Project Spellcheck: Introducing Wesley Pyre and Sir Cinder
Art by Koseki
The Sunny, Scholarly Heir and the Burning Night Star
While not the largest or most influential territory in the kingdom, Pyre Province and its capital, Cindrel, has nonetheless been vital to Lancet, serving as both the “Kingdom Crossroad” that bridges many other regions in the realm and the location of many historical (and coincidentally, magical) ruins and landmarks.
As son of the provincial duke, young and bright-eyed Wesley Pyre can often be seen strolling and smiling about the capital city’s streets, sharing time and stories with both the local peasantry and wanderers alike. Balancing his life between lessons of court and cotillion and self-driven research into the texts and tomes detailing ancient Lanceti history and anthropology, the anomalous young noble has proven himself to be a surprising fount of both ancient knowledge and modern wisdom. The rumor mill occasionally wonders if the young noble is in fact a magician—or at least trained in the use of magic—but Wesley claims he views such things as mere scholarly interests, and is simply preparing himself for his future reign as Duke of Pyre.
Though Wesley would seem to rule the daylight hours as a Cindrel socialite, another would claim dominion over its nightlife. Crime and iniquity had always festered in the murky corners and alleys of the city—a truth that, left unchecked, resulted in the tragedy of the Pyre Castle burning that saw the duchess assassinated and the bloodline’s greatest treasure, the Pyre Scepter, stolen.
Ever since then, however, the wicked and wretched who crawl Cindrel’s streets after sundown have found themselves victim to a new threat. Some believe it to be a wrathful spirit—perhaps some kind of angel on a mission of divine punishment, perhaps the vengeful soul of the duchess seeking retribution in the form of the stolen relic. Others believe them to be an ambitious thief with either a penchant or obsession with fire magics. Regardless, the few eyewitnesses, be they saved or survivors, tell their tales with a terrifying symmetry: a body cloaked in streaks of fire, dropping from the stars with the Pyre Scepter in hand to smite whomever they so please.
WHO ARE WESLEY PYRE AND SIR CINDER?
Believe it or not, Wesley Pyre and Sir Cinder are two completely separate characters with absolutely no correlation with each other. Why am I putting them together in the same introduction blog? Good question!
Wesley Pyre is designed to be your typical princely noble, for the most part. His charisma and optimism might be mistaken for pompousness, but the truth is that he is simply an outgoing people-person—even if it clashes with his royal identity, he wants to learn all he can about the people and places both inside and outside his domain.
Though Wesley likes to know a little bit of everything, he considers himself a connoisseur especially of Lancet’s more magical history and trivia—a gift from his mother, who would share time with her son marveling at the contents of the family’s private library. Though his mother has since departed as a result of tragedy, Wesley honors her legacy by continuing his studies and remaining true to the people, shining on others they way she would upon him.
As for Sir Cinder, there’s far less to say—at least regarding his past. He only appears at night, watching from the rooftops for those who would do wrong where the Cindrel guard might not reach. One may wonder if this mysterious stranger has some agenda—if they are hunting for a particular villain, or if they are content lashing out at whichever criminals he happens to spot, but Sir Cinder has yet to speak beyond his actions, which have left scorching marks across Cindrel’s seedy underbelly.
On very rare occasions, Sir Cinder has been spotted outside the Cindrel cityscape, though such sightings are extremely rare—and often unconfirmed. In the meantime, one can be certain that, depending on who you are, Cindrel’s streets are either much safer—or much, much more dangerous.
BEHIND THE SCENES
The concepts for these two characters cropped up around the same time: the idea was that of a nobleman whose interests and family background connected with magic, but were not so tethered to the concept that they were a “magical” family—just a renowned one. This would allow any motivation related to magic to be character-driven, but not completely out of the blue.
Ultimately, the concept split into two characters, with Wesley embodying the scholarly nature of the character concept, and Sir Cinder embodying the actual magic-practicing nature of it.
(Also, bear in mind that the setting of Project Spellcheck involves magic as a not-so-revered practice in the grand scheme. One certainly might prefer to have an alter-ego when practicing the art.)
Despite any lack of relation, Wesley and Sir Cinder do admittedly share some traits. For one, they’re both slightly taller and slimmer than most, leaning themselves to sleek silhouettes. However, that’s about it: just a couple of coincidences! Besides look at how they differ: Wesley has maroon hair tied in a colonial-fashioned ponytail and has a pair of striking deep red eyes, while Sir Cinder keeps his maroon hair tied in a bun and has piercing deep red eyes instead. See? COMPLETELY different!
Wesley’s signature outfit revolves around a tuxedo tailcoat that incorporates the sunny provincial colors of red, orange, and a pinch of gold. Every so often, he carries with him an ornamental cane, inspired by the lost Pyre heirloom but nonetheless of his own design, with an owl perched atop the black metal pommel. Overall, his design is meant to emphasize his high status and birthright while still conveying an air of compassion and humble charm.
The wardrobe of Sir Cinder, however, consists of mostly of black and blood-red—in addition to his improperly-acquiesced Pyre Scepter—and is designed more around the image of a “fantasy superhero,” with a hint of roguish allure. As for headwear, I’ve constantly debated myself as to whether he should have a leather bycocket or a feathered cavalier hat, but just know he’s got something relatively fancy on top of his head, along with a black mask to ensure his identity is kept tucked away.
(UPDATE 3/20/2023: Wesley Pyre and Sir Cinder’s concept art, courtesy of Koseki, has been added to the blog post!)
MORE TO COME…
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these posts for Writer’s Wall, the reason being simply that I’ve hesitated to make these without any kind of art to supplement the visual aspects. Usually, I’ve been able to rely on Koseki’s artwork, and I will always take any opportunity to sing my praises of his work, but it’s just a case of not being actively in touch like we used to be. No drama to it, honestly.
Still, working with talented artists always helps with defining the character, and is a morale booster for folks like me who are better writers and artists.
With that said, please continue to look forward to these little updates from time to time. Making these is such a refreshing exercise, and I hope that it’s an enticing appetizer for what might come in the future, dear reader!
As always, thank you for your support!