Rider Design Guide

Each player starts out with two rider slots. Additional rider slots may be earned by accumulating Echelon Points (EP).

Specialties cannot be changed once your rider's import is uploaded to the RidersOfME account so make sure you are happy with your choice. Alternatively, you can always leave them blank on the template and decide later on. 

The rider you create for Moren Ezen must be human, and feature all naturally occurring human characteristics. Special emphasis is given to eye colour! - this must be within the scope of natural hue, brightness and saturation.

Rider references must be full-body.

At the minimum, the face must be visible. It cannot be covered by any masks, bandanas, etc.

Unlike horses, Moren Ezen's riders are drawn freely onto the Rider Application Template. You can choose to draw any pose so long as the rider's face is completely visible.

Riders drawn onto the application template should at a minimum, have their genitals covered. You do not have to design a complete outfit at the time of submitting your character, but should consider it for future art they are featured in.

Your rider's application image may be either flat coloured or shaded, so long as it is a good colour reference (shading should not be overly saturated).

Mild gore is allowed - bloodstains, scars, and disfigurations. Heavy gore such as open wounds will not be approved.

Your application must be digital. Traditional references will not be accepted. 

Your application must be an original image. No pre-made or reused bases.

You may commission another artist to design your rider for use on the template. Please make sure that the artist is okay with the image being uploaded to the group and let them know they will be credited on the upload. The design may also be uploaded to the artist's own gallery as a transparent image (without the template background).

As with horses, if you should decide you no longer wish to use your rider, they can be sold to another member or deceased and become inactive in the group.

The Items section to the left of the template is reserved for any personal items, close-ups or details of your rider's overall reference, such as scars or tattoos. The main section to the right should show only the rider (and one pet, if desired), and be clear of any additional clutter.

A rider application may show up to 1 pet on their application, however they may own more animals that feature in your other drawings or stories. These are separate from animal companions that provide in-game bonuses for your riders or horses. Pets should be domestic animals, and reasonably able to be kept safely.
- Large carnivorous or otherwise dangerous animals may not be kept as pets. This includes mammoths, wolves, lions, shadowcats, raptors, cheetahs, dune dogs etc.
- Mounts (aka Jibitas or Haspars) may not be depicted as pets on a rider's import.

We recommend reading through the Lore Pages before beginning your rider’s design to learn the aesthetic and details about the world of Moren Ezen, such as the materials, tools, weapons, clothing, and overall culture which will help you with designing.

Your rider’s clothes should fit the setting of the game. Moren Ezen is post-apocalyptic, set 600 years after the crash of civilization. What were once cities as we know them today have been left in ruins and in the absence of technology and science people have reverted to a traditional, tribal lifestyle. Clothing and weapons are handmade from materials found, mined, or grown naturally, and would not be in the styles we see today. Ancient materials such as synthetic fabrics, zippers, buttons, tire rubber, and velcro are treated as precious heirlooms when they are worked into crafts. Metals are scarce and precious, and are usually passed down through families.

Moren Ezen has a wide range of diverse landscapes. You may look at modern day native and nomadic groups for inspiration, some examples including but not limited to: Inupiaq, the Sami, the Qashqai, Mongolian horsemen, the Gabra, the Kuchi, and the Bedouin. Traditional and native styles from all over our world are excellent to keep in mind when designing your rider.  Additional inspiration can be taken from the Moren Ezen Pinterest board.​

Tattoos, scars, and scarification are all permitted and you may link a minimally clothed version of your image in the rider import information to show them off. However, as is the case with clothing, any body marks must fit in with Moren Ezen’s setting. A tattoo of an iPhone, for instance, would not be appropriate. In addition, imagery may not contain religious or culturally offensive symbols.

Since there are no commercially available bleaches or dyes, any hair dye must be natural. Natural sun-bleached hair, hair bleached with lemon, cinnamon, henna or honey, or lighter hair colors could be colored with natural dyes. A good reference is modern day natural dyes, like Woad, Beetroot, Yarrow, Akalamata Root, Walnut, and Nettle. Colors would be faded and typically range in slate blues, purples, dark amber yellows and oranges, darker reds and olive greens. Neon colors or bright primary colors like royal blue will not be accepted. This also means that characters with dyed hair should primarily originate from tropical areas, where there are an abundance of plants for dyes, and traditional knowledge for extracting dyes. The Moren Ezen Pinterest board has some great examples of natural color palettes.

After the wars ended and the world began to settle, a council was formed and agreed that for the interest of humanity’s survival, a census should be taken every five years. Anyone over the age of 12 (the minimum age to become a trained rider) is assigned an ID number, which can be engraved onto a piece of metal jewelry to be worn at all times, or tattooed directly onto the skin. This number allows for tracking of population and in recent years has served as a proof of identity for entering national competitions.