The Order of X

[NateHallinan]

The Order of X
A group of 'gifted' individuals in the service of Lord Charles Xavier. The Order provides sanctuary and protection to individuals outcast by society due to their innate abnormalities. These people are often mislabeled as monsters, demons, warlocks and witches. Only those who are accepting of the 'gifted' are welcome to the realm of Lord Xavier.

This is a personal fan-fiction variation on the X-Men. I thought it would be a fun exercise to do the X-Men in an alternate medieval/fantasy reality. Prejudice and discrimination were rampant in our history. Being a darker and less civilized time, fear and hatred ran deeper making it an interesting setting for the X-Men. The quest to protect and defend the 'gifted' would be near insurmountable.

These are some character explorations of members in The Order of X.

Beast (Henrick McCoy)
Henrick's mind is a fierce as his appearance. Henrick was coined the name “Beast” as a more ironic term of endearment. He is loved by his peers and is one of most wise and trusted members of Xavier's council. He is well educated and continues to be a scholar of many disciplines.



Colossus (Peter Rasputin)
The mountain of metal; Colossus. His father was a blacksmith and eventually apprenticed him in the family trade. Hard labor made Peter strong but he was always larger than the other kids. His size and strength even made certain people nervous. Others even rumored that it was 'unnatural.'

By happenstance, he developed the ability to cover his body in metal and increase his strength. He discovered this ability in his youth when his younger sister became trapped under a collapsed cart. When villagers witnessed his transformation they became frightened. Thinking that they might be monsters, a mob formed and came after him and his family. They couldn't harm Peter but he couldn't protect his family without harming the villagers. Peter and his family were driven from their home but they found refuge in the land protected by Lord Xavier.



Cyclops (Sir Scott Summers)
Scott and his younger brother were both orphans who grew up fending for themselves on the streets. The day Scott's ability manifested he accidentally destroyed several buildings and set fire to half the village. In the chaos of everything Scott lost sight of his brother for he couldn't open his eye without causing more destruction. Xavier, perceiving the trouble, quickly dispatched members from his order to rescue Scott.

Scott has the ability to emit a destructive beam from his eyes. He has learned, for the most part, to live without his sight. He can wear certain helmets with visors made of ruby-quartz but they still limit his vision. Needing to cover his eyes all time, people have spread rumors that he is actually a cyclops with a destructive eye. False as this may be, he enjoyed being called Cyclops; striking fear in his enemies.



Phoenix (Lady Jean Grey)
Jean came from the noble family of Grey. She was a bit of a tomboy growing up. Her parents despised and discouraged her unladylike behavior, but once she developed unnatural abilities, her family feared the worse. Lord Xavier offered her parents an opportunity to provide her with guidance and protection; they reluctantly accepted.

Phoenix is a name that the Lady Grey eventually earned in battle. With Jean's telepathic and telekinetic abilities, her arrows flew further and surer than anyone else. They never missed their target and when they were lit afire some would say they were guided by a phoenix. It didn't help that her hair was also a fiery red.



Nightcrawler (Kyrt V'wagnyr – Roughly translated from elven as Nightcrawler.)
Kyrt never knew his parents. He was found by elves in a basket on a riverbank when he was an infant. They happily adopted him seeing that he was part elf. His enchanting midnight appearance and mysterious abilities makes him highly regarded among elves. Magic runs deep in the race of elves but Kyrt's abilities are more potent than most.

Kyrt joined The Order of X because he, being different himself, strongly believes in their quest. Additionally, Xavier's family has always been allies with the elves. Kyrt also hopes that one day he might find answers to his past and discover who his parents are.



Stormbringer (Ororo)
As a young adult, Xavier met Ororo as a child on one of his quests. He caught her trying to steal his coin purse but when he immobilized her with his mind he saw her potential. He offered her a home where she would never have to steal again. Henrick McCoy took her in as one of his apprentices.

Ororo eventually developed the ability to manipulate weather. For obvious reasons, she gained the name Stormbringer. Many presume that she is a witch from a distant land that summons the elements. With rumors gone rampant, some have even feared that she has gained control of Xavier with a spell. Unwavering, Xavier considers Ororo as one of his most trusted councelors.



