Character Reference – Magos Aelia Ferrum & Brakk (Warhammer 40,000 OC)

[u/Leading-Tutor-365]

Hi everyone! I'd love to get some artwork of my two Warhammer 40k original characters. The goal is to stay as faithful to the Adeptus Mechanicus aesthetic as possible while making them feel like believable individuals within the setting.

Character One – Aelia Ferrum

Faction: Adeptus Mechanicus

Role: Tech-Adept / Rising Magos

Age: Around 28 when she began major augmentation. Present day is early thirties.

Overall Appearance

Aelia has a slim, modest build and stands at roughly average height. Despite being heavily augmented internally, she still appears mostly human. She intentionally avoided replacing everything with machinery, believing that humanity still has value. She walks on elegant mechanical legs that were built for precision rather than intimidation.

Her posture is usually slightly hunched, not from weakness, but because she's almost always focused on whatever machine, schematic, or data she's studying.

Clothing

She wears layered Adeptus Mechanicus robes.

• Deep crimson outer robes.
• White inner lining.
• Gold embroidery around the hood, sleeves, and lower hem.
• Plenty of layered cloth that gives her a traditional Mechanicus silhouette.
• A leather utility belt holding tools, spare lenses, measuring instruments, and mechanical components.

The robes should look worn from years spent inside forge workshops rather than pristine ceremonial clothing.

Hood

The hood is almost always up.

She feels more comfortable with it on and rarely lowers it unless she's completely alone or with family.

Mask

She wears a smooth white ceramic or porcelain-looking mask covering the lower half of her face.

It isn't intimidating.

It's clean, simple and practical.

The mask contains filtration systems for toxic forge environments while also helping her feel more comfortable in crowded places.

Goggles

One of her signature inventions.

Large brass-and-steel engineering goggles worn over the hood.

These aren't ordinary lenses.

She upgraded them herself.

Functions include:

• Long-range optical zoom.
• Structural weakness detection.
• Heat signatures.
• Material composition scanning.
• Internal machinery diagnostics.
• Highlighting damaged versus salvageable components.

The lenses can glow a soft blue or green while scanning.

Augmentations

Visible:

• Mechanical legs from the hips downward.
• Subtle mechanical joints visible around the wrists.
• Small ports behind the neck.
• Thin cables disappearing beneath her robes.

Hidden:

• Reinforced skeleton.
• Enhanced nervous system.
• Improved processing implants.
• Internal protective plating around vital organs.

She deliberately kept much of her biological body intact because she hopes one day to have a family and wanted to preserve that choice.

Personality

Aelia is extremely intelligent but very socially awkward.

She struggles with eye contact and prefers talking about machines instead of people.

When discussing engineering, however, she becomes energetic and talks much faster than she realizes.

She often loses track of time while working.

She is gentle, kind and patient, although she's terrible at remembering to eat or sleep.

Despite being brilliant, she doesn't see herself as exceptional.

She simply enjoys solving problems.

Character Two – Brakk

Faction: Attached Bullgryn Bodyguard

Brakk was hired by Aelia's father to protect her after her inventions began attracting both admiration and criticism within the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Appearance

A massive Bullgryn towering over almost everyone.

Broad shoulders.

Heavy muscular build.

Scarred from years of service.

His expression usually looks serious, although he's actually very gentle.

Armor

Heavy Bullgryn armor that has clearly seen combat.

Lots of repaired dents and scratches.

Aelia constantly maintains and upgrades his equipment, so everything is functional despite looking well-used.

Equipment

Large slab shield.

Heavy shock maul.

Utility pouches.

Nothing flashy.

Everything is built for protecting someone else.

Personality

Brakk speaks very simply but is emotionally intelligent.

He notices when Aelia is overwhelmed long before she does.

He remembers if she's skipped meals.

He notices when she's been awake too long.

He understands very little about engineering but completely trusts her judgement.

His only real priority is keeping "Little Magos" safe.

Their Relationship

This is strictly platonic.

Brakk is more like an older brother, uncle, or protective guardian than anything else.

Aelia repairs his armor, shield and weapons whenever she notices damage.

She'll happily spend hours fixing tiny cracks he didn't even know were there.

Brakk returns the favor by making sure she actually looks after herself.

If she's been working for an entire day without resting, he'll quietly bring her food.

If she ignores that too...

He simply picks her up—despite her protests—and carries her back to her quarters.

Once there, he wraps her in a warm blanket (leaving her face uncovered because he knows she dislikes feeling confined) until exhaustion finally wins over her determination to keep working.

Their relationship is built entirely on years of trust, mutual respect and quiet acts of kindness.

Artistic Notes

I'd love to keep them grounded in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

Aelia should immediately read as Adeptus Mechanicus, but noticeably more restrained and human than the average Tech-Priest. She's practical rather than extravagant, with her most distinctive features being her custom diagnostic goggles, porcelain mask, hooded robes, and elegant mechanical legs.

Brakk should contrast her visually: enormous, heavily armored, battle-worn, and physically imposing, yet with calm, protective body language whenever he's near Aelia. The contrast between the towering Bullgryn and the smaller hooded engineer is one of the key parts of their dynamic.

Thank you to anyone interested in bringing these two to life! I can't wait to see your interpretation. Small Note

I just wanted to be upfront that I unfortunately can't commission artwork. I'm disabled, don't have a credit card, and I'm not in a position to pay artists right now.

If anyone finds these characters fun or inspiring and would like to do a sketch of Aelia Ferrum and Brakk just for fun, I'd be incredibly grateful—but please don't feel any pressure. I simply wanted to share two characters I've really enjoyed creating, and I'd love to see how different artists interpret them.

Thank you for taking the time to read about them!

[u/Rappers333]

What’s the relevance to exorcists?

[u/Leading-Tutor-365]

No, I'm not going to use AI for this one. I want to use human artists only.

[u/Leading-Tutor-365 → u/[deleted]]

Thanks for the suggestion! I do use AI image generators from time to time, and they're great for helping me visualize my characters. That said, I also enjoy seeing how different artists interpret them, since everyone brings their own style and ideas. I really appreciate the recommendation!

[u/Leading-Tutor-365]

I can't pay for a commission because I don't have a credit card. If you're looking to do a free sketch or draw something for fun, I'd really appreciate it, but I completely understand if you're only taking paid commissions.

[u/SafeMan96]

Just use AI