RETIRED - Characters no longer RPing

[Shattered Moons]

A retired character may not have anyone apply to take over said character.

Currently Retired:
arrow Rook
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[Shattered Moons]

Rook
Approved: Wed Jun 18, 2008 7:37 pm
Retired: Tue Jul 15, 2008 4:44 am

AGE: 1236
SOULNAME: Khy
TRIBE: Wolfrider, with Glider ancestry
DESCRIPTION:
BACKSTORY:
MAGIC: Animal Bonding (Wolf, Bird), Gliding, Levitation, Sending (Very Strong), Magic Feeling (Strong)
RECOGNITION STATUS: Random
SIGNATURE:

DESCRIPTION

Rook

This ruddy-skinned, scarlet-maned elf stands tall for a Wolfrider, square-shouldered and lean in the way of plains predators. His carmine mane hangs in a brush around his face, parted down the middle and dangling at his temples like flowmoss. High, sharp cheekbones support almond-shaped eyes of slate gray, lidded with wary mischief beneath delicate, arched brows. A pert, snub-hooked nose leads down to a wide, smirking mouth with an easy smile. His sharp chin is adorned with the face-fuzz of an elder, standing out starkly in the same scarlet hue as his hair, and fuzzy red sidelocks sand like a bulwark before his pointed ears. His expression has a relaxed furtiveness to it, not unlike a raven keeping watch from a safe distance.

He is long-limbed and wiry for one of Timmorn's line, moving with the sleek grace of a Glider but lacking that willowy height and build. He is instead muscled with a rawboned strength, thick-skinned hands strong and tough with use. He wears a tight tunic of soft felt, black as a raven's wing and fringed with feathers around the shoulders and sleeves. Matching obsidian leggings lead down to soft-soled ebon boots, the attire seeming to swallow light rather than reflect it. A small sable quiver rests at his hip to complement the bow at his back, and a long ebony spear with a chipped obsidian tip is strapped alongside it. About him is the air of patient, quiet cheer, and he carries with him a scent not unlike grass after a rain.

Vesper

A rangy, long-limbed wolf, Vesper is slender and quick in the way of a plains wolf. A ruff of coal black fur cut with a few lines of smokey gray coat his form, and his pale amber eyes gaze intelligently with the understanding of a bond wolf. He is still young and has yet to reach his adult size, but it is unlikely he will grow much larger; his is the build of a wolf of the grasses, not of the woods.

Silhouette

Cawing mockingly, this cheeky raven seems almost too knowing, as if it is having a laugh at the world's expense. An impressive wingspan and thick build mark her as large for one of her kind, with shiny jet eyes that see and understand everything around her. She ruffles and grooms her feathers frequently, preening and primping like a vain maiden, and occasionally kicks an impatient foot if events are not unfolding as fast as she'd like.

http://www.elfwood.com/art/d/e/dejong/ravenguy.jpg.html

HISTORY

Rook was born to Skyrunner and Sweetroot, Wolfriders of the Father Tree Holt. Named Breeze as a cub, he was descended from a family with a strange geneology, and he carries that legacy with him into the world of the Shattered Moons.

Skyrunner's mother was Fleetfoot, an adventurous huntress of great skill and intemperate moods. Fleetfoot was a hotheaded scout, impulsive and stubborn, and she vied with all but chief Goodtree herself when trying to establish her social standing. She was blessed with an acutely strong Magic Feeling, and was able to locate the places where magic had bled into the land and avoid places where bad magic soured and became a threat to the Wolfriders. Though gifted, Fleetfoot was divided within herself, not understanding how her magic and her huntress life came together, and so her own soulname eluded her and left her with an emptiness inside that she tried to fill with respect and pride. When finally she had crossed a line and become violent in the defense of her reputation, Goodtree took her aside and told her the story of Stormlight, her mother who was similarly divided. Goodtree bid Fleetfoot to go out into the world and find herself, knowing that the young huntress would better serve the tribe when she understood herself. Fleetfoot set off toward sun-comes-up with her wolf-friend Dash, across the hills and the high-grass plains beyond, unsure of what she might discover.

