[Q] - Freyr the Ivy Common Kingfisher - [ Open for crits! ]

[Petite Kitsune]

- -- -- --- --- ---- [ Freyr the Ivy Kingfisher ] ---- --- --- -- -- -
a quest by Petite Kitsune; ready for crit!

 

[Petite Kitsune]

- -- -- --- --- ---- [ Serende Illyris ♥
the User // warmth and water

- -- [ Basic Statistics

Name // Serende Illyris
Age // 28
Gender // Male
Occupation // Hunter
Chosen Class // Warrior; long-range archer

- -- [ Magic Affinity

Serende's affinity is water, which translates into far-sight. He comes to this power through controlling fluid pressures in his eyes and surrounding tissues to manipulate his focus point. While it's considered somewhat mild, since Ser can't affect anyone but himself, he's proud of his ability -- at least the part of it that makes him the best marksman around. He's never been one to boast, though: he'd rather show results, instead.

- -- [ Appearance


Tall, blond, and spare-bodied in that way that speaks of hard work, Serende looks every bit the warrior class he is and has always been. His skin is tanned from hours spent in the sun and his hair is bleached from the same -- what is normally a warm, rich wheat-blond is lightened to honey-gold; it's fluffy around his face, but a long braid lays along his spine to about mid-back, tied with an old piece of faded calico. His eyes, though a generally pleasant blue-grey, often look tired and bloodshot due to magic usage; beneath them is typically a slightly bruisy ring. Most often, Ser just looks weary, though he always has a warm, wry grin for the world at large -- he's not particularly old, but he's been through quite a lot in his day. Thin scars from work and hunting criss-cross his arms and hands and palms, and he bears the calluses all archers do.



- -- [ Personality

"Still waters run deep". Though Serende is good at what he does, a strong and capable warrior both in short range and long, he bears a sort of weary good humor that speaks of seeing too much in too short a timespan. There's nothing he likes better than a good sit down after a long day, unless you count standing in front of a hot stove or a cooking fire to make something delicious. He'd be the first one to tell you that a man has to have some kind of balance in his life -- and he just prefers to make his amends for the lives he takes (be they monsters or hunted meat for dinner) by making something beautiful. And as far as Ser is concerned, a good meal is the most beautiful thing in the world. He's not all that good at baking, but he's damned good at simple, hearty, belly-warming cuisine that'll stick to your ribs -- and since he's used to cooking for more people than just himself, there's always leftovers in the pot. From venison stew to fried haunch of rabbit, he'll thank you to belly up to the table and share some good food and good company.

Among his major character points, however, is a stubbornness that verges on the ridiculous. When he sets his mind to something, it'll either get done or he'll die trying -- and the same stubbornness works the other way. Trying to get Ser to do something he doesn't want to do or that goes against his personal feelings verges on impossible. The only one who can jolly him out of this mule-like quality is Freyr, who will chatter and chirp until Ser's good humor finally wins out. Sometimes. His code of morals, while not necessarily the most clean-cut good-versus-evil, is absolute in his humble opinion, and he'd rather chew his bow arm off than deviate from it even in desperate moments.

Due to how his magic works, Ser commonly has extreme headaches, where he isolates himself in his rooms and lays very still in the dark for a few hours. This only occurs when he's had his focus sharpened for more than a few minutes at a time, which can usually be avoided; an extremely accurate shot takes less than a minute, after all.

- -- [ History

Ser counts himself lucky that he was raised by his father (Zael, a baker) and his mother (Breannah, a strong water-magician with healing talents) both -- though times were tight, Ser typically doesn't remember the darker parts of his life, but they were there. Breannah was prone to illness herself, and there were several close calls when Ser was young. If pressed he recalls whole weeks sitting at his mother's bedside, reading to her while Breannah lay still and pale, breathing sluggishly beneath layers upon layers of quilts. However, he prefers to think of the steady, slow stream of people into and out of their little house for his mother's help and his father's fine bread.

It was his mother's frequent illnesses that brought Serende to the realization that he had some small, inherited skill in magic. When money for food wore thin due to her inability to earn, her young son would leave the house with a bow, a quiver of badly-fletched arrows, and an empty sack, and come back with dinner -- and a huge headache. Without realizing it, Ser found himself using small amounts of magic, learning ways to push and press and manipulate fluid pressure in and around his eyes to make it easier to see further, or to focus closer. Though his mother's gift was greater, Ser inherited her affinity for it in his own way. He doesn't consider it a large part of his development, though; he considers his physical strength much more important than his magic. In fact, it was almost five years before anyone ever recognized it, and longer before they did anything at all about it. When they did, though, Ser was immediately put into schooling to nurture his talent.

It went relatively well, though the family-oriented boy did not make too many friends during his stay -- and nothing much came of any attempts to bring more magic out of him. He neither failed nor excelled; despite hard work, Ser remained at the middle of his class. Occasionally he would dip below, but he'd always eventually get back into his spot with enough persistence. As ever, he was neither the first in his class nor the last to receive his Guardian. It did come as a bit of a surprise, though. When he was told what was going on, he didn't think much about what to throw in: when he left home, his mother sent with him a potted sprig of ivy. He received the knowledge of his mother's worsening illness the day he was to create his Guardian, and he chose the ivy. He'd never been good at caring for it, though he'd kept it green enough for it to try and climb the walls of his room -- and it seemed fitting to him to use that. Though he came to the tree with dry eyes, he'd wept over the plant in prayer for hours beforehand, watering it with his tears and thinking of his mother. He didn't know what of his magic he would give, but when he gave the essence, he stood for a long moment, thinking of how he could give of his magic, when it was something kept so contained within himself -- when out popped the spritely little creature named Freyr, a bright and cheerful thing that brought a smile to Ser's lips for the first time that day. The tears shed beforehand had been enough of an offering.

