Canute
02-06-14, 09:20 AM
Name: Canute
Age: 26
Race: Human; Skavian
Hair: Blonde with streaks of auburn
Eyes: Emerald
Height: 6’ 3”
Weight: 200 lbs
Appearance:
Canute looks like a wild shaman should. His hair is long and a glossy, a mix of golden blonde and soft auburn. Half of it is braided and rests across his back or chest, reaching his navel. The other half is knotted and kinked into multiple strands of dreadlocks. He holds the top of his hair back with thin strands of vines. Tied into his hair are feathers and bits of twig are intertwined with his locks, as are a couple pieces of obsidian and an old wolf’s tooth.
His complexion is a deep tan, unnaturally so for the amount of time he spends within the confines of the forests of Skavia. The olive skin is smooth as silk and unblemished except for a row of three scars across his chest. A long rounded nose and nostrils have the attributes of the fierce tundra dwelling humans, as does his heavy brow and high sharp cheekbones. A well balanced face appealing to the eyes is off-set by an unnervingly vibrant and lively pair of piercing green eyes. They have a glimmer of gold streaking through them, seemingly always moving even when his eyes are not. Long ears with two bear-cub claws piercing either lob remain mostly hidden behind his hair.
Broad shouldered, lean muscled, and sleek his frame is often exposed to the elements and any prying eyes. He wears a mid-thigh length skirt made of elk-hide that is wide at the base. Across his chest is a vest of boar-hide. A large pelt from a wolf acts as a cloak when worn across his shoulders. Around either arm are bands of woven hair taken from a black bear, tightly bound just above the elbow and wrist. Finally he has leg-wrappings of fox fur running from his ankle to below his knee. He does not wear shoes of any kind.
Personality:
He loves the natural world and does not condone the killing of animals for food (though certain insects are alright), the destruction of the forest for wood, or the pillaging of precious goods from the depths of the mountains. Canute is a man of minimalist means. He eats what the one true deity provides, wears what he finds, and uses what he can craft. He abhors undead, demons, and those unnatural entities that roam the world. He understands that not all creatures that are of Althanas are aligned for the greater good, such as orks and trolls, but tolerates their presence so long as they tolerate his. He also doesn’t believe in ownership, that everything is to be borrowed and when the time comes forgotten.
Skills:
Herb Lore: Knowledge of the plants and their applications in regards to medicinal purposes.
Survival: He can be alone for a long time and never need the company or assistance of another human, for nature provides.
Animal Diplomacy: Animals seem to sense the essence and depth of Canute’s love of nature, and in turn often won’t attack him or be afraid of him. That is not to say that a starving pack of wolves wouldn’t try and kill him if they had to. This skill also allows him to have his companion at his side.
Concentration: He’s good at keeping his head in any situation
Crafting (Nature): He can make things out of wood, stone, and other natural commodities rather easily; staffs, baskets, huts, tools, ect
Awareness: In a forest, he is aware of anything out of the ordinary and is quite adept at hearing or spotting things that don’t belong or fit in. Within a forest he is also very adept at stepping past hindrances and potential danger making him move faster through the brush as well as leave almost no track to follow.
Marksmanship: While he was a young Skavian male he learned to use the bow, but never struck a target other than a dummy full of hay. His skill with a bow is incredibly rusty. However, his skill with a basic sling is true and well-practiced.
Spearmanship: Every youth learns the art of the spear and how to wield it in battle. Canute was no exception to this rule. However, he only went as far as to hold it in the right direction and nothing more. Instead this knowledge has been practiced in conjunction with the use of his staff.
Abilities:
Wood Affinity: Being of the forests of Skavia, Canute is well versed in the different types of wood and their applications. He can sense the status of a tree if it is well or sick and dying, knows if there are grubs in a log by touching it, can summon the strength of nature to heal or mend trees, and other little things such as making fruit grow slightly faster or ripen if it's already close. He cannot warp shapes of the wood, make branches grow and strike enemies, or anything of that nature.
Air Affinity: Canute is able to shift the winds slightly, enough to blow out a candle or cause a gust of wind to stir through the trees. The direction of the wind, once chosen, is set and the strength is nothing more than enough to rustle clothes or brush away light debris.
--Foretell Weather: He can tell if it is going to rain/snow, how bad it is going to be, and which way it will come from.
Ice Affinity: He has a second love for the snows of Skavia, rough and unforgiving as they may be at times. This affinity allows him to ignore the cold enough to keep him comfortable. This ability does not mean he can survive -30 overnight with ease, more than 0 feels more like 10 degrees.
