"Verdant" is a story based on the german tale "Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten" (The Town Musicians of Bremen). This concept art features the development and design of two characters from this storyline, Aari and Garu. The goal of this project was to reinvent and modernize the tale, while keeping the core structure and features.

Story
‍
‍

Short

Aari, an orphan maid with a crippled foot, dreams of freedom in a palace where everything is forbidden. When she discovers a book in the library about a forgotten goddess, she is banished. She flees by night and encounters Garu, a magical being, and the war robot Kling. Together, they learn that the tyrannical king is seeking the key to a sealed energy source, the Chi.Determined to stop him, they sneak into the palace. In the final battle, Aari unleashes a divine power and, through a vision, realizes that the king is her father—a former inventor who, driven by greed for power, destroyed the Garu people. Despite his attack, Aari hesitates to kill him, but with the help of her friends, she defeats him.Two years later, the kingdom has become a flourishing oasis once more, and Aari enjoys her freedom.

Full

‍Aari grew up as an orphan under the care of the royal handmaid, enduring a grueling twelve-hour cleaning shift each day, struggling with her crippled foot. She longs for any form of freedom—something strictly forbidden within the cold walls of the palace. Books, music, and art are all either heavily regulated or outright banned. Her impulsive nature often lands her in trouble, until one day, she is caught in the royal library.The book that captivates her describes magical beings and a figure resembling Mother Nature, said to have once existed. Enraged, the tyrannical king banishes Aari to her chamber.
‍
But she has planned ahead—she secretly pockets a few torn-out pages, which depict a divine figure, the same one that has appeared to her in visions. Trusting her instincts, she attempts to escape the kingdom under the cover of night—the perfect opportunity to test her self-made foot support. Disguising herself in her cleaning uniform, she frees her legs and sets off.Halfway to the city walls, she is intercepted by a mysterious man who silently hands her a sword and reveals a secret passage to the eastern gate—there is no time for questions. Aari thanks him, pulls herself together and dashes towards the gate into freedom. She runs past the guards and through the gate, so fast that her foot support shatters—yet, to her surprise, she moves faster than ever before.

After narrowly escaping the guards, she seeks refuge in the nearby forest. Still in shock, she suddenly encounters a small creature. In the moonlight, it examines her foot—and to her astonishment, it begins to glow a vibrant green, appearing completely healed. As she takes a closer look at the creature, recognition dawns upon her—it matches the description from the book.The being introduces itself as Garu. It tells her that it once lived in a flourishing oasis, which was destroyed by the greed of a tyrannical king—along with its entire people. Garu believes that Aari is the reincarnation of the goddess who vanished that day. Together, they decide to uncover the past and overthrow the king.

As they journey through the forest, they stumble upon the ruins of a robot, buried beneath the leaves. When they accidentally activate it, it immediately attacks Garu—but to Aari’s astonishment, it halts at her command, “Stop!”.

Garu recognizes the machine as KL1N-6 (Kling), a weapon once used to exterminate his people. However, Aari convinces Garu that Kling does not mean any harm anymore and can help them on their mission. Together, they devise a plan to infiltrate the palace.

The next morning, their attack begins, Sneaking in through the supply gate, they reach the throne room, where they once again encounter the mysterious man—he reveals himself as Nolan, the king’s brother. He had hidden the book for Aari, leading her here, because only she has the power to defeat the king. As Kling and Garu confront their own fears, Aari continues towards the king's room and faces the tyrant himself.The king overpowers her in battle and talks her down—until his words become so emotional that Aari finally pieces everything together.

A vision reveals the truth: long ago, a young inventor fell in love with Mother Nature, a mystical woman who lived among the Garu. Together, they created breathtaking inventions, blending life energy with technology. But greed consumed the man—he wanted the power of life (Chi) that flowed from the Tree of Life for himself.To stop him, the goddess sealed the Chi—and herself—into stone. In his fury, the inventor commanded his machines to destroy the Garu and built a kingdom over the ruins of their home. Yet, one last remnant of his past remained: his one-year-old daughter, whom he could never bear to look at again. He left her in the care of the handmaid and forced himself to forget her.

Now, he stands face to face with his daughter—just as Aari is confronted with her own past. Half of her body takes on a divine form as she gains control over the power of Chi. Desperate, the king strikes at her, but she is stronger. She has the chance to end him once and for all—but she hesitates. The king seizes the moment to erase his past forever. With a powerful blow, he knocks Aari to the ground, draining her strength.But in the final moment, her friends step in. Together, they face the tyrant—and defeat him.

Two years later, the kingdom has transformed into a flourishing oasis. The Chi flows, and Aari, Garu, and Kling finally enjoy their well-earned freedom.

Aari takes on the role of the main character, uniting all the others throughout the story with her strong sense of community. She inherits this trait from her mother, along with her fascination for nature and the unknown. Within her burns a spark that longs for freedom and excitement, granting her an inventive and energetic spirit. However, the impulsiveness she inherited from her father makes her rebellious and sometimes leads her to overstep boundaries.

Her sharp, orange hair reflects her energetic nature but is mostly concealed at the beginning of the story. The uniform, representing the kingdom, covers her. Yet, in line with her rebellious character, strands of her hair push through, fully revealing themselves once she escapes captivity. Her silhouette also evolves—from a static, rectangular shape to a dynamic triangular form—visually mirroring her personal growth.Her blue clothing symbolizes her pursuit of freedom, creating a striking contrast with her fiery hair. Additionally, her freckles reflect the natural essence she inherited from her mother.

Garus' character is largely shaped by his trauma and the resulting loneliness. He is a loner, withdrawn and introspective, as his trauma has left him deeply fragile. As a result, he outwardly appears grim and sullen. Much like his past, his appearance is predominantly colorless and dark.
His scarf reflects his aggressiveness through its red hue, while the combination with purple symbolizes a hint of vengeance. However, his large, glowing light-green eyes reveal his adventurous and curious nature—the Chi that resides within him.

In contrast to his pointed ears, his overall shape is round and harmless. Due to his young age and lack of proper upbringing, he does not fully understand how to use his claws. Instead, he wields a self-made slingshot as a weapon, further emphasizing his inherent harmlessness. He is incapable of hunting for survival and instead relies on foraging, mainly gathering plants such as mushrooms in the forest.
Through the Chi that both characters possess, Aari is able to befriend him despite his emotional barriers.