He frowned as his hand shook, sending ink on a sporadic path across the paper. He sighed, sitting back, and realized that he'd worked past 2a.m. again.
Peregrine AbendrothAge: 27
Destiny: Shen Lung - Eastern Dragon
Nickname: Sir Peregrine
Birthdate: December 8, 1980
Height: 5' 7"
Weight: 110 lbs.
Eyes: Amber
Hair: Dark Auburn, worn short and spiked towards the front
Social Class: Lower middle class
Diseases/Allergies: No allergies. Genetic history of heart failure and male pattern baldness. Wears prescription glasses.
Right/Left hand: Left handed
Voice: Tenor, slightly gravely, and a bit nasal
Physical Description: Peregrine is a thin young man, who although he is thin and has a perpetual slouch from bending over his drawings, still possesses that quality of youth that allows him to stay up to 4 a.m. and get up at 8 a.m. with no ill effects. He has short hair that would look good if it was a little longer, but he doesn't like it to get in the way of his drawing.
He wears casual, comfortable clothing in shades of red and black, his favorite colors. His skin is pale from lack of sun, and has a slight olive tint to it. There are a few scars on his face from acne, though it has long since cleared up, and he has a long scar down his right wrist from where he accidentally slashed himself with the top of a can of Spaghettios, and nearly died.
Peregrine's eyes speak of oriental heritage, though distant. It shows in the slightly slanted look to his eyes. His nose is of the Roman type, angling sharply at the bridge. His eyebrows have a slight tilt to them that makes Peregrine look surprised at all times.
Occupation: Freelance Artist, part-time Coffee shop clerk
Ethnicity: Japanese, Irish, Greek, German, and Native American (specific tribe unknown)
Likes: Heraldry, Art, Art Museums, Libraries, Basketball, Spaghettios, Chinese, Thunderstorms, The smell of the city
right after it rains, Coffee, Being complimented on his art, Folk music, Classic Rock, Gorillaz.
Dislikes: Spaghettio lids, Elitist pricks, Rap, Rap artists, the smell of the city an hour after rain, Noisy places, Art Thieves, Hockey, Broken nibs, Broccoli.
Fears: Being commissioned only by rap artists for unoriginal album art, Having to give up art and take up accounting, Not making enough to pay for rent, Injuring his hands, Losing his ability to draw, Heart failure
Personality: Peregrine is a rather quiet individual, whose personality shows in his drawings, which combine the ancient art of heraldry with modern day symbols. Socially, he's not very ambitious. While he likes to attend parties, he doesn't seek the spotlight, or attempt to start up conversations. He tends to drift into a group, and add a comment now and then. The only thing he's ambitious about is his art, which he feels very passionately about. He spends several nights staying up to add painstaking detail to a gallery piece, or will spend time in the Museum of Contemporary Art, finding new things to incorporate into his art.
Being interested in heraldry is perhaps related to Peregrine's moral compass, for he acts with the honor of a Knight of the Round Table. He doesn't swear, doesn't drink or smoke, he will admit his faults, but calmly stand up for himself when he feels that he is not to blame. He's still a virgin! While most of his friends joke about his morals, and call him "Sir Peregrine", he acts the way he does because it makes
him comfortable.
He is human, though, and he has lost his temper a couple of times. Usually when someone has provoked him too much about his art, or has just been too much of an a$$hole for Peregrine to take it anymore. Usually, the focus of his anger just receives a scathing verbal assault, but Peregrine did manage to break this one guy's nose.
Parents: Robert Hansel Abendroth and Patricia Storm Abendroth
History: Peregrine grew up in a small apartment in Chicago. He went to Public School 325, while his Father worked as an accountant, bringing in the majority of his family's income. His Mother was more of a free-spirit, encouraging both Peregrine and his Father to take up hobbies that helped express themselves. His Father became quite adept at crafting furniture, and young Peregrine sat in a highchair his Father had constructed. Peregrine was interested in drawing, an interest that became a passion when his Mother took him to a gallery showings, letting Peregrine see the sheer variety of art there was. One of Peregrine's other budding interests was Medieval Europe. He insisted on doodling the "Abendroth Coat or Arms" on all his school supplies, including his textbooks.