Fire Affinity: It is his least favorite, being that it is a destructive process, but nature and entropy are hand in hand. He can create a very small one inch flame, enough to light tinder to start a fire. The flame is no hotter or stronger than a match and forms at the end of his finger, does not last longer than five seconds, and once used to light something it is dismissed.
Shamanistic Magic: shamans and druids are no different in the way they cast, what they cast, or how. They are empathic in regards to nature, knowledgeable in its workings, and above all very neutral. The magic they know is the life they know. Bestowing blessings, healings, shape-shifting, and communing with animals is just the beginning. Following are shaman spells Canute knows:
Foresee: When using a hallucinogen he goes into a trancelike state, his eyes go white and he can see into the depths of the world truly. This gives him a very limited ability to see the future, predict a coming storm weeks in advance, and other minor visions sometimes more metaphorical than literal.
Commune with Animals: Canute is able to talk to friendly animals and those that are neutral but might have something to say. This extends to small birds, squirrels and the like, as well as animals such as porcupines and hedgehogs. He cannot talk to insects, domestic animals, animals that just don't care (city rats), or predatory creatures.
Equipment:
Clothing: rough boar-hide vest, elk-hide tattered skirt, fox fur leg wrappings, brown wolf cloak, hair band with small antlers tied to it, bear hair cuffs and bands
Pouches: Across his chest and waist he keeps multiple pouches made of tanned hides which hold anything from stones to berries and medicinal herbs.
Wooden Staff: Made of ironwood from the area of forest he roams, it is no stronger than oak. Seven feet long, two inches in diameter, with a heavy knobbed end, and slightly resistant to burning or cutting.
Sling: Just a sling to throw stones.
History:
Canute was a simple child, with simple needs and desires. He wanted to farm, to live off the land as other villagers did. This interest in the natural process of the world and how life ebbed and flowed followed him from his earliest days threw childhood. However, his father was a warrior of the Oslav clan, a man of honor and legacy. He wanted a son to take up his name, his sword and shield, and to strike fear into the hearts of other clans. His mother was a shield-maiden of the clan, a female warrior who could fight alongside the men in any engagement. She was as stone-faced and rigid as her husband and wanted the same thing for Canute.
By the time he was seven, living the dream of every young tribesman of north Salvar, he knew he was out of place. The spear he held was heavy and awkward, its tip sharp and terrifying. The bow was easy to pull, the arrow only too happy to be knocked, yet to release the string was a burden. Armor always felt wrong, the shield even worse. The life of a bloody warrior was not the one he was destined for and he knew it from the beginning.
The year of his eighth he was forced to don the garb of the warrior and venture out into the spring thaw of the Skavia wastes. A party of forty men and women, and children, roamed into the wilds after a pack of trolls. To honor, to victory they cried; Canute silently keeping pace. As the encounter began he found himself with bow and arrow in hand, watching the screaming Oslav warriors rush forward. Instead of firing he found himself weeping, clutching at the bow tightly, and wiping at the matter paint on his face.
After the fight the party split in half, some to give chase the others to set up camp. In order to make up for his cowardice his father and mother forced him to join the chase. They followed the remaining, bloodied trolls further northwest to the Ironwood Grove. The trolls had retreated into a woad-wood sanctuary of the shamans, but the honor and pride of Oslav was built into a rage as they followed. Within the hour half of the party was dead, the other half huddling for safety as they attempted to retreat the haunted wood. Canute was left behind and forgotten in its depths.
He was discovered by a lanky troll, Visrok, who’s woad painted body was covered by tattered hides and an ancient wooden mask. The troll spoke to him, reaching out, and unlike its breathren it offered peace and solace. Whether he could see the strength of nature in Canute, or if it was out of either pity or sorrow, Visrok took in the young boy and began teaching him of nature. From the age of almost eight till he was twenty he learned the druidic tongue, the plants and animals and how to live with them, survival, and the inklings of shamanistic magic. At the age of twenty the elderly troll died and the area of the Wormwood became Canute’s to manage.
For the past six years he has practiced his magic, communed with nature, offered assistance to any clansman who asked it of him, and strove to be a peaceful man.
((I know I have quite a few abilities, but for the most part they are completely non-offensive and meant for storyline purposes. I guess in a way I could shove a match size flame into someone's hair if I'm close enough and have the will to... but that doesn't fit Canute at all anyway. As a whole they are more or less cantrips, such as blowing out or lighting a candle, picking up a cup with air and hovering it to you, those sort of things. Non-offensive, but I separated them to explain how they relate to him as a shaman. Thanks for your consideration in this...))
