Location and inspiration.

I figured I really wanted a feeling of non-survivability for Bard by himself, so to me that means mountains and Winter cold.

Lots of blues and snow, likely night time for most of the story.
I want to include the forest in the idea of a cliff as well, so I have been working on trying to figure out how to make a forest interesting enough. I am thinking a rather large pine tree/vine growing up and in the side of a cliff.
I have yet to get the right feeling in what I want it to be.
Reasoning for this is that I want to have Bard walking along a mountain path being all cold and sneezy and walks across one of the branches covered in snow and slips, only to be caught by the same tree slightly below dangling by a foot.

For the style of the backgrounds I was really thinking of playing with some Group of seven style, with the whole majesty and almost mythology of Canadian landscape.
http://www.groupofsevenart.com/gallery.html

As for the inspiration for the characters, D&D is the main source for it all. But with some spice from other places.
I want to get some of the same lighting feeling that the game Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess had.
Also right now I think it is a tab bit hard not to be inspired by Scott Pilgrim, due to the fact that he grew up in my home town.

That is all I can think of for the moment, other than I want to say thanks to my friends whom I have been bouncing ideas off of for this, specially Ka and Fuzz <3

Milestone 1 done!