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Player: redwerecat
Name: Shadowspore
Nicknames: Affectionately called 'Orrie.
Species: Sentinel of Noctua
Age: Young Adult
Hatch Date: 12/12/??
Type: Ghost
Task: Ranger
Personality: While Shadowspore can not be called by any means warm an' fuzzy, he isn't exactly an introverted loner. It's true he prefers his solitude, and even under the best conditions he has a tendancy of being quiet and slow to respond, but he can keep up a conversation. He like the silence that abounds when he flies, and uses most of his time scouting to mull over whatever else may be happening in his life, as he has no trouble paying attention to his surroundings while he thinks.
Shadowspore isn't cold, mind you. He'll gladly engage anyone in conversation, should they seem interested, and he only seems aloof due to his almost-permanent blank stare and long, heavily thought-over replies. Most assume he's ignoring them, when in truth, Shadowspore is more likely deciding upon the best course of action in his reply.
He's also got a bit of a reputation for snide, blunt remarks- when most of your community assumes your either a snob or an idiot, you develop a bit of a chip on your shoulder. Most impatient remarks directed his way are flipped back at the speaker, veiled by Shadowspore's bored monotone voice and his unenthusiastic appearance.
History: Shadowspore grew up perfectly normally for a fledgling. No horrid accidents, no great epiphianies, etc. He just ...grew up. Though admittedly, he was horribly scarred by his nickname. 'Orrie' never particualrly suited him.
He became a ranger simply because he loved to fly and be alone in the woods. His companion is enough company for him most days, and when Mushroom isn't enough, he will make the long flight in to visit his superiors, discuss events with other sentinels, or simply enjoy a bard's performance, time allowing.
Territory: Due to his temperament, Shadowspore chooses to live in a mostly remote area, with few others around. Therefore, his home is currently an old, gnarled, and quite branchy Elm tree within a few hour's flight of the southern border of the Cold Forest, and a two-days' flight from the Swift Cold River. There are trees enough that it itsn't hard for Shadowspore to find a place to rest, though one probably wouldn't call the area densely forested. Swarms of midges and other such nusiance-causing insects live in his territory due to his proximity to the river, but Mushroom is usually able to snack on enough to keep the population down.
Mate: None
Companions: Yes


Part II – Companions

Name: Mushroom
Species: Chirop
Age: Adult
Speech Ability: 5
Intelligence: 3
Skill: Shadowspore uses Mushroom mostly as a messenger, to send reports to the Deep Woods or other such tasks. It is interesting to know that Mushroom has a good memory capacity, even if he is rather dumb, and he has a habit of picking up whatever popular tune the Bards may be singing, and tends to hum/repeat whatever it may be constantly.

Part I – The Sentinel

Player: giftwrapped
Name: Chanterelle
Nicknames: Elly by his friends and Pa by his mus (and old fosterlings); jokingly called “Fancy” by his colleagues
Age: Senior
Hatch Date: 6 May
Type: Ghost
Task: Keeper
Personality:
Chanterelle is one of the granddads of Noctua. Slightly eccentric but always pleasant, this somewhat sad old gentleman is just that: gentle. Soft-spoken and fatherly, he has never turned away an interested inquiry into anything: his mus, his territory, his past, he’ll always talk, and he doesn’t lie. More and more frequently, he only tells part of the story, avoiding the bits and pieces where horribly sad things happen. Though he is in mourning, he still puts on an optimistic face (he has seen death before and knows it is inevitable. Besides, his mate will always be honoured) and is always ready to chat with some youngling about the future.

A true mus enthusiast, he received his first specimen as a fledgling and was breeding them by his Graduation. He would, without a doubt, be a Keeper, though he hunts for himself and gathers for his charges, as he does not want to burden anyone with his silly old self. Indeed, he is generous to a fault. His line rejects are without fail culled and delivered to the central distribution platform, and many mus who might otherwise have become prized breeders have been given to newly-Graduated Keepers. He offers his territory, which has very good hunting, as open ground to young Hunters who want to make a name for themselves. He always has room in his tree for anyone who wants to learn something, and he’s always willing to listen to problems.

Unfortunately, as he is getting on in seasons, he doesn’t make for the most sensible of conversation. His responses are not always concise and clear, and he has a tendency to get distracted and talk about his latest breeding program, or some anecdote from his earlier days.

Fierce in his day, Chanterelle’s age and recent past have banked much of that fire, though the coals still burn. He will defend anyone important to him with his life—and he is ready to give up his life for his Clan now, as well. If asked, he would work himself to death hunting and proving for the clan. He would cull his entire program for food if it were required.

History:
Chanterelle has been around for a long time; there aren’t many who remember him as anything but that elderly, quiet, good-natured presence herding a startlingly handsome pack of mus across their territory. Presumably, he had a childhood, and he jokingly says that his parents named him in hopes of him becoming a gatherer. He asserts that he immediately decided not to when he got his first mus (a reject from Fletcher’s line, as so many fledglings’ first mus are), and became a keeper instead. He’s been doing that for a long time, too: other than Fletcher’s highly-specialized line, his mus line is one of the oldest and most sought-after in Noctua.

He grew up, acquired himself a mate, but never had any eggs. It is assumed that he was incapable; he asserts that his mus (and, somewhat secondarily, all of the Clan’s fledglings) are his children and that he never minded not having a fluff of his own. His mate, a Minder, occasionally brought foster-fledglings home. A few young adult Sentinels, when asked, will smile and nod at the memory of staying in his home.

In more recent history, Chanterelle has had a few minor tragedies. An outbreak of mycoplasmal pneumonia destroyed an entire branch of one of his oldest lines (pink-eyed blacks) shortly before the Longest Night. The food shortage and intensely harsh winter led to the death of his mate, who was older than him by some seasons, as she insisted that all mus not necessary for breeding be culled and delivered for the younglings—and not fed to her. And Chanterelle himself lost his primary nesting tree in the Thunderbird’s assault. His mus, however were (for the most part) unharmed in that little mishap. So there are blessings hidden in curses.

And this generally cheery old fellow, though he is still grieving his mate and cleaning up the messes that have been made recently, is aware that life goes on—more aware than he will ever actually let others know.

Territory: Western edge of the Deep Woods. He has a very pretty patch of land near a small pond full of fish, and he often invites hunters and their alycons to share the bounty. He keeps his Mus a bit farther away, just so no wayward hunter gets the wrong idea, in mostly-hollow, enormous old oak tree. His nesting tree is another, smaller oak near the water: he likes the sound. The territory was large, but he has let others encroach on it in the moons since his mate’s death.
Mate: None: Deceased
Companions: Yes


Part II – Companions

Name: Accident
Species: Mus
Age: Young Adult
Speech Ability: 1
Intelligence: 5
Skill: Nearly silent but completely brilliant, Accident is, well, just that. Chanterelle is afraid to breed him and pass on the faulty genes that resulted in his albinism, but his cleverness and impeccable memory for anything that Chanterelle might have missed has made him invaluable in record-keeping.

Name: Silky
Species: Mus
Age: Adult
Speech Ability: 2
Intelligence: 4
Skill: Currently Chanterelle’s favourite brood female, Silky is the matriarch of his prized merle line.

Name: Dapper
Species: Mus
Age: Adult
Speech Ability: 4
Intelligence: 5
Skill: Chanterelle’s prize stud. He has an unusually high speech ability for one of Chanterelle’s mus, and he is (in both Chanterelle’s and his opinion) exceptionally handsome. He does well at keeping his clan in line.