Name: Nok Stage: Swordsman Race: Yaelian Gender: Male
Age: 18-22 Height: 5'5" Status: Single, Flexible
3 Base Traits: Introverted, Resourceful, Organized chaos
Personality: Growing up with his small family, Nok has previously had very little interaction with anyone outside of the circle. Though not exactly shy, Nok will not be the one to approach and initiate conversation. His social skills when he does converse with strangers, as such, are limited. He seldom attempts to be rude or forward, but he is not concerned about tact or grace. If his words or actions do result in an altercation, he will not shy away from using his agility and stamina to fight back. Mostly, Nok likes small groups and short interactions. If he does get overwhelmed, he will actively seek out some privacy to recharge his social battery.
While a rather practical thinker, Nok is also quite resourceful and inventive. He enjoys solving problems and finding ways to make life out in the forest easier. When it comes to the unknown, he finds himself intrigued and curious to learn rather than fearful. He lives in the moment and readily improvises as he goes along; which also sometimes results in not following the rules exactly as directed. All of his daydreaming does usually get applied to practical needs. He is always open to new ways to hunt, store food, make clothes, build traps, cook food, and other necessities. He has his emotions, and is willing to show them, but feels they are secondary to what is needed for survival. Life is hard, and a more objective approach is the path to success.
Nok is a tornado with a mental list of where it threw every part of the house it just tore up. With his mind always buzzing, his focus on what is in front of his face can vary, and he can quickly shift from subject to subject. Projects get put aside half-finished, an item is dropped onto the floor, and clean clothes get left out to dry for days at a time. Despite a tendency to mentally bounce about, Nok is perfectly aware of where everything is around him. If he sets a blade down without any apparent attention, the request to find it will have him just about bee-line for where he set it. It’s not so much that he’s disorganized… he’s just apt to be a little messy.
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2020 11:37 am
History:
Nok lives a simple life in the forest with a very small clan; mostly direct family including his parents and his fraternal twin sisters who are about eight years younger than he is. The group is as self-sustaining as possible to have an unassuming but comfortable lifestyle, and he had known no other way. Clan trips to town are minimal and treated with extreme caution. The family holds the belief that the building of large towns is asking for trouble; altering so much nature is sure to displease the gods. In their family oral history, some great-great grandfather had built a shop and was inside when the building collapsed and killed him! Thus, towns and great buildings are not to be trusted! When they do travel to town, the members stick to only a few shops where they already have established agreements with the owners for trading goods, and generally avoid contact with anyone else if they can. The family suspicions include the theory that the Alk/Elarians were also brought by the gods to balance out the effects of the blasphemous towns. Since he grew up with the threat already on the island, born after their arrival, Nok sees them like any other dangerous predator to be avoided.
Posted: Mon May 04, 2020 11:40 am
Relationships:
Krahn- Father -npc- Pruna- Mother -npc- Pris and Tris- Sisters, fraternal twins -npcs-
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2020 11:42 am
RP Log:
Swordsman: X This Or That - W/Alfina *5points X [WE] Honoring Those Who Are Gone - W/Kahukura *5points X [WE] A Local Disaster - W/Caolan *5points Adventure: Prisoners of the Dretch *10points X Friendly Faces? - W/Kahukura *10points
Prentice: X [WE] A Whole New World - W/Kitya *5points X Expanding Horizons - W/Xenia *5points X [WE] Wild Encounter - Solo entry *5points X Life In Color - W/Caolan *5points
Stage 3 - Stage 4 Assassin 2 Month's Time 75 RP Growth Points
Stage 2/3 Growth Form
Character Name: Nok Class Promotion: Knight (Assassin) Current Location: [General area, ie: Zena] Journal:X Growth Point Links: [please list each URL link on its own line, list as many solos and RPs as needed for growth for your stage] Growth Blurb: [Tell us how your character has grown this stage!]
Physical Description: [Include any changes to you character like hair style/cut, clothing, accessories, etc] Body Type: [Feel free to leave this blank or include information about your character's body type here!]
Preferred Artists: [List your top 2-3, just in case your first pick is unavailable] WIPs: [Are you open to having wips or livestreams posted/sent before the art is finished or do you want it to be surprised?]
It was the young prentice’s first solo hunt! Nok’s heart was steady as he crept through the ferns, gently pushing aside the damp moss hanging from the tree branches. With a very sheer strip of cloth over his eyes to dull their bright glow, and with each step carefully placed, Nok felt as though he was almost not even there. Almost. There was a slight tremble in his arms, and his heart was pulsing quickly but gently enough. This would be a big moment for him if he could successfully bring home dinner on his own, and his excitement and eagerness showed through. After all, a young man could only handle youngling-sitting a pair of twin girls and whatever youths ran about for so long!
Letting the lessons he had been taught and had learned flow through his head, Nok tried to keep his eyes on the subtle signs of life he followed. The prey of these forests could be elusive! One had to be just as quick to make a catch. Focus… Focus… Fo- Oh, that flower’s petals has the same color as his mother’s hair. He should get a few for her! His mother’s hair was always up in a bun, and always adorned with some sort of accessory. She worked hard and deserved a surprise.
