"You cannot imagine how this feels, Lexa. Such power. Such...overwhelming strength! I wish to share it with you. You WILL accept the Direwind. And you WILL kneel!" -Ashala before unleashing a plagued vortex at Lexa.

Lexa Grasspaw was not the only naturalist of the Blackburrow clan. In fact, she and her childhood friend, Ashala Gnarlfur, were both gifted with druidic magic at a young age, marked at birth for the unique powers of nature the two would be blessed to hold. The two were inseparable, almost like sisters from the same mother. They studied, practiced, and meditated together always, all throughout their childhood and mature years. Although, tragedy would soon strike, as the Direwind began to move in on the Blackburrow clan, easily seizing the opportunity to abduct and corrupt members of the clan in their war against the Qeynosian humans. Determined to safeguard their home and people from this new threat from abroad, Lexa and Ashala both accompanied an expedition group to the far-off lands of Goru Kar Mesa in an attempt to locate the focal point of the Direwind and to set up druidic wards to keep them contained. This failed miserably through, as the expedition group was mercilessly ambushed on the dark roads of Blightfire Moors, cut well-short from their intended destination. Many Blackburrow warriors and fighters alike perished, unprepared for just how horrifically powerful the Direwind truly were. In a desperate attempt to save her friend's life, and indeed, the lives of the remaining expedition group, Ashala stayed behind to cover the retreat, holding the Direwind back long enough for the others to flee. In the end, Ashala was overpowered and taken prisoner and tortured mercilessly by the Direwind, having the unlucky fate of being sent directly to Yex Bloodfur. Her body, mind, and soul alike were torn asunder, subjected to the horrific treatment in the hands of Yex. Overtime, her stalwart mind succumbed, and the Direwind curse was forced into Ashala, exposing her to the horrid 'blessings' of the plague god. Now, this once noble and serene druid has been altered at the behest of her new masters, forced to serve the Direwind and enact their will. With plagued winds and corrupted, unholy vines, Ashala is now forced to destroy that which she swore to protect, and it is unknown if a sliver of her old consciousness resides within her shattered mind...

This OC was inspired by  wolxthewolf in an earlier conversation we had about corrupted druids. He was curious as to what would happen, and frankly, I was too, so I modeled this OC with his inspiration and now here she is. In terms of design and colors, Ashala might be one of my new favorites! I really had a blast modeling this character, and I couldn't have done it without my friend. Leave a fav and a watch if you liked, and stay tuned!