Post by Lepa on Aug 24, 2021 21:56:27 GMT -8
Name: Kross Kidd
Gender: Male
Age: 30
Race: Human
Quote: "Ya hear that? That's the call of the wild, baby!"
Home: A cabin in the forests outside of Aster City
Alliances: The Hollowed Oak; The Moonbay Clan
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Family: The Kidd family
Friends: Khion, Anya, Farren Feine, Tier Moonbay
Rivals: ?
Enemies: ((Not yet developed magical poacher))
Likes: Hunting, red meat, walnuts
Dislikes: Lightning
Relationship: Kross originally came into conflict with the druids of Hollowed Oak for recklessly killing wild animals, but he’s since learned to respect nature. He enjoys the friendship and company of Farren Feine, who occasionally visits him, along with Tier Moonbay. His closest friend is Khion, a wolf responsible for helping him change his ways. He also has an odd relationship with a haughty hawk he's named Anya.
Personality:
A large man who happily lives in the wilderness, he is enthusiastic in all he does. Originally, he was obsessed with the sport of hunting wild beasts - specifically, the thrill of killing them without remorse. This was because he was eager to prove his prowess and skill, but he’s since calmed down from that phase. He now takes a humbler stance, understanding the need to retain balance in nature.
His demeanor can be rather scary if he’s scouting out a potential threat or enemy, but once he knows someone has friendly intentions, he is very amicable and eager to befriend others. He seems to be a bit loose and reckless, being quick to fire arrows to show off small party tricks, but in actuality he holds a deep respect for archery. He also has a huge appetite, but this is mostly because he’s very active. Living off of the land also makes him more conservative, doing his best to only take what he needs. His confidence and enthusiasm make like a supportive older brother.
Powers:
Archery Proficiency & Survival Skills: Kross hails from a bloodline of skilled bow users. His own family in particular, the Kidd family, primarily focused on using their talents for hunting and survival purposes.That said, he is excellent with animals and living off the land with minimal supplies. He's fairly physically strong due to the amount of physical labor needed to hunt and make his own tools. He also possesses great stamina and a hardiness that allows him to endure even the most miserable conditions that nature can offer, such as being stuck outside overnight in a heavy rain or huddling for warmth with minimal food during a blizzard.
Weapon: Windrune Wildbow
A magical bow imbued with the energies of the forest. Any nocked arrows are automatically enchanted with a wind element via the circular runes carved into the bow. The wind enchantment allows the arrows fly farther than they normally could, but only if Kross desires it; otherwise, they can fire as normal. However, if the enchantment is used, it comes at the cost of the arrow losing the force of its momentum by making them more "floaty," so the arrow doesn't hit as hard compared to normal shot. Kross can also change the trajectory once the magic takes hold, but any dramatic changes (such as making a complete U turn) drastically cuts down the momentum, which further lessens the impact of the arrow if it strikes. This is more suited to delivering messages or crafting decoy arrows.
The Windrune's effectiveness is also limited to the amount of arrows Kross has with him. He carries a quiver that can hold 20 arrows maximum, but he usually only has about 6 or 7 on him when he leaves his home to hunt for food. This is because he makes his own arrows and doesn't want to risk wasting or losing them, but also because he's adept enough to (usually) kill prey in 3 to 4 shots. Having limited ammo means he also tries to retrieve and reuse his arrows when he can.
Finally, Kross can use the magical forest energies of the Windrune to completely camouflage himself for about 30 seconds to a minute, masking his presence, sound and scent. A minute and a half is the longest he can hold the camouflage, but that requires extra effort and concentration. Kross could hold the camouflage longer if he further trained himself in magic, but he refuses to. He personally thinks using it any longer would be cheating, due to taking pride in his own tracking and hunting abilities. He doesn't use this ability much because of this.
Armor:
Kross primarily wears leather armor, most of it crafted himself from his various hunts. It mostly offers him protection from other animals and the elements, rather than human opponents. In particular, he wears a thick green vest with a ring of fur around his neck/shoulders. He also has the advantage of natural camouflage due to his gear also having foliage weaved into it.
