Tirael [v2]

[Tirael]

Name: Tirael Larksong
Age: 15
Birthplace: Goldenvale, East of Mossflower Country
Gender: Male
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Species: River otter
Job/Position: Wandering orphan-thief
Physical Description:

It is easy to tell, from a single glance, what kind of life Tirael has lived. There is no extra meat on him anywhere, leaving visible his wiry, but still strong, build readily apparent. He essentially has enough muscle to move around quickly and quietly, but he certainly wouldn't win any bodybuilding contests. And with clothes on, you could easily dismiss him as just skinny. Combined with his somewhat short stature (something he hopes will change as he ages), Tirael is ultimately a slightly undersized otter.

His body is covered in soft, slightly scruffy fur. The majority of this is chocolate brown, though his throat and underbelly are a lighter, creamy hue. The only relief from this overwhelming brown-ness is his eyes, which are both blue as sapphires, and almost as reflective. Really, given that the rest of him is rather nondescript, these are the only features of his that truly stand out.

Given that he's not all that prosperous, Tirael isn't dressed to the nines. On the contrary, his dark gray tunic is tattered at the hems, secured at the waist with a belt that has obviously seen better days. When it's cold out, the otter wears a black cloak he "liberated" from a roving band of performers. It is in notably better condition than most of his possessions, but then, he only acquired it recently.

Belongings:

Other than his clothes, Tirael keeps whatever few provisions he has in a canvas shoulder bag, one of the few remnants he has of his old home. He also has a small stone knife, much more useful for small-scale cutting and chopping than actual combat. At times, he'll use this to cut himself a staff.

Personality:

Tirael is quiet. Almost unnervingly so, given the boisterous nature of most otters his age (or any age, for that matter.) This has multiple causes; he was essentially forbidden from speaking for some time, and largely isolated since, neither of which provided much opportunity to develop into an outgoing sort. But even by his own nature, Tirael is a somewhat shy otter. Normally, he prefers to remain silent and observe, only speaking if he truly needs to.

Out of this same reservedness and harsh background came an aversion to confrontation. When faced with a conflict, Tirael is far more likely to run than to fight. He is not blessed with an abundance of combat skill, and he knows it--thus, he considers discretion to be the better part of not-getting-killed. In a more social confrontation, a more sarcastic side of the young otter comes out. In fact, this sarcasm is likely to stay whether or not he's being confronted; for Tirael, other contexts for conversation are unlikely, anyway.

But his tendency towards snark masks very real trauma and loneliness. It's been a long time since Tirael felt any kind of bond to anybeast, something he only mostly manages not to feel. Normally, he will assert that he doesn't need anybeast, and in fact, it is difficult for him to trust others. But isolation has not been kind to him, and given the chance to form a friendship, he will likely take it--whether or not he realizes what he's doing. At the end of the day, Tirael is still young, and growing up alone has created problems even he doesn't know about yet.

History:

The beginnings of Tirael's life were so idyllic that one would almost expect his narrative to begin with "once upon a time." He was the secondborn child to his parents, Rillsen and Milada Larksong, younger than his sister Luna by three years. The family lived in Goldenvale, a small farming community located along a tributary of the River Moss which was no more than four families strong. If it wasn't the most exciting life, it was certainly peaceful, perfect for a cub who soon proved himself to be as serene as his sister.

Unfortunately, excitement would ultimately manifest itself in tragedy. A band of roving thieves, mostly consisting of rats, came from upstream and raided the hamlet by night. Tirael's parents sent Luna to warn the other families of the attack, the last the young otter would ever see of his sister. Before the rest of his family could escape, their home was invaded; Milada and Rillsen were slain within minutes. But Tirael, being young, was spared--not out of any mercy, but with the realization that he could be useful.

Thus, with Goldenvale having become a den of robbers and murderers, the sole original inhabitant became a slave. The farms fell into disrepair, as none of the vermin had the capability, or desire, to engage in agriculture. They would simply stay as long as the local supplies lasted, having said supplies served to them by a captive too young to fight back. For three years, Tirael's captors managed to live in the ruins of Goldenvale, scavenging what was left of the fields, the surrounding woods, or the stores the villagers had packed away. Then it was time to move on.

For another two years, the band moved slowly northwest, living as they always had. As much as he despised them for the years of abuse they heaped on him, Tirael did ultimately learn from his time spent with the group--how to take things unnoticed, how to forage, how to do whatever mundane task his captors set him to do. He also realized that without the constant environment of Goldenvale around them, it was much harder for the vermin to keep him restrained.

In other words, escape had become a feasible prospect.

Tirael's salvation came about shortly before his eleventh birthday (not that he could remember something so frivolous as a birthday at this point). It was late at night, and having prepared dinner for the clan's leader, Tirael was about to be tied up for the night. But as he was being bound to an elm tree, another band of vermin came in to pillage his own. In the ensuing chaos, the otter was forgotten, allowing him to slip out of his unfinished bonds, grab a bag of provisions (the same bag that he carries to this day), and disappear into the night.

From that point on, Tirael was on his own. He'd spent six years as a slave, and would go on to spend another five as a lone wanderer. The time he'd spent in the vermins' clutches made him too wary to seek out another community to join; and though he'd been too young to remember the one that had been taken from him, his feelings toward Goldenvale were hardly charitable. In his mind, whoever had lived in that family had abandoned his family--abandoned his parents to die, abandoned him to spend years in misery. So Tirael set out into the world, foraging when he had to and stealing when he could to get by. Anybeast was a fair target, a philosophy he has yet to see challenged.

[Treble Tiderunner]

Accepted