A few minutes later, he was back on the trail with a few flowers tucked in his bag. He froze when a branch rustled above him, and he swung the bow up to shoot. The pierced creature squawked once and landed at his feet. He had done it! That had been.. surprisingly easy.
When he bent to claim his prize though, a deep hiss reached his ears. Another predator had apparently been hunting in the same area, heard the fatal cry, and was determined to take the kill for its own. With the unsavory arrival, Nok saw an opportunity. If he could bring home this predator as well as the prey he had killed, his family would really be impressed! Here was what would show his family that he could handle himself. Besides, he had taken the bird down so easily! He was great at this!
It wasn’t long before Nok realized that he was a little bit out of his league with this creature though. He was losing the fight, and his desperation to succeed was rising. After all, he technically wasn’t supposed to be out there on his own… His family valued independence, but also caution. His father would have been there for his first hunt to monitor his progress, not intervening outside of an emergency. ..This was a bit of an emergency, but his father was completely out of reach.
If he went home with nothing but the need to mend and the memory of his momentary catch, it would be a complete humiliation! It would be ages before he would be allowed to hunt on his own. Even worse, he might be relegated down to youngling-sitting full time! Spending that much time around those younglings would be just.. just awful! The little monsters were so hard to keep a handle on…
With his bow yanked away by a set of powerful jaws, he stumbled back and grabbed up the first thing he could get his hands on and swung his fist. The stone he held was almost too big for his grip, but he kept his hold for just long enough. The stone and his fist connected with the predator’s skull and knocked it out. He was feeling increasingly lucky on this outing and decided it would be best to not push his luck. Despite bruises, cuts, and two broken fingers that had been caught between the stone and the skull, Nok proudly and wearily walked home with two catches that day.
He may have gotten restricted to youngling-sitting duties for a few weeks due to rule breaking, but it had been worth it.
The stone he used to save himself and his pride remains with him even now, a possession as prized to him as any jewel might be to a poor man. It had been heavy and cumbersome at first, but, like a piece of hand-me-down armor, he keeps growing and his hand is big enough now to hold it securely. It is kept in a pouch and always on hand. Every so often, Nok will pull it out to give it a gentle polish and to reminisce about the adventure that had given him the stone. For Nok, it is a good luck charm, a last-ditch defense if needed ever again, and a reminder to himself of what he is capable of.
(( word count: 777 = 2 points )) For a special item story to win this cutie!
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Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2020 9:46 am
Prentice – Class Affinity Solo Assassin
What an awful dream! He had gone too far into the forest to chase dinner. One of those Elarian beasts had burst from the shadows and it had attacked him. It had been so vivid that his body was aching as though he had actually been hit! Nok inhaled deeply with relief as he regained consciousness, happy to get away from the nightmare, but his breath caught short. The air was different than he was used to. It was heavy and.. stank of blood. He was not home.
His eyes popped open and his muscles bunched up to jump to his feet, but an intense pain radiated through his body and he only managed to turn from lying flat on his back to his side.
“Nok!” a high and panicked voice shrieked in his ear. “It’s okay, baby. You’re gonna be okay. We got you.”
Being jerked up into someone’s arms did little to help the pain or the confusion. He wanted to speak, but his lips would not form the words. It took a moment for his eyes to stop watering and focus on what was going on around him, though one wouldn’t open, his heart thudding sharply with confusion and fear. The flora surrounding him was splattered with blood, and his parents were hovering over him. He made a strained grunt to try again, but still no words.
Pruna patted her son’s head gently with a trembling hand. “You shush. Don’t try talking. We got you.” She looked across to her husband. “Krahn, please. We don’t have what he needs. The healer in town… I don’t like it either, but we gotta do something.”
Krahn’s face was slightly pale, but he held his expression firm and shook his head. “Either way is risking him. He’s our son; he’ll pull through. We gotta get him home.”
“But the girls..” Pruna’s expression narrowed with further concern.
Krahn shook his head. “It’ll do them good to see this. They can help, and they can learn from it. Now let me take him.”
Nok gasped sharply as he was pulled up into his father’s arms and passed out again.
----
When he woke next, Nok felt as though his whole body had gone numb. He inhaled sharply, and immediately relaxed. This was home. Had that all been a dream?
“Big brother? You okay?” asked a soft, young voice.
Nok turned his head, wincing at the pain in his neck, to look at his sisters. The twins sat next to each other at his side, both staring with wide and concerned eyes. “Mm-hm.” He had meant to form words there. Could he not talk? Brow knitting, he carefully raised a hand to his face. Most of it was wrapped tight with bandages, and the air was thick with an sharp herbal scent.
“You got hurt bad, but you’re gonna be okay,” said Tris, her eyes watering slightly. “Ma ‘n’ pa ‘re in town for more medicine.”
Pris leaned forward to peer closer, looking more curious than concerned now that Nok was awake. “Ma says you’re going to look scary,” she mused, head tilting for a different angle.
