon's tale, Adé requested Solomon teach him the forgotten art of being a dervish. Solomon obliged. Overtime, as Adebayo grew in skill, his faith in Elona and his resolve to free it from Joko's reign grew as well.

Adé would not be in Gandara when Joko fell, but he would forever be proud that the Lich King met its end in his homeland.

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So, I wanted to get one more Elonian character in before the story moves elsewhere, and this time I wanted him to look and feel like a proper dervish. Much as I love Solomon's design, his direction has moved him away from the distinct path of a dervish.

It took a lot of playing around with this look to get it where it is now. I eventually settled on a very organic brown scheme with a few colored highlights here and there. The shoulders, while not inherently dervish-themed, were inspired by Solomon's affinity for Melandru, and that style was passed on to Adé.

I also drew quite a bit on inspiration from Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. Not only does Adebayo's arc vaguely resemble that of Adéwalé, but his nickname (Adé) is a reference to that character as well. Plus it tied into the Kournan corsair idea really well and helped me explore that nicely.

All-in-all, I'm glad to add him to the roster before we move out of Elona entirely. Hopefully we can see it again someday.

You can see Solomon's look here: https://gw2style.com/look.php?id=15938