VolSa: Orhleigh WIP

[Edit] It seems like I'm never going to get this particular app done. Just so everyone knows, I'm working on a new version of the app which has a different outfit. I will be updating the bio in that one as well, but the most recent development in his story is that he is no longer a leader and is out searching for his dad. At some point I intend to write and/or draw the story, haha. This app will still be up, if anyone wants to reference it. [End Edit]

Ok, so, I'm not done drawing the whole thing, but I figured I would upload this anyways so that you guys could at least see what your 2nd Lumeria leader looks like. He'll be finished within the next 2-3 days!

Question 1: Why does Lumeria have two angsty teenagers as leaders? Must have something to do with the sometimes gloomy weather. XDDD
Question 2: Why are both Lumeria leaders traps/trappy? I has no idea. In my case, I only draw pretty boys when I'm pulling characters out of my head without refs.

Obsessions/artistic trends showing through in this character design: HAIR, ancient Greek culture, long noses, and pretty boys. Throw in elaborate clothing that is girly and doesn't make complete sense but is kinda pretty, just for good measure.

Something new: OMG a REDHEAD. And horse ears and fish tail!

Anyways, finally finished, orz.
Wall of text ahead!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Name: Orhleigh (pronounced OR-lay)
Species: Winged hippocampus
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Job: Leader of Lumeria

Talents
Drawing: Orhleigh's talents lie in cartography (drawing maps) and botanical drawings.
Knife throwing: Don't mess with him. You may get a blade in your throat or between the eyes before you can even blink. Don't challenge him to a knife throwing contest or bet against him in one, either. His competitive blood makes him go all out, and you WILL lose. XD (AND HE'S YOUR LEADER LOLOLOL)
Braiding and knotting: The guy has to take care of his hair somehow. I mean come on, look at it! XD (hairstyle here is one of his simpler styles, looool)
Research and analysis, but that's mostly related to his upbringing. (See history)

Appearance
I'll probably upload a ref sheet in the near future, but here's some traits I was aiming for. Some of them aren't completely obvious.
Fiery red, waving mass of hair
Pale skin
Blue-black horse eyes (the whites are basically nonexistent and pupils are different from humans, so take note!)
Petite stature with long legs. Height is roughly 5'2” or something like that.
Small, golden wings which seem to glow a little
Tail has pearly scales with a few reddish patches. Ears have a similar coloration, but without the red patches and scales. XD
End of tail is based on a goldfish fantail (looks kinda like a double tail, like a butterfly!)

Personality (subject to change as I figure out his personality in RP)
Orhleigh comes across as grumpy and totally “not cute” most of the time. Some would even call him a snob. A lot of people are intimidated by his grumpy, sometimes violent, behavior, but he's brilliant at what he does so they put up with it. Really, he's quite the teddy bear once you get to know him. He acts really disinterested when he's actually very interested in something not related to his research. If you bug/annoy him a lot and he really likes you, he'll get really defensive and perhaps threaten you with his knives. In the end, he wouldn't do anything to intentionally harm his friends, though. He gets really embarrassed when confronted with his true feelings if it's about something (or someone) he likes.

History
Since birth, Orhleigh was trained as a weapons specialist in order to take over from his father. Orhleigh was highly proficient in memorizing the details and history behind weaponry and had an eye for quality, but he was not physically able to actually handle many of the bigger weapons. His father was therefore harsh and intensive with his physical training, intending to mold his son into a “proper man.” Orhleigh's physique would never allow him to build muscle, but he found that between agility, greater knowledge and quicker wits he had an advantage over his opponents. The trick was to train his body to respond in a way that followed this thinking even if his style would be drastically different from his father's. Despite his father's strict discipline, Orhleigh loved and looked up to his father.

When Orhleigh was seven years old, the mafia took his father away and seized the family property. He and his mother were brought before the leader, who then tested Orhleigh's knowledge of weaponry. The leader was impressed and decided to manage Orhleigh's education. Everything was settled so that he and his mother lived very comfortably, but the leader impressed upon the two of them that things would go badly if either of them tried to defy the group. Neither of them ever saw his father again.

For the most part, Orhleigh wasn't unhappy. In his father's house, he hid his true emotions behind harsh words, silence, and the occasional squabble. The situation merely reinforced these tendencies to deny his real feelings in order to shield himself from the criticism of the people around him. However, the issue of his father always bugged him. The only person who would know his father's status was the leader and his closest followers, and Orhleigh found out very quickly that his father was not up for discussion. All he was told was that his father was “taken care of.” Orhleigh decided that the only way to figure things out was to learn enough to work things out on his own. Over the years, Orhleigh received a top education. Besides further study and training in weaponry, he learned to draw maps, studied herbal poisons, mathematics, engineering, codes, languages, and analytics. His increased agility and proficiency with lighter weapons, particularly knives, made him a formidable opponent in one-on-one situations. Orhleigh was able to handle heavier weapons as he got older, but never with the same grace. His brilliancy comes out in mapmaking. In preparation for a time when he would possibly have to search for his father, Orhleigh studied maps with such intensity that it wasn't long before he excelled in this area. He practiced drawing maps and memorized them whenever he could.

Recently, a new mafia group attacked and took over the territory, killing everyone in the main house. Orhleigh managed to save his mother and the old leader, but the man sustained near-fatal injuries. Orhleigh refuses to let him die until he learns what happened to his father and why his family was involved with the mafia.

Leader of Lumeria
As one of the newest leaders, Orhleigh was chosen for his smarts and general no-nonsense attitude. He accepted mainly because he thought the position would help him get information on his father and it would be easier to keep an eye on the old mafioso. Also, he is unconsciously proving to his father that one doesn't need to be a “real man” in order to succeed, but to excel based on one's own merits. Orhleigh has much to learn about the management of a country, but he will take his job seriously.

Miscellaneous
He really likes water (related) fights. They get his adrenaline pumping, but he'll never admit it and tries to look bored and uninterested whenever he hears about one. Lol, so childish. XD This also translates to snow fights.
Let's say that his cooking isn't always the most palatable.
He is a bit self-conscious about his girly looks and doesn't appreciate such related remarks.
His hair has the uncanny ability to look like it's flowing through water when left loose. Whether or not it's actually in the air, it always has a flowing quality to it. The rings and beads in his hair are not only accessories, they also weigh the hair down a bit so that it doesn't float all over the place. Orhleigh doesn't bother cutting his hair because it grows like kelp (a bit of an exaggeration, but the growth rate is exceedingly fast) and it's easy enough to take care of. When wet and straightened out, it trails all over the floor. Yeah, he's got mermaid hair. XD
His clothes are based on some African ethnic tribal thing, I think (roomie says it looks Egyptian, but that's only because I made it all drapey instead of ribbony, oh, and the collar). I fooled around with it. Those funny, blue ribbon things on the sleeves are detachable, by the way. Feel free to play with his clothing and hair styles! Just don't chop off his hair, yo. >:

Other people's renditions:
by ~ShadowStar-Sage [link]
by ~Erulisse2 [link]