After countless days of travel with only Dash for company, Fleetfoot began to feel a tug inside of her, pulling her onward toward a source of great magic. She had never felt such a strong pull before, and was unable to imagine what might be waiting for her at the end of her quest. What she found after a full week of pursuit was a small lake set amongst rolling hills, radiating a feel of magic and destiny. Around the lake grew an abundance of overripe dreamberry bushes, and the water itself was clear and cool unlike the muddy streams Fleetfoot had crossed to get to it. After gorging herself on the dreamberries, Fleetfoot was beset by blurry visions of High Ones calling forth water from a desert in millennia past, their power continually turning upon itself so that the desert began to grow with life. A rock shaper had funneled the water up from deep underground, shifting up nurturing soil to replace the sand and rock and allowing his own magic to flow into the place and bring it strength. It came to be known as the Dream Pool, and for good reason; the dreamberry bushes had flourished there, drawing on the magic of the High Ones and growing ripe and rich with the legacy of the High Ones. The waters of the Dream Pool itself filled Fleetfoot with a soothing calm that dulled her senses and put her into a dazed reverie -- so much so that she had neglected to notice the Dream Pool's tender, Tyrek.

Tyrek was one of the first to follow Voll to Blue Mountain, and while the rockshapers who came to be known as Brace, Egg, and the two known as Door were shaping the fortress to isolate it from the world, Tyrek was responsible for handling the sole tie to the outside that threatened the elves who would come to be called the Gliders -- hunger. A canny and wild-hearted elf, Tyrek was the first to bond with the great birds, breeding and domesticating them so that the elves chosen as hunters for Blue Mountain were able to leave and provide the others with food. Though not one of the Chosen Eight himself, Tyrek oversaw their training and taught them how to tend their mounts, wielding great political power within Blue Mountain. This power made him overproud, and in a foolish display of hubris he pitted himself against Winnowill to capture Lord Voll's ear and replace her as his advisor. Winnowill turned the Chosen Eight against their mentor, crushing Tyrek politically, and he was ultimately cast out of Blue Mountain by Voll and sentenced to exile for what was deemed an attempted coup for power.

Had he not been a wily and canny elf to begin with, Tyrek would have starved before long. However, he was able to use his skills with the birds of Blue Mountain to bid them to hunt for him, and had gathered enough knowledge from the humans that he knew how to create fire and provide himself with shelter. He headed toward the Vastdeep, thinking he would end his days staring out over the endless waters, but during his journey he felt the strong, steady tug of magic that led him inexorably toward the Dream Pool. He eventually became its tender, surviving on the plants that grew nearby and living his life in quiet contemplation of its magic and the true legacy of the High Ones.

It was thus that he came to watch over the dreamberry-haze of Fleetfoot. The ambient magic of the Dream Pool was powerful, and the soothing waters and readiness of ripe dreamberries made for an easy truce between the feral huntress and the wizened sage, but it was the hand of the High Ones that led to Recognition between them.

Tyrek and Fleetfoot spent only a handful of days together, but each understood the reality of their situation and their lives. Fleetfoot was far from her tribe, and having found her soulname and Recognized, she knew she owed it to her cub to raise it around its tribe, and owed it to her tribe to return and take her place now that she was complete. Tyrek had committed himself to the Dream Pool, and knew that it was not the place where Fleetfoot could raise a child. Her feral and undisciplined manner was offputting to him, and his slow contemplation of the past jarred against her sense of the Now. There was no love between them; only the instinctual drive of the High Ones. She would not stay away from her tribe, and he would not follow her to become an alien and outcast guest among the Wolfriders, unwanted and misunderstood. They parted ways amicably, with Tyrek keeping his vigil at the Dream Pool and Fleetfoot returning to her tribe.

Fleetfoot gave birth to Skyrunner, who inherited the magical talents of both his father and his mother. The powerful magic of the place of his conception ensured that he had bred true to both sides of his heritage, and his uniqueness among the Wolfriders as a gliding elf meant that he never took his gifts for granted. He inherited ambition and keen senses from both parents, and built his own reputation as a firebrand. When he recognized patient fruit-gatherer Sweetroot, the result of their union was the best of both -- bright, tranquil Breeze.

Breeze's legacy was a powerful one. From his father he was touched by the lasting legacy of the Dream Pool and his granddam's Recognition. He was able to glide from infancy, and with his father's careful and insistant instruction he developed his ability to levitate objects and to cast his Magic Feeling out and sense its presence, like Fleetfoot. Breeze lacked his father's temper and brashness, instead inheriting his mother's quiet serenity and thoughtful nature. He became a scout like his sire and granddam, improving upon their natural talents with his impassive quiescence. His natural affability and sense of humor made him a popular member of the tribe, but without his father's fire he was set on the lifelong path of follower rather than leader.