Age: 26
Race: Human; Skavian
Hair: Blonde with streaks of auburn
Eyes: Emerald
Height: 6’ 3”
Weight: 200 lbs
Appearance:
Canute looks like a wild shaman should. His hair is long and a glossy, a mix of golden blonde and soft auburn. Half of it is braided and rests across his back or chest, reaching his navel. The other half is knotted and kinked into multiple strands of dreadlocks. He holds the top of his hair back with thin strands of vines. Tied into his hair are feathers and bits of twig are intertwined with his locks, as are a couple pieces of obsidian and an old wolf’s tooth.
His complexion is a deep tan, unnaturally so for the amount of time he spends within the confines of the forests of Skavia. The olive skin is smooth as silk and unblemished except for a row of three scars across his chest. A long rounded nose and nostrils have the attributes of the fierce tundra dwelling humans, as does his heavy brow and high sharp cheekbones. A well balanced face appealing to the eyes is off-set by an unnervingly vibrant and lively pair of piercing green eyes. They have a glimmer of gold streaking through them, seemingly always moving even when his eyes are not. Long ears with two bear-cub claws piercing either lob remain mostly hidden behind his hair.
Broad shouldered, lean muscled, and sleek his frame is often exposed to the elements and any prying eyes. He wears a mid-thigh length skirt made of elk-hide that is wide at the base. Across his chest is a vest of boar-hide. A large pelt from a wolf acts as a cloak when worn across his shoulders. Around either arm are bands of woven hair taken from a black bear, tightly bound just above the elbow and wrist. Finally he has leg-wrappings of fox fur running from his ankle to below his knee. He does not wear shoes of any kind.
Personality:
He loves the natural world and does not condone the killing of animals for food (though certain insects are alright), the destruction of the forest for wood, or the pillaging of precious goods from the depths of the mountains. Canute is a man of minimalist means. He eats what the one true deity provides, wears what he finds, and uses what he can craft. He abhors undead, demons, and those unnatural entities that roam the world. He understands that not all creatures that are of Althanas are aligned for the greater good, such as orks and trolls, but tolerates their presence so long as they tolerate his. He also doesn’t believe in ownership, that everything is to be borrowed and when the time comes forgotten.
Skills:
Herb Lore: Knowledge of the plants and their applications in regards to medicinal purposes.
Survival: He can be alone for a long time and never need the company or assistance of another human, for nature provides.
Animal Diplomacy: Animals seem to sense the essence and depth of Canute’s love of nature, and in turn often won’t attack him or be afraid of him. That is not to say that a starving pack of wolves wouldn’t try and kill him if they had to. This skill also allows him to have his companion at his side.
Concentration: He’s good at keeping his head in any situation
Crafting (Nature): He can make things out of wood, stone, and other natural commodities rather easily; staffs, baskets, huts, tools, ect
Awareness: In a forest, he is aware of anything out of the ordinary and is quite adept at hearing or spotting things that don’t belong or fit in. Within a forest he is also very adept at stepping past hindrances and potential danger making him move faster through the brush as well as leave almost no track to follow.
Marksmanship: While he was a young Skavian male he learned to use the bow, but never struck a target other than a dummy full of hay. His skill with a bow is incredibly rusty. However, his skill with a basic sling is true and well-practiced.
Spearmanship: Every youth learns the art of the spear and how to wield it in battle. Canute was no exception to this rule. However, he only went as far as to hold it in the right direction and nothing more. Instead this knowledge has been practiced in conjunction with the use of his staff.
Abilities:
Wood Affinity: Being of the forests of Skavia, Canute is well versed in the different types of wood and their applications. He can sense the status of a tree if it is well or sick and dying, knows if there are grubs in a log by touching it, can summon the strength of nature to heal or mend trees, and other little things such as making fruit grow slightly faster or ripen if it's already close. He cannot warp shapes of the wood, make branches grow and strike enemies, or anything of that nature.
Air Affinity: Canute is able to shift the winds slightly, enough to blow out a candle or cause a gust of wind to stir through the trees. The direction of the wind, once chosen, is set and the strength is nothing more than enough to rustle clothes or brush away light debris.
--Foretell Weather: He can tell if it is going to rain/snow, how bad it is going to be, and which way it will come from.
Ice Affinity: He has a second love for the snows of Skavia, rough and unforgiving as they may be at times. This affinity allows him to ignore the cold enough to keep him comfortable. This ability does not mean he can survive -30 overnight with ease, more than 0 feels more like 10 degrees.
