Study of Arazue in Green Ink

Study of Arazue in Green Ink, 2025. Green ink on vellum, 4 x 6 in.

Arazue is the most level-headed and serious of the three priestesses in Ashes and Dust. As a native of the Zabool region, she has a strong rapport with the locals… except for her sister, Tiranna, who single-handedly runs the family’s soap- and candle-making business on the settlement’s outskirts.

This is a new drawing based on in-game graphics from 2020. It was executed in Alt-Goldgrün ink by Rohrer & Klingner with a Jowo #6 broad nib.

Study of Marra as Reinhilde

Study of Marra as Reinhilde, 2025. Sepia ink on vellum, 4 x 6 in.

Marra is a ghostly entity that appears in Venzell’s dreams in Lonesome Voyages. Taking on the appearance of whoever is on Venzell’s mind at the time, Marra taunts and teases Venzell as she suffocates him in his sleep while occasionally offering advice on upcoming events. She starts disguised as Reinhilde, but depending on the player’s actions during Venzell’s daydreams, could alter her appearance to resemble other characters or even reveal her “true” form.

“If I’m your dream, what’s stopping you from being someone else’s dream? Maybe we’re all waiting for someone else to wake up, to slowly forget about us as they get on with their lives.”

— Marra

Marra’s exact nature is never explicitly revealed. Is she a figment of Venzell’s overactive imagination? If so, how can she know things Venzell doesn’t, or can’t, himself know?

Study of Leoba Lighting Candles

A blue pen and ink figure drawing of a woman with long dark hair, wearing an ornate clerical outfit, standing on her tiptoes and holding a lit match in her outstretched hand.

Study of Leoba Lighting Candles, 2025. Blue ink on vellum, 4 x 6 in.

There are two reasons why Leoba’s main duty at the Zabool Shrine of Lucca is keeping the candles and incense cones lit: she’s the tallest of the shrine’s priestesses and can reach most of the candles without a ladder, and she’s not good at much else.

Aside from maintaining the candles, Leoba spends her time in contemplation and prayer before the sacred pillar or in her quarters in the shrine’s basement. She mainly prays for a renewed connection with the Goddess Lucca and the Returned, who she saw in ecstatic visions as a child but not since.

Study of Reinhilde in Sanguine and Sepia Ink

A sanguine and sepia pen and ink drawing of a young woman with red hair gazing intensely at the viewer.

Study of Reinhilde in Sanguine and Sepia Ink, 2025. Sanguine, sepia, and blue ink and gouache on vellum, 4 x 6 in.

Despite being an aspiring theologian and priestess, Reinhilde has a violent streak: she initially plays an antagonistic role in Lonesome Voyages, instigating the duel that ends with Venzell under house arrest and with a large scar on his face.

“‘Whenever someone upsets me or my friends, I make sure they pay for their transgressions! With their blood! I’m only two wins away from setting the record for “most duels won” at my school!’
Venzell’s face fell. ‘Well... given that you’re a student at the Theology Academy, I’m horrified that this number isn’t zero. I can’t imagine that the Enshrinement would approve of an eminent theologian stabbing anyone who disagreed with her.’
’That’s why I’m doing this kind of stuff now! Before I take any vows!’”

Depending on the player’s choices in Venzell’s daydreams, Venzell and Reinhilde may strike up an unlikely friendship during his captivity, despite her being the major cause of it.

Study of Teccla Sweeping Ash from the Shrine Steps

A sanguine red pen and ink figure drawing of a woman wearing a cloak over ornate clerical wear, with a scarf over her face, holding a broom.

Study of Teccla Sweeping Ash from the Shrine Steps, 2025. Sanguine ink on vellum, 4 x 6 in.

Ashes and Dust is set in the Rodinian city-state of Zabool. The settlement is situated near a crater of eternal flame that spews clouds of ash into the air at regular intervals. This “ashfall” is one of the few natural cycles of time present on Neith, and functions as a day/night cycle for the settlement’s residents: people sleep while the ash falls and dig or sweep themselves out after it stops.

The natural rhythm of the ashfall conflicts with the rhythm of time as kept by the Enshrinement of Lucca, which depends on the burning of sacred candles. The priestesses at Zabool’s Shrine of Lucca often perform illuminations and read passages to an empty shrine during ashfall and repeat the readings once everyone else has woken up. One of Teccla’s jobs around the shrine is keeping the front steps clear of fallen ashes.

“Sweeping, sweeping, sweeping!
Sweepy, sweepy, sweep!
Sweep away the ashes before they get too deep!
Line them up like prisoners, back them up against the wall!
Raise your guns and—”

— Teccla's sweeping song, thankfully interrupted