Wolve'rüne (Loghand)
Loghand is just another grouchy dwarf but he has a special ability to quickly heal. He earned the surname, Wolve'rüne, with his fierce temperament and his odd ability to return from battles unscathed. The name roughly translates from dwarvish as the 'The Stone Wolf.' Stone and earth being long lasting and enduring, while wolves being ferocious ill tempered beasts; thus the name Wolve'rüne.

Wolve'rüne's past is a mystery for he doesn't even remember it. His earliest memory was being dug out from a cave-in by his dwarf clan. Having no injuries and an already suspiciously long life, the dwarves feared he was either cursed or meddling in the dark arts. Due to this event and strict dwarven law he was promptly judged and exiled. Refusing to speak to him in any manner, they mercifully only told him his name.

Dwarves have been known to modify their bodies for battle. Their thick bones are large enough to drill into and attach metal objects like spikes into knuckle bones for a fierce punch. Wolve'rüne's modifications are by far the most extensive anyone has ever seen. Adamithrilium, a very rare and durable metal, covers his skeleton and make up the retractable claws in his hands.





Lord Charles Xavier
Lord Charles Xavier is the leader and founder of The Order of X. Charles developed the abilities to read, control, and influence human minds. Charles formed The Order because he saw and felt the injustice happening to gifted people like him. Understanding his position he felt that it was his noble duty to protect these people.

Tragically, Charles was mortally wounded in an encounter with a black dragon as a young adult. Before the dragon could kill Xavier and his soldiers, Xavier forced his mind onto the Dragon's. Not only did this stop the dragon but Xavier was able to tame it. This was the first time in history that a man was able to gain obedience over a dragon.



I'll be posting final character concepts for each pretty soon.

[Mayenla]

Wow these are fantastic! Love the medieval take on each of the characters, I think Cyclops and Grey are my favorites, although Lord Xavier really looks spot on for the concept.

Are you going to be bringing colours into the pieces?

Keep up the awesome work NateHallinan, I want to see more!!

[SpectreX]

These are awesome indeed!
Would love to see these in color.

[MarcSteinmann]

Awesome stuff man! You really have the monochrome down.
Great Designs! Keep up the good work!

[NateHallinan]

Well I hope this answers your questions. Here's Beast...
(Hi-res image and background info can be found here http://natehallinan.com/ooxbeast)

[NateHallinan]

Colossus
(Hi-res image and background info can be found here http://natehallinan.com/ooxcolossus)



Now off to start Cyclops.

[MarcSteinmann]

Looking Good man. Nice background environment you putt them in.
Can't wait to see he rest.

[Madzia]

Finished pictures looks amazing, great details! What kind of filters you use at the end noise?

[JasonClarkDesign22]

Great design work here. All images read really well. How long does it take you per piece.

[NenadGojkovic]

Amazing pieces, what else to say:-) Those colored ones are insane..

[Kaffer]

Hey, awesome stuff there, and a really cool idea overall! If you take advice from complete noobs (that's me:)), on the coloured ones I could imagine a bit more light on the light side/bit more shadow on the shadow side, just to make the bodies' forms stand out more (this might just be me though). The backgrounds and mood are also great! Can't wait to see the rest :)

[NateHallinan]

Thanks everyone!

JasonClarkDesign22 - It takes me about 3-4 days but I trying reduce the time. Fitting it between client work doesn't help either.

Madzia - I've been experimenting with a subtle noise layer with an overlay or soft light blending mode. I also use a few adjustment layers at the end to really dial things in.

Well, Here's Cyclops.

[SpectreX]

Just wow! This is so nice!
Also the reflection in the rain, awesome!
Can't wait to see the rest ^^

[Brynklord]

Wow! What a great idea! I'm so excited to see more of your work!

[MarcSteinmann]

Looks awesome man. I saw that all the other finished pieces were completely redesigned, where cyclops is the only one you actually used one of the concepts + an extra shoulder pad, hehe.

Great work still. Wonder who's next?

[matt_radway]

Man, would never have thought to make Colossus the blacksmith, that's BRilliant dude! Thanks for sharing these!!

[Rognoll]

Dwarf wolverine tremendous stuff.

[Simonarpalmer]

Really cool cyclops Nate! Good job overall, just like Rognoll I approve of the dwarven Wolverine :-)

[Andromonoid]

Awesome re-designs hehe! And I really like the rendered pieces a lot, very good colors and values in them. Just be careful with the proportions.

[NateHallinan]

Thanks everyone for the comments.

Here's Lady Jean Grey.