Animal Companions: Khion & Anya
Though Kross prefers to hunt alone, he's sometimes accompanied by Khion, his white wolf companion. Khion himself isn't very good at hunting: he's not adept at stealth on his own, especially since his white, near sparkling fur tends to stand out. He can easily take cues from Kross, however. Khion mostly provides assistance by helping to drive an animal into a corner, or drawing it away from another area. He's also capable of attacking with intention to kill, but usually only does this in self defense or at Kross' order.
Anya on the other hand is fiercely independent. While Kross is able to read her behavior in the skies and use it as a point of reference (such as circling an area which implies prey in it), Anya does not actively work with the man and simply hangs around him for her own benefit. While she'll go after smaller prey on her own, Anya knows that Kross will go after bigger creatures, and thus lends her aid in the hunt in exchange for her share of the kill. She usually tends to go in for the killing blow once the target has been weakened enough (often taking a larger share if successful), though she will reluctantly back off from dealing a lethal strike if Kross threatens her.
History:
It began with the Sykes family, a bloodline who specialized in crafting bows and practicing archery. Highly dedicated to the art, they looked down upon anything lesser than their own traditions. One daughter eventually grew tired of their pretension and left the family to marry her love, taking her knowledge of their craft with her. She would pass this information down to what would become the Kidd family, who made their home deep within the forests where they lived in harmony with nature. Their archery knowledge gradually shifted over time, adapting their practices to better fit hunting and survival.
Born to the Kidd family, Kross wielded a practice bow as a child. Once he reached his teen years and was allowed to hunt, he made his first kill: a large bear that had been a problem for his family for quite some time. While praised for an impressive first hunt, Kross himself became enamored with the adrenaline rush of life or death. He quickly grew arrogant and sought to prove his skill, unfortunately measuring it by the amount of wild creatures he could kill.
The family initially ignored Kross' mindset, believing it was a phase he would grow out of. It became clear that he wouldn't. When his father finally tried to explain that his son's methods were too vicious, Kross reacted very poorly. He defiantly left the family to live on his own, declaring he would find greater beasts to slay and one day become famous because of it. Hearing of the strange and powerful beings that lived in Aster City, Kross eventually settled in the forests outside of it, hoping to one day find his big kill. There, he came into conflict with the local druids of the Hollowed Oak, who were much more hostile towards Kross' senseless killing. Kross could hold his own in a few skirmishes against them, but he eventually learned to evade the druids and continued on his quest for a worthy trophy.
One day while out hunting, Kross came across a white wolf. As he readied his bow, the wolf looked in his direction, but did nothing to engage him. In fact, it seemed rather depressed, even going so far as to lay itself down in front of Kross to make itself more vulnerable. The man grew frustrated - how was he supposed to get his glory kills if his prey didn't even put up a proper fight? Annoyed, the man left the scene and went to hunt elsewhere. The wolf ended up following him, inadvertently distracting all of the other creatures Kross attempted to target. Fed up, eventually Kross took a closer look at the wolf, figuring it may have been injured or sick. As far as he could tell, the wolf had no injuries, though it seemed to emit a faint, chilly mist.
This led Kross to believe that the wolf was potentially magical, even in its sorry state. Burdened with the sad creature, he decided to take care of it until it grew strong again. He hoped that once it regained itself, it would put up a worthy fight, but this never came to pass: Kross ended up bonding with the wolf, which he ended up naming Khion. Or perhaps, he empathetically learned the name from the beast itself...?
Kross' newfound companionship had encouraged a shift in his ideals, leading him to finally understand the values that his family had tried to emphasize to him. He also eventually apologized to the druids of the Hollowed Oak, gradually earning their trust over time and later becoming a valued friend to their leader, Farren Feine.
Kross now casually serves as a scout for both Farren's circle and a nearby clan of mages. He likes to think of himself as an unofficial forest ranger of sorts and does his best to keep the peace within nature.
Anything else:
- It was through the Hollowed Oak that they confirmed Khion as magical, but the wolf's origins remain a mystery.