Tris reached over to smack her twin’s arm. “Don’t be mean, Pris! The medicine’s gonna help!”
The girls bickered back and forth some more, but Nok had stopped listening. He could see that most of his hand was wrapped as well. The finger tips seemed to be okay, so he used those to explore the rest of his condition. There were bandages everywhere! The herbal scent was a healing cream that they must have dunked him into, explaining the general numbness.
So, it hadn’t been a dream.
----
Almost a year passed, and Nok was free of his restraints. The wounds and broken bones had healed, but the scars remained as a keen reminder of his mistake. In particular, one scar split his lips almost vertically, starting near one side of his nose and ending at the opposite end of his chin. Every word he spoke caused that unfamiliar tug, and his tongue would flick out to brush along the toughened skin as though to check if it was still there.
At first, depression had been a tempting retreat. Sinking into that abyss to hide from his failure was so easy. Yet, that wasn’t Nok’s way of living. Mistakes were to be learned from, and this was no different. It had exposed a weakness in him, and he was determined to fix it.
Hunting prey for dinner was easy. Fighting off a vicious enemy that legitimately wanted him dead for the sake of killing? That was completely different. He had never learned how to fend for his life against that sort of beast.. and he was ready to learn. After all, what if his sisters had been with him; or, really, anyone in his family? They could have died, and he had no recollection of how or why he was still alive. Most of the fight was a fog by now. Not that he needed the details. He could remember how it felt, and had the scars to keep him focused. He was going to learn how to truly fight.
(( word count: 864 ))
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 3:06 pm
Prentice- Growth Quest Solo Swordsman
Nok had never given much thought to what he would do when he got older. The assumption that he would simply continue the family legacy out in the woods was written in his blood, so he was told. Out there, everyone pitched in and did what they had to do in order to comfortably survive. They all depended on each other. It was simply how things were.
Still, he was the one who went to town the most often for supplies. He was pretty sure that he had made more acquaintances outside of the shopkeepers than both of his parents combined. Sometimes, the goings-on in town were actually rather interesting. Could he be the one to forsake the family for what laid in the social world?
He was back at the stable for a brace that was special made for a sore leg of the old nag. The poor thing was going to work until she passed; the same as everyone else. That was how life worked.
“You ever think of working here in town?” a husky voice asked.
Nok had been fiddling with one of the saddles brought to the shop for repair, trying to mentally work out how the fix would be done. The question surprised him, and looked over with narrowed eyes to peer into the stable. “No.”
Boren raised his head from fitting the brace to look up at his customer with a smirk. “Ah, come on. You’re just the one to break your family’s isolation. Besides, I’m not getting any younger. I could use a strong back like yours to help me into retirement.”
Retirement? That was a strange word. Nose wrinkling, Nok turned his attention back to the saddle. “Lots of workers out there,” he muttered. “You can pick any of them.” The town certainly did not have a shortage of able-bodied workers hanging about. Every time he came on a new errand, it seemed like there were more people to be avoided. He would never survive making these interactions any more frequently than he already did. There were a few others who were not so painful to be around, but that number was very few.
Besides, the idea of leaving his role in the family to take on a job in town was practically laughable! He had everything he needed out in the forest. Food for hunting and gathering, shelter in the trees, his family all working together, and the quristine was ready for whenever the nag stopped ticking. What more could he want?
Boren chuckled and shook his head. “That’s true. It’s like they say, there are plenty of leaves in the trees.” The silence spread between them for a moment, and then Boren cleared his throat. “Still… you’re a good boy, Nok. Would be good to see that family line return here. Be better for everyone if you all just settled here.”
Nok snorted sharply. There was no way his family was going to start living in the town any time soon. His curiosity outweighed his desire for silence. “Boren, what’s retirement?”
After he gave the brace a final tug, Boren looked back up with amusement. “Retirement! You know, you get old, get to sit back and watch the grandyounglings run around, spoil ‘em rotten to give your kids a little taste of what they put you through when they were that age. Don’t worry about anything like earning coin or showing off. Can put your feet up and do nothing without getting scolded by the missus.”
Nok’s brow furrowed with confusion. Not one of the elders in his family sat around doing nothing. “Town job makes for retirement?” he asked, not entirely convinced that it was a good thing to strive for.
Boren laughed and brushed his hands together. “Well, it can make for retirement. You sure as heck won’t get it living out there. Just see what your da thinks, eh?”
Nok traded a couple skins for the brace and began the long trek back home. The old nag remained as slow as ever, but the brace did seem to smooth out her gait back to normal. Boren’s words stuck into him for most of the trip. Yet, when he got back home, he looked around their simple camp and sighed contently. His family depended on him, and he knew the areas of his life that needed improving. It could all be done from the familiarity of home. Moving into town was not going to help anyone. His family was always out here, and he would be, too.
(( Word count: 759 ))
Conclusion: This conversation has set Nok’s mind into thinking about the future. Town has always held a worrying interest for him; a stark contrast to the way he was raised to be. When another option is suggested, Nok decides, at least for now, that he will stay home on the path that has been laid out for him and represses those deeper urges further.
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