The true surprise of Breeze's life was the discovery that he could Send to birds, building a gentle affinity with them similar to the one he had built with his first wolf-friend, Skitter, but on a greatly reduced level. Unbeknownst to Breeze and his parents, this too was the legacy of Tyrek. When Breeze bonded with a young raven named Chatter and learned how to communicate simple single-thought messages to the more intelligent birds of the forest, he took the adult name Rook.

Rook served as a scout and hunter for the Wolfriders, using his keen perception and the vantage granted by his Gliding ability to locate food during lean times. He became a solid archer and knife thrower, and favored the spear as a melee weapon because of its reach and versatility when used airborne. Coordinating with his raven in the sky and his wolf in the brush, he was often able to take prey by surprise and surround the beasts that fed his tribe and made him a valuable part of their family. He was not the best hunter, but he was the most versatile, and he was happy to fill a role within his tribe. It was a good life.

It was during this time that Rook Recognized Russet, the tribe's jovial howl-keeper. Russet was Rook's elder, and had already Recognized Graystone and born a grown cub named Moss by her Lifemate. The elder pair easily took in the young, affable Rook, and they raised their daughter Flurry together. Beloved by three parents, Flurry was a bubbly, cheerful child, inheriting her father's legacy and continuing the touch of the Dream Pool upon his line. Flurry grew up alongside Mantricker's son Bearclaw, helping the chief's son to pull pranks on unsuspecting elders.

It was later in life when Rook took to wandering. Flurry had grown, taking the name Swiftwing and leading other young Wolfriders in the hunt. With no cublings to tend and his mantle taken up by his own daughter, Rook became restless. His lifemates understood, and content with each other they bade him to go out into the world and find what was calling to him.

Rook set on his path to explore the world, finding much wonder and mystery in it. The Magic Feeling within him guided him to places touched by the High Ones, and he crossed paths with the elves who called themselves Go Backs attempting to reach the Palace of the High Ones and other disparates who knew they were not alone in the world but did not know where to look for others of their kind. Eventually he made his way to the Dream Pool, the very place where his life began, and he drank deep of its waters and tasted its dreamberries.

Waiting for Rook at the Dream Pool was wizened Tyrek, his skin tanned from the sun and his manner slow and patient. Rook told his story to his grandsire, explaining that Fleetfoot had been killed by a bear in a hunt before Rook was born, and that her son Skyrunner was an elder of the Wolfrider tribe now, having bred true along with his own son and granddaughter. Tyrek was quietly saddened to hear of Fleetfoot's passing, but he had expected little else, knowing the dangers of her life and her goals for the future. He soon fell to talking with Rook, who was less feral and unpredictable than his granddam, and thus easier for Tyrek to understand. With the aid of the dreamberries and the Dream Pool itself, Tyrek shared stories with Rook of Blue Mountain and the Firstborn who had founded it, and how the Gliders had changed over time by denying the world. He told stories of the greater world, and the times before Blue Mountain, sharing knowledge with his grandchild before helping him to meditate on the Dream Pool itself.

With Tyrek's help and knowledge of the proper use of dreamberries, Rook began to learn more about the ones who had made the pool -- parched, starving High Ones looking or a place to rest, a respite from their fearful retreat from a world they could not escape. He learned especially of Auros, the Firstborn stone shaper who had pulled the water from the ground and given his life and his magic into the place to provide for those he left behind. Auros had reached deep into the earth through the stone until he had created a geyser, drawing water into the newly-made spring even as he pulled rich soil through the hard pack of the ground so that seeds would flourish. Though he perished in the doing, Auros' magic permeated the entirety of the Dream Pool, and among the first plants to grow in that place were the lush dreamberry bushes that now gave it shade. The great magic seeped into the Dream Pool made dreamberry visions especially vivid, and through concentration and meditation Tyrek and Rook discovered how best to see Auros' story, and to learn how one of the first of the High Ones' children learned to control and manipulate his own magic. Rook began to learn through observing and theorizing, and with Tyrek's help he grew in his knowledge of Sending, Magic Feeling, Gliding, and Levitation. Once Rook had drawn deep of that story and made those memories part of his own, he realized he had traded the Now and the Way of the Wolfriders for the knowledge of his ancestors. While it deepened his connection to magic and the Dream Pool, it had also robbed him of the simple bliss that comes with being one of Timmorn's get and experiencing the truth of wolf-thought.