Fire Affinity: It is his least favorite, being that it is a destructive process, but nature and entropy are hand in hand. He can create a very small one inch flame, enough to light tinder to start a fire. The flame is no hotter or stronger than a match and forms at the end of his finger, does not last longer than five seconds, and once used to light something it is dismissed.
Shamanistic Magic: shamans and druids are no different in the way they cast, what they cast, or how. They are empathic in regards to nature, knowledgeable in its workings, and above all very neutral. The magic they know is the life they know. Bestowing blessings, healings, shape-shifting, and communing with animals is just the beginning. Following are shaman spells Canute knows:
Foresee: When using a hallucinogen he goes into a trancelike state, his eyes go white and he can see into the depths of the world truly. This gives him a very limited ability to see the future, predict a coming storm weeks in advance, and other minor visions sometimes more metaphorical than literal.
Commune with Animals: Canute is able to talk to friendly animals and those that are neutral but might have something to say. This extends to small birds, squirrels and the like, as well as animals such as porcupines and hedgehogs. He cannot talk to insects, domestic animals, animals that just don't care (city rats), or predatory creatures.
Equipment:
Clothing: rough boar-hide vest, elk-hide tattered skirt, fox fur leg wrappings, brown wolf cloak, hair band with small antlers tied to it, bear hair cuffs and bands
Pouches: Across his chest and waist he keeps multiple pouches made of tanned hides which hold anything from stones to berries and medicinal herbs.
Wooden Staff: Made of ironwood from the area of forest he roams, it is no stronger than oak. Seven feet long, two inches in diameter, with a heavy knobbed end, and slightly resistant to burning or cutting.
Sling: Just a sling to throw stones.
History:
Canute was a simple child, with simple needs and desires. He wanted to farm, to live off the land as other villagers did. This interest in the natural process of the world and how life ebbed and flowed followed him from his earliest days threw childhood. However, his father was a warrior of the Oslav clan, a man of honor and legacy. He wanted a son to take up his name, his sword and shield, and to strike fear into the hearts of other clans. His mother was a shield-maiden of the clan, a female warrior who could fight alongside the men in any engagement. She was as stone-faced and rigid as her husband and wanted the same thing for Canute.
By the time he was seven, living the dream of every young tribesman of north Salvar, he knew he was out of place. The spear he held was heavy and awkward, its tip sharp and terrifying. The bow was easy to pull, the arrow only too happy to be knocked, yet to release the string was a burden. Armor always felt wrong, the shield even worse. The life of a bloody warrior was not the one he was destined for and he knew it from the beginning.
The year of his eighth he was forced to don the garb of the warrior and venture out into the spring thaw of the Skavia wastes. A party of forty men and women, and children, roamed into the wilds after a pack of trolls. To honor, to victory they cried; Canute silently keeping pace. As the encounter began he found himself with bow and arrow in hand, watching the screaming Oslav warriors rush forward. Instead of firing he found himself weeping, clutching at the bow tightly, and wiping at the matter paint on his face.
After the fight the party split in half, some to give chase the others to set up camp. In order to make up for his cowardice his father and mother forced him to join the chase. They followed the remaining, bloodied trolls further northwest to the Ironwood Grove. The trolls had retreated into a woad-wood sanctuary of the shamans, but the honor and pride of Oslav was built into a rage as they followed. Within the hour half of the party was dead, the other half huddling for safety as they attempted to retreat the haunted wood. Canute was left behind and forgotten in its depths.
He was discovered by a lanky troll, Visrok, who’s woad painted body was covered by tattered hides and an ancient wooden mask. The troll spoke to him, reaching out, and unlike its breathren it offered peace and solace. Whether he could see the strength of nature in Canute, or if it was out of either pity or sorrow, Visrok took in the young boy and began teaching him of nature. From the age of almost eight till he was twenty he learned the druidic tongue, the plants and animals and how to live with them, survival, and the inklings of shamanistic magic. At the age of twenty the elderly troll died and the area of the Wormwood became Canute’s to manage.
For the past six years he has practiced his magic, communed with nature, offered assistance to any clansman who asked it of him, and strove to be a peaceful man.
((I know I have quite a few abilities, but for the most part they are completely non-offensive and meant for storyline purposes. I guess in a way I could shove a match size flame into someone's hair if I'm close enough and have the will to... but that doesn't fit Canute at all anyway. As a whole they are more or less cantrips, such as blowing out or lighting a candle, picking up a cup with air and hovering it to you, those sort of things. Non-offensive, but I separated them to explain how they relate to him as a shaman. Thanks for your consideration in this...))