As soon as he was allowed afterward, he left to tend to his mother. It took long months after his return for Breannah to pass away, and less than a year after that, Zael mourned himself into a quiet and peaceful grave beside her. Serende was twenty-two when this occurred, and they left him the house and bakery. After a couple years' abortive attempt to keep the bakery running, he gave up, and sold the property along to someone else who wouldn't simply drive it into the ground.

Currently, since the loss of his parents and his childhood home, he's taken the proceeds from the sales and moved back into civilization. Loneliness has never suited Ser -- though Freyr is company, the friendly ivy kingfisher isn't enough to take away the need for human companionship. After all, a bird -- even one with a human intelligence -- can't enjoy his cooking the way it was meant to be!

 

[Petite Kitsune]

- -- -- --- --- ---- [ Freyr ♥
the Guardian // bright earth

- -- [ Basic Statistics

Name // Freyr
Name Origin // From Norse paganism, Freyr is a god of peace, pleasure, sunshine, fair weather and fertility
Gender // Male-identifying genderless
Essence // Algerian ivy
Animal // Common Kingfisher

- -- [ Magic Affinity

Freyr's affinity is earth, which translates into an awareness of root systems. When in contact with the ground or a plant for more than a moment, Freyr can spread his awareness down as far as the plant's root systems will go, and tell (with training and experience) who or what is coming by reading vibrations and steps. It's limited at first to things he has knowledge of (for example, he could tell what size something was and what direction it was coming from, but not what exactly it was). If combined with Serende's keen sight, this combination will eventually make for a fearsome long-range duo in combat.

- -- [ Appearance

Relatively small in stature, Freyr is no longer than Serende's forearm from elbow to wrist, and capable of perching on his user's shoulder with ease and dexterity. His long beak is black and quick, and his coloring is brilliantly teal-and-green, with hints of bright rusty orange in the face and a warm coppery-colored belly. [The remainder is up to the artist!]

- -- [ Personality

Bright and cheerful, Freyr always has a laughing response to everyone -- he can't seem to stop himself from making jokes and laughing at them himself, even if no one else will. Mostly, though, he and Ser bounce humors off each other, and people in the room with them often regret saying whatever it was that set them off. He can't seem to help it, though. He verges on hyperactive from time to time, flitting from place to place in bright bursts of motion. Being still is not his forte, but when it's necessary, a stern word from Ser will soon set him right. Likewise, his little chattering word-fountain seems to have very little filter. When he's on a good ramble, Freyr will sometimes say things that leave his listeners going 'what?' in the best of times. If it crosses his mind, the featherbrained bird is likely to spit it out for good or ill. With some this tendency makes friends, and others, well, it's best if Freyr just avoids them...

Friendly as he is to those who are friendly with him, though, Freyr sometimes gets himself into trouble with more than just his beak. Being a small bird, he's prone to being easily overpowered if someone can catch him. He relies strongly on his wits and quick movements to keep himself safely out of reach of those who would cause him harm. The same difficulty becomes even worse in situations where stealth is required: he simply moves and chatters too much to be much use in that regard. Serende is working with his bright little guardian to temper and ground that energy with some hard-won grace -- and Freyr is learning, if slowly, to think of his surroundings.

Last but certainly not least, though, Freyr is the most loyal and faithful of guardians. He's never far from Serende -- his favorite place in the world is snugged up against his user's ear, chattering softly. To those who are in Freyr's 'family', be they real family or people as close as family, the little kingfisher's loyalty is absolute. He's as clingy as the ivy that forms his essence, and can be just as strangling. He has trouble giving people space even when they need it, but at the flip side of that, he'll be there through thick and thin if you need him. His steady, mellow, even-tempered user needs his energy to inspire him to action, and Freyr needs Ser's calmness to ground him and keep him connected to the earth -- they compliment each other surprisingly well.

 

[Petite Kitsune]

- -- -- --- --- ---- [ Essence and Animal ♥
what am I made of?

Algerian Ivy

Ivy is an evergreen vine that, when on level ground, spreads and creeps pervasively; when given something stronger to climb, it can and will, using invasive roots. It can be destructive if not trained and pruned, but can also be very pretty when well taken care of. Ivy can filter its 'food' from the air, when leaves are growing in an aerial location. In the language of flowers taken from Victorian culture, ivy represents fidelity, affection, friendship, and wedded love.

Common Kingfisher

This small, sparrow-sized bird typically lives near rivers, where it eats exclusively fish. Typically a kingfisher has a small body, a large head, and a very short tail. Quick and nimble flyers, kingfishers dive to catch their prey in the water, and on a bright day, a flying kingfisher will show a signature flash of bright blue from the iridescent feathers low on their backs. A common kingfisher has no proper song, but chatters in a short, sharp whistle; anxious birds have a shrill squeaking trill. Hungry nestlings will make a quiet churring noise to call for food.

 

[Petite Kitsune]

- -- -- --- --- ---- [ Plans and Ideas ♥
future concepts

Ideas will go here if I need further space to plan!  

[Petite Kitsune]

Ideas? Criticisms? Help? Post here at will!