Candlelight Cove Dump (Lore Included)

I draw this crew a lot, because they're fun and make great warm-up material.  Therefore, I'll be making dedicated posts for them going forward so every image dump isn't filled with cats and psycho-wolves.

In the meantime, have a concept summary, because you people should have context for this thing I keep going on about.

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Somewhere there's a town, a small flicker of light nestled between the sea and a vast, vast forest.  No one knows where it is, but the only way to arrive is by washing up on its shores.  The sun never quite rises, and it doesn't stay up for long.  The people there are strange, with secrets to share and secrets to keep. They all seem to come from different times and places, and what's more, the longer you stay, the more you start to change, and people can stay for a long, long time. The townsfolk make a reasonable living growing whatever takes to the soil and salvaging debris that washes up on the beach, doing what they can to make it through the night and with each other. Of course, living near the woods doesn't make this easier.  The forest is filled with voices that know your name, that know who you are, and know what you've done. Sometimes these voices are imagined, sometimes terribly real, but they are always, always calling.

It's a place where light is precious, but you must live with what it reveals, along with the shadows it casts.

Candlelight Cove is the town's name, or at least the only name anyone remembers.

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Some townsfolk:

Olli: A calico.  Musically inclined, she's more or less the only source of entertainment in town (or the only one worth noting, if you ask her.)  If you don't like her insistence on covering prog-rock tunes on her accordion, you're out of luck.  Excitable, exuberant, and a show-off.  She plays loud.

Eliza: A saluki.  She stands guard on the wall separating the town from the forest because sometimes bad, bad things try to break in and she's having none of it. Considering what happens to Cleo, you can figure out what she has to contend with.  She has proven her ability to do the job many, many times over.

Brynne: A rat.  A smile always seems to linger on her snout, but her demeanor makes it difficult to tell what she’s smiling about.  Her lack of sight doesn't hinder her ability to know what's happening to those around her.  Her other senses can pick up on things going on inside you before you even realize what’s happening.  Knows the town backwards and forwards and in directions you don’t even know exist.

Chesapeake: Slowly, slowly turning into a bat.  A relative newcomer, she finds herself deep in the throes of whatever effects people in town and detests every minute of it.  Distant and reserved, she keeps her demeanor on a tight leash, lest she “agitate her condition.”  The wings makes things difficult for her, but she refuses to budge on her stylistic sensibilities.  

Cleo:  Another new arrival, as is evident.  She wants nothing more than to leave this place before “it gets to her.”  Wholly unwilling to trust anyone in town.  Cleo is stubborn, bull-headed, and has zero interest in making friends.  Things only get worse for her, but does she deserve it?

Barlowe: A fox.  His arm came off long before he showed up.  Growing the tail but no missing appendages left him convinced that this place, whatever it is, is laughing it up.  At this point he’s more tired than anything else.  A long-timer, he prefers to spend his days drinking, fishing, drinking, playing cards, drinking, and drinking.

Evan: The newest arrival to town.  A fast-talker in love with the sound of lies, even the bad ones.  Small things tend to go missing around him.  Not always as clever as he thinks he is.  Evan must now contend with a place where lies come to a boil and secrets snap like bear traps.

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Long story short: It will be a long form piece of character drama with strong tf elements and bountiful suffering.  The plan is to take the illustrated novel approach, and Mob Mentality is the dry run for the entire concept.  It’ll be fun.