Character Artwork - Tarkian Mercenary (Patreon)

The province of Tark was formerly a sovereign country conquered and assimilated into the Empire. It has always been a region of vast deserts and arid mountains. Its people are a hardy folk who were already adapted to a life in barren lands, which allowed them to easily adapt to the many new deserts on the continent after the Calamity. Thus, many of them are natural explorers and traders - but quite a lot of them are mercenaries.

The Tarkian Mercenary enemy is a representative of that type of hired sword: a versatile fighter that can be dangerous both in melee and from range. Although more famous for their archery, Tarkian warriors are also known for a dance-like, quick fighting style with curved blades, using scimitars and advanced bows for these different combat modes.

Their design - similar to that of other Tarkian characters in the game - carries heavy ancient Middle-eastern influences, especially Persian, albeit with a decidedly fantasy-take on the material culture. There is a variant of the enemy, the Handjari Soldier, with differences in appearance and background, as they are the rank-and-file warriors of the arid province's armies, often seen supporting Imperial troops.