Post by beowulf on Sept 21, 2024 18:20:28 GMT
Cleric Shrike of Sealroar
court of the spires ∙ cleric ∙ he/him ∙ 72 moons
Appearance
A large and long-furred dilute calico tom with blind eyes.
Shrike is on the larger side for cats of the Court with thick skin and wide paws. His white fur is mottled with dilute calico colors of gray and beige, and its volume adds additional weight and size to his frame. He has heavy jowls and a large maw topped with a little pink nose. His eyes are his most striking feature, their golden color obscured by cataracts that formed in his kithood. Shrike often has small twigs, leaves, and other debris caught in his wispy fur that he doesn't notice due to his blindness. His ears and tail betray most of his expression and thought; they tend to swivel and pivot towards sounds in his peripheral.
Personality
+ optimistic | +/- perceptive | - martyr
An initial glance at Shrike might invoke pity in a cat if they didn't know any better. His cataracts developed in his early kithood and betray his blindness. Like his namesake, however, Shrike pins any cat beneath his judgment with unwavering accuracy. Because of his inherent perceptiveness, Shrike is sensitive to the inflections of voice and the double meanings of words.
He finds no joy in mind games and, when given an opening, will act as the mediator in times of conflict both violent and vocal. Shrike is well known for his outspokenness and is often the first cat one should approach when needing a second opinion. He chews on things, rolls them around in his mind, and tries to answer not just honestly, but correctly. He knows when to tell the truth and he does not hold back when he speaks it. He rarely apologizes when the truth is barbed: such is life to be unkind from time to time.
Despite all this, Shrike's chief philosophy is to enjoy the little things. Muddy your paws, get snow on your face, listen to the wind, feel rainwater on your fur – all things he preaches to those who lend an ear to listen. Shrike developed his skill not by absorbing himself in his duty, but by following where life took him and stopping to smell the flowers along the way. He makes it his goal to find joy in memorization, herb gathering, and healing, and tries to make light of every situation while not sugarcoating its severity. He always tries to find a solution to other cats' problems if they trust him enough to bring it to him (as said before, he likes to really think about questions before answering them).
Seeing so much death in his time as Cleric has made Shrike more and more determined to preserve existence. He'll even bring bugs to safety if he happens to find them. Shrike knows his importance to the Court, but he is unafraid to face danger to protect his kin. Even clanmates who wronged him and have caused him nothing but trouble are worthy of life in his eyes. Scold him if you want, but he will proudly tell you that if it were life-or-death, he'd want to join the Court of Grace before any clanmate he can save.
Shrike also believes that any cat can be forgiven one way or another. Punishments and repercussions might vary, but he dislikes the act of exiling and believes cats should be guided back to a path of Gracefulness rather than shunned away no matter what they did. This can cause some clanmates to doubt his squeaky-clean moral compass, but when has doubt ever stopped Shrike?
Title & Abilities
Current Title: cleric
SP: 4
SP: 4
AMATEUR: • Climbing | COMPETENT: • Memorizing • Mentoring • Persuading • Protecting • Soothing • Sneaking | EXPERT: • Mediating • Strategizing • Healing |
Plotting, History, & Relations
PLOT INTEGRATION:
Shrike's goals are simple: to protect, to nurture, and to live. Shrike wants nothing more than to see the Court thriving, even long after he's joined the Court of Grace. As a Sealroar, he knows it is written in the stars for him to become a great healer. This is something he has worked towards ever since his kithood. However, this selflessness has worn upon him for many moons. Deep down, Shrike would like to have something to claim as his own, in particular someone he might be able to raise, nurture, and protect like his own kin. Shrike only approaches conflict when he recognizes the need to mediate and strategize.
As the Harbinger of Confidence, Shrike is a bold mediator who is unafraid to speak, interfere, and redirect blame. His confidence can tread into hubris, in particular when it comes to punishment of others and his opinion on exile and war. Shrike is a believer in second chances, which may wound him in the long run when he puts too much trust in someone's paws.
FAMILY:
• N/A - All deceased
HISTORY:
Shrike's cataracts developed soon after he first opened his eyes, blinding him permanently. As he grew older, Shrike often found himself lagging behind, trying to navigate a world that was intended for those with eyes to see it. The Court was supportive, yes, but there was nothing that could change the fact that Shrike would have to put an extra paw forward if he wanted to become a Knight capable of protecting his kin.
But he was a Sealroar. His mother told him of the beautiful things that the Sealroars did over the hundreds of moons their bloodline existed. She told him of the lives they had saved and the herbs to be found across the territories. She wasn't a healer, but she wished she had fought to be when she was a kit. Maybe she could have saved Shrike's father, or maybe she could have cured Shrike's blindness. It shifted Shrike's worldview to hear the sadness in her voice, and it made him realize there was something new to strive for. He would be like his ancestors and the ancestors before that: he would become a healer.
The previous cleric welcomed a Sealroar as an apprentice with open arms, but Shrike would soon find it was just as, if not more difficult than becoming a Knight to learn herb from herb without sight. It was during his apprenticeship that Shrike learned to take things in stride and absorb the world through all senses at once. This helped him become an incredibly skilled herb-gatherer, able to tell indistinguishable flowers when his mentor could not. He treated his fellow Court cats the same way he did herbs and started to learn the intricacies of voice, personality, and opinion. This, paired with his commitment to being Graceful, made him a respected therapist and conversationalist amongst the Court.
When his mentor passed, Shrike was soon to select a squire. Rain's oddness never puts off Shrike – if anything, he enjoys Rain's unique, thoughtful perspective on the world, and he must admit he has a sense of duty to help Rain shed his prejudice against cats outside of the Court and its religion.
Other Notes
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY:
Death! Make it sad! Preferably not something silly like "oops he's blind so he slipped and hit his head". He's a martyr -- he's going to die protecting others.
SHOP PURCHASES:
N/A
FACE CLAIM CREDITS:
Maine Coon Queens
OTHER:
Shrike is a great therapist, so if you'd like your character to have history speaking with him, approach him for advice, etc., just let me know. We can make it happen. (hehe. Uncle Iroh cat.)
Death! Make it sad! Preferably not something silly like "oops he's blind so he slipped and hit his head". He's a martyr -- he's going to die protecting others.
SHOP PURCHASES:
N/A
FACE CLAIM CREDITS:
Maine Coon Queens
OTHER:
Shrike is a great therapist, so if you'd like your character to have history speaking with him, approach him for advice, etc., just let me know. We can make it happen. (hehe. Uncle Iroh cat.)
Last Edit: Sept 22, 2024 0:49:42 GMT by beowulf