Rook and Tyrek shared their domain at the Dream Pool for many turns, but eventually Tyrek began to waste away, refusing to eat and spending much of his time in meditation within the waters of the Dream Pool. He began to feel that Rook had arrived to take his place, and that his destiny was fulfilled; it was not his place to remain as a teacher anymore, and it was time for him to rejoin the High Ones. Though he tried to convince the old bird otherwise, Rook was unable to cure the old bird's ennui, and one day Tyrek simply vanished, possibly slipping below the surface of the Dream Pool and fading into it entirely by giving his magic over to his ancestors' creation.

Rook decided to take on Tyrek's mantle and make the Dream Pool his place in the world. He set to learning its mysteries, honing the magics within himself and trying to understand the history of the High Ones. Much of their lives were simply too foreign for Rook, and so he was unable to grasp many of the intricacies without Tyrek there to help interpret, but he did learn their stories and some of their ways. From time to time others would arrive at the Dream Pool, and Rook would gladly act as their guide, teaching them of its history and sharing the dreamberries and the memories they imparted. It was thus that he met Dreamsinger of the wolfriders, Jeydi and Yek of the Go Backs, and the Wavedancer Driftwood. He made storytellers of them, having learned the art from his lifemate Russet and giving them true tales of their ancestry, and sent them back to their people with stories of the High Ones and their magic.

Rook only left the Dream Pool when Driftwood returned to it, having felt a second call to the place and telling Rook that she would stay and tend to it as he had. At first they stayed together, two lovemates nestled in the High Ones' magic, but before long Rook began to realize that it was no longer his place -- he may come back some day, as many did, but it was time again to leave and wander. Curious of what had become of the Wolfriders in his many turns away, he resolved to turn back toward his tribe, taking his wolf-friend Vesper and his bonded raven Silhouette back with him.

It was after a week of this wandering that the Child Moon was sundered, and all was set in tumult. Rook went into hiding with his wolf Vesper and his raven Silhouette, and is now set on his path to discover what has become of the world after the Shattering. He is curious to discover if anyone he knows has survived -- his former tribemates and lifemates, his child, his students, or Driftwood and the Dream Pool.

MAGIC

Animal Bonding (Barely Controlled): As with almost all Wolfriders, Rook is able to form a magical bond with wolves; in addition, he is able to form such bonds with birds, mainly the more intelligent varieties of raptor and scavenger birds. Due to the thinning of his wolf blood, however, Rook has a much harder time establishing a wolf-bond, and does not feel the same connection that most Wolfriders feel to their wolf-friend due to the dampening of his instincts. He has a similarly hard time bonding with birds, and his communication with birds that he is not bonded to is limited to simple emotions and concepts such as "food", "quiet", and "go".

Gliding (Very Strong): A legacy from his grandsire and the Dream Pool, Rook is able to glide with the same ease as the Gliders of Blue Mountain. He has become quite adept with this gift, and due to his Wolfrider upbringing he has never taken it for granted, instead focusing on improving his ability for practical use as a scout and hunter.

Levitation (Average): Rook was able to hone his Gliding ability into telekinetic levitation, and is able to lift small objects with ease. Larger objects are a greater strain on him, and require his complete concentration. He has been unable to progress in this ability for a very long time due to a lack of sufficient tutors, as neither his sire nor grandsire were particularly skilled with this method of magic.

Magic Feeling (Strong): Rook is particularly sensitive to currents of magic because of his long exposure to the Dream Pool, and often feels them call to him. Strong sources of magic pull at him almost tangibly, whereas weaker sources of magic are more like currents in the wind. This has left Rook fairly susceptible to magical influences, both benign and malevolent.

Sending (Very Strong): Rook's memories of Auros through dreamberry meditation and the influence of the Dream Pool helped strengthen his Sending, allowing him great strength in communicating with other elves in order to pass his lessons along or communicate over great distances. The detail and nuance of his Sending makes him an excellent teacher and storyteller, and the power of his will is considerable when focused.

TALENTS

Rook is an accomplished storyteller and howl-keeper, having learned the craft from his lifemate Russet and having grown more knowledgeable due to his time at the Dream Pool. He can easily entertain and educate others, and has no trouble holding their attention during a story.

