Allow me to introduce a character from my book universe, Kavian. A destroyer of the insatiable loci, an unparalleled warrior, commander, and ultimately, a leader — Ag’Tes. After the death of Queen Naytra in battle, Ag’Tes, being a brilliant strategist, tactician, and warrior, became the undisputed leader of the dying House Aghein, which the loci were pushing toward the coast. Depleted resources, moral decline, exhaustion, and the impossibility of relocation, as the loci had enveloped the entire world, inevitably led the remnants of Aghein to the brink of annihilation. On their last breath, Ag’Tes day by day bolstered the spirits of his warriors, demonstrating unyielding will through his own example. Nevertheless, the loci, closing in on Aghein from all sides, drove the battered people toward the shores of an endless ocean. The accidental arrival of the main heroine of Kavian — Ne’Tus — on the dying coast of Aghein brought hope for salvation, and Ag’Tes fulfilled his promise to save his people. Barely alive, exhausted, and wounded, he was the last to leave the nearly devoured shore, consumed by the unstoppable roots. Upon reaching Ne’Tus’ lands, out of gratitude, he swore to serve her. Despite losing his status as a leader, Ag’Tes’ unyielding spirit and will earned him immense authority and the reputation of a hero, which greatly infuriated the power-hungry Ne’Tus. In him, she saw a direct rival in the struggle for power, though Ag’Tes himself never sought it. He lived for one thing only — hatred for the loci and a thirst for terrible vengeance for his fallen queen. Ag’Tes regained his strength and, using his vast experience, pushed back the root forest, something previously considered impossible. Ag’Tes — a Kavian who became a legend in his lifetime, and his appearance divided the history of Kavian into "before" and "after." For a long time, the echoes of his deeds would resonate across the liberated lands of Kavian, and monuments would be erected in his honor, depicting his scarred face frozen in hatred, gazing toward the loci. Armor Description: The primary means of protection for the Kavian people is the leaf suit — kapoa, glued together from dense leaves of the kenoa tree. Since the main tactic of war against the loci relies on agility and maneuverability in flight, the suit provides minimal protection and is designed to avoid unnecessary weight. However, as the story of Kavian progresses, the loci become more aggressive the more they are destroyed, especially after Ag’Tes joins Ne’Tus’ swarm. New types of deadly plants forced the Kavian to reinforce the kapoa with additional layers of tree bark, treated with oils for durability. Additionally, after the discovery and development of zelarite — a local ore — sharp zelarite blades were attached to the wooden parts to deliver additional cutting damage to the roots of the loci, which always attack from all sides during battle. Particularly noteworthy is the introduction of a new massive helmet adorned with sharp wooden spikes and zelarite blades. This helmet is essential protection against a new type of locus that appears in the story — the head-eaters. The secretions of the loci — known as opronium, the "blood" of the loci — emit a nauseating stench, and the fumes can cause illness. Therefore, during battle, a mask is worn, its filters filled with flower petals containing protective pollen. Since the nature of Kavian (excluding the loci, of course) exists in a dense symbiosis between all species of flora and fauna, all types of organic matter, such as leaves, can "bond" together without the need for excessive adhesive oils, often eliminating the need for additional fastenings. Later, the wooden-leaf kapoa was replaced by kapoa made of arium, but that’s a different story. Weapons: In battle against the loci, a secator is used — a club with zelarite blades and a saw, the perfect weapon for fighting roots while they still have an organic structure. In the other hand, a root-grabber is wielded — a tool for grabbing roots or holding onto the bodies of root giants. Technical Details: The character was created for rendering. Project in ZBrush: approximately 250 million polygons at subdiv levels. (i5 12600kf — runs perfectly) Project in Blender: 4 million polygons (64GB RAM) 5 texture sets at 2K and 4K for the character. 4K sets for the secator and root-grabber. Rendering was done on the immers-cloud farm. Part of the rendering was done on my home PC, where the RTX 2060 Super heroically handled it. Rendering engine: Cycles. Eevee consistently crashed, not even loading the viewport, especially after the 4.4 update, where performance felt significantly worse. Well, that’s Blender for you… Substance Painter: baking texture maps, texturing.