He went through a normal teenage phase, angst, goth wear, and all, and thankfully grew out of it by his senior year in High School. The only remnant of that phase is Peregrine's preference for Black and Red clothing. His love of Art only grew throughout his years in school, and he'd decided on Art as his major.
A year after high school, Peregrine's Father basically kicked him out of the apartment, but not before he'd found a cheap studio apartment for him to move into. Peregrine eventually adjusted, trying not to use too much of his college savings while he did so. He found a part-time job as a clerk for the local Coffee shop, and it actually paid enough for him to only loose a little at each month's rent payments and utility bills.
After a few years of small gallery showings, and nonprofitable commissions, he was approached by a well-known Rap artist to design a coat-of-arms for his latest album. Peregrine recognized the artist as one that had been tied to, but never directly connected to the murder of other rap artists in competition with him, and took an instant dislike to him. The artist had an abrasive personality, and Peregrine found himself disliking the man more with every word he said. However, the amount of money he was offering would put Peregrine easily through college, and Peregrine found himself in a moral quandary. Ignore his moral compass and draw the artist his album art, gaining a chance to get into college, or refuse and risk never getting a degree? Peregrine eventually gave in, and spent the next few months drawing and re-drawing the album art for the fickle Rap artist. Peregrine loathed himself for doing so, even though the influx of money made his financial troubles significantly smaller, and the publicity of the album brought in even more commissions and small fame. Peregrine felt that the fame was ill-gotten. Even so, he submitted his registration to the Chicago College of Fine Arts, and waited anxiously for word of his acceptance.
Circumstances of Teleportation:After receiving notice that he hadn't been accepted to the CCoFA, Peregrine was deeply depressed. He suffered artist's block, and wasn't able to finish many of his commissions. He felt as though his giving into the Rap Artist's offer had brought bad luck down on his head, that it was his fault. His Mother eventually visited him, having heard about his failed registration by word of mouth from Peregrine's art world friends. She attempted to cheer him up, saying that even if he was responsible for the mess he was in, he could always seek to redeem himself. There would always be second chances, if he only looked for them. Mildly comforted, Peregrine was able to thank his Mother. She gave him a present, an heirloom on her Father's side. It was a simple large, spherical, heavy, black rock. The rock had been polished to a high shine, and as Peregrine cupped it in his hand, it warmed quickly. It's smoothness and weight soothed him, and he found himself able to relax. His Mother led the exhausted 27 year old to bed and tucked him in like she used to, when he was little. He fell asleep almost instantly, and his Mother left, happy to have been able to give him some peace.
However, in the middle of the night, Peregrine awoke in a cold sweat, from a dream that he couldn't recall. He found he was holding the ball close to his chest, and looked as closely at it as he could, thinking he could see something within it. Quite suddenly, the ball flared with heat, and Peregrine yelped, dropping it, and falling out of bed. His left elbow hit the edge of his nightstand and the sharp corner tore through his skin, leaving a jagged, shallow wound that bled surprisingly profusely. In pain, and startled out of his wits, Peregrine fumbled for his glasses, and ran for the door, stumbling over furniture in the dark, and finally fell over his own two feet. The jolt cleared his sense, and Peregrine was able to think. He went to the bathroom, and bandaged his bleeding arm, then went to examine the ball, curious about what could've caused the sudden flash of heat. After tapping it lightly with his hand to make sure it wasn't hot, he picked it up, and looked it over carefully. A sight within the ball caught his attention, and as Peregrine watched, the ball showed a vast ocean, which it appeared to be flying over at high speed. Hypnotized, he watched as an island came into view, and the scene zoomed in, until there was a giant flash of light.
After it had cleared, Peregrine, and the black ball were no longer in the apartment.
Contents of Pockets: Broken nib, Mechanical Pencil, 46 cents in change, a small pad of sketching paper, apartment keys. Large, black stone.
Why the Shen Lung?
Eastern dragons are known to be more benevolent then their Western counterparts, and some were even said to take the form of men. The Shen Lung in specific was a controller of rivers and storms, and was said to possess a large pearl that symbolized their wisdom. Overall, I felt that the Shen Lung fit Peregrine's personality well, and that he would have a chance to redeem himself and gain wisdom.
(Questions taken from Blythe Dautry's quest thread. Thanks, Blythe!)