Rook is a fair archer and knife-thrower, able to hunt his own food when needs be. He is skilled with a spear, relying on guile and cunning during a hunt or fight.

Rook is very agile and talented in the use of his Gliding ability, using it to keep himself at a distance from threats. His sharp eyes and ears make him a good scout on a hunt.

FLAWS

Rook's long association with the Dream Pool has left him a bit cloudy in the mind. He daydreams frequently, falling into a meditative reverie and having trouble concentrating and holding a thought. He seems addled or dazed at times, and may forget to do the things he's told or things he's agreed to do once they have lost his attention.

Rook can behave in a cowardly fashion sometimes, having grown used to being responsible solely for himself. His first instinct is to run from danger, seeking higher ground and eluding the reach of threats, and this may kick in during a time when he should be defending his allies or tribemates, with him instead abandoning them to save himself.

Rook has lost the Way and the Now, and no longer thinks like a Wolfrider. While he maintains the sharp senses and upbringing of that tribe, he does not have the pull of wolf blood any longer, and lacks the survival instincts that the Wolfriders maintain. This has put a strain on his ability to bond with wolves, and has made him a bit of an outsider to his own people.

Rook is sometimes overly confident of what he knows, feeling he has gained wisdom from the Dream Pool and may know better than others what to do in a given situation. This can have nasty results, as this kind of pride leaves him susceptible to a number of dangers.

DREAM POOL

Rook's understanding of the Dream Pool is flawed and incomplete, stemming mainly from dreamberry visions and the teachings of his grandsire, Tyrek. The pool itself is the living outgrowth of the magic of Auros, a Firstborn stone shaper, and so magic has seeped into the very water and stone of the Dream Pool and left its mark.

The Dream Pool is an especially fertile ground for plants, growing an abundance of vegetation such as trees, roots, and fruits. Among this vegetation are the many great dreamberry bushes that surround the Dream Pool, each bearing almost overripe dreamberries. The visions from these dreamberries are especially potent, hearkening back to Auros and the Firstborn in their desperation for food and water and carrying the stories of the elves who have stayed by the waters of the Dream Pool. Slow, careful ingestion of these dreamberries during peaceful meditation can suspend and magnify these visions, bringing an elf to a greater understanding of what occurred at the Dream Pool. It is difficult to ingest these berries merely as intoxicants, as their hallucinogenic properties are profound.

Drinking the waters of the Dream Pool brings about a deep calm that soothes the temper and the nerves, relaxing those who imbibe into tranquility. The waters soothe aches and pains, help injuries to heal faster (though nowhere near as quickly as the skill of a Healer), and enhance the visions brought about by dreamberries. Elves trying to use magic near the Dream Pool find that it is much easier to manipulate and control, the Pool's influence making magic flow more simply through the aether, and powerful magic users may be able to draw upon the Dream Pool's energy itself (though this was never something Tyrek and Rook attempted). The pool itself is a smooth stone basin with a long cylindrical shaft descending into the earth, from which the water itself is drawn.

If there are other secrets to the Dream Pool, they are unknown to Rook, even in speculation.

SIGNATURE

I still don't have one because I'm not a graphics guy, but I do have a dream avatar if anyone wants to make me a sig. I'm working on actually picking up the equipment for my dream avatar, but some of that stuff is friggin' expensive.  

[ChosenSavith]

Name: SilentWater (often gose by Silence)
Soul Name: none
Age: (young) around 200?
Recognition: Random
Tribe: cat elves
Sending: fair (3)
Magic feeling: week (2)
Magic: Animal Bonding (1)
SilentWater is small, even for an elf her age. She keeps her short choppy orange hair pulled up into spiked ponytail and lets bangs frame her rounded face. The yellow almond shaped eyes nicely accents her golden skin.

Silentwater lost her mother at a very young age, she was fighting to keep her safe. Tiny and helpless at the time, all SilentWaters could do was run. She has carried that shame iwth he revery since. Over the years she as depened on others from her tride to teach her the thinks she needs to know. It was hard enough to keep spirits up after the cataclysm. Just keeping there tribe together was a fight with in it's self.

At first Silentwater seems a little withdrawn and very quiet. She's been given the nick name Silence. But once you get to know her, you really she has a thirst for adventure and an undying curiosity. She often finds herself in up over her head in trouble.