Peregrine
Race: Human (Raen)
Birthday: Unknown (Ophus 32, 2???)
Age: 20-ish (Gideon)/185 or so (Peregrine)
FC: N/A
Birthday: Unknown (Ophus 32, 2???)
Age: 20-ish (Gideon)/185 or so (Peregrine)
FC: N/A
Place of Origin: Unknown
Current Location: Old Rose Harbor
Occupation: Dockhand
Player Name: Cap O' Rushes
Current Location: Old Rose Harbor
Occupation: Dockhand
Player Name: Cap O' Rushes
Physical Description
Currently, they are human, male, and of average Anaxi human height (around 6'1") with a moderate but well-shaped build. Their current face is handsome, but unsettlingly so. Granted, much about them is unsettling; they don’t move quite the way a person should and their dark eyes seem not to fit in their face. They do not sleep well, and have a sort of brittle, restless air about them. Aside from that they keep themselves as healthy as they can, as they generally make a point of trying to make their bodies last as long as possible. Of particular note: their hands, which look more like those of a musician than a dockworker; the black cloud of hair that frames their face (though Peregrine recently cut it short); and the terrible smile that splits their face every once in a while.
Personality
Peregrine is, in essence, a creepy loner. Their personality is directly at odds with their long-term goal of feeling connected to other people. They are driven by fear and a gnawing hunger they can’t identify. They have a fear of true death and what that will mean for their monstrous soul, and fear of discovery for what they are. They don’t trust and are not well-liked, seeming creepy and detached. It’s mostly by grace of their nature being the stuff of scary stories told in the dark that they haven’t been discovered--it’s quite clear they don’t fit in with the living. While they easily space out on the details of day-to-day life, they have collected a lot of odd hobbies. Speaking to them can be quite intense, although they will never initiate conversation. While they remember very little of their own biography, they have a great memory for trivia facts garnered over their many lifetimes.
They are neutral on most races on Vita, having been all of them at least once (and being too old to care), except galdori. They still hate and resent them, although they forget the details of why. There’s plenty of evidence in front of them without needing to remember their original life. As for what they are... if Peregrine felt shame or regret, they have long since stopped. They want to survive, as long as they can, and while they have a distaste for changing bodies willy-nilly, they won't hesitate to do so if the need arises and are not always as careful as they should be with not putting their body in harm's way. They prefer not to linger in a body that has grown infirm with age.
Backstory
Once, Peregrine was a passive. They remember this, and they remember misery--and very little else. They do not remember their age upon their physical death, whether they were male or female, their family, country of origin, or even their name. Just misery and a hunger that remains unsated. When they died and became raen, they saw it as an opportunity to escape, to find freedom denied them in their natural life. It has been lifetimes since then (how many? They are uncertain), and they are fraying at the edges. Their memory is fading and control over bodies they take is harder and harder to keep.
Generally, they prefer to take the bodies of those who are young and alone--fewer attachments to worry about. This requires some planning, and isn’t always possible. Though they no longer remember why this is, they also prefer to take the shape of a wick or a human, never a galdor. They tried, once, when they were young and new, and the constant jangle and scrape of their horrible field was too much, a twisted mockery of what they never had in their first life. This body they destroyed themself. They remember the failure of this attempt, but not the reason; they don’t remember the aching of having functioning leylines still useless to them, or the bitterness of having their relationship with the mona change from nonexistence to active hatred that always scraped against them. Easier to ignore in a shape more different from what they had once had.
What of them that is Peregrine has worn many shapes. Some have lasted longer than others, and time runs together. It would be very difficult for them to give a truly accurate account of their lives. The more recent ones are sharpest. For a time, they remember, they were a sailor from Mugroba, before a storm hit the ship and the body drowned. They were an acrobat in Bastia who died of an illness in her youth, a candle maker in who lived to be old enough that Peregrine discarded the body deliberately, a soldier stationed in Hesse, a bookseller in Vienda (this was who they were just before becoming Gideon, after losing that body to an unfortunate flirtation with a gambling addiction). More besides, likely as not. Peregrine has learned to let their curiosity guide them and finds it hard to be attached to any life in particular. None of them have quite fit, at least not in the way they want.
Most recently, they have become Gideon Carver, a human man. They only took the body six months ago, and are looking to establish this shiny new identity. Who they are now is unclear--they came from Vienda to the Rose to escape any connection to the life the body used to have. Their options are open, after all. The hardest thing for them now is to avoid seeming too out of place, an old soul behind a young face. They found work as a dockhand, hoping to hide in the constant comings and goings of other people. This work has proven more difficult than it was in the past, being physically demanding at a time when their control of their body is slipping. They have excused it as a genetic illness, and for the most part this has worked. They have a place to sleep, work to do, food to eat. Not much by way of company, but they have grown accustomed to this. Easier to hide this way.
Aptitude Skills
Mental
Good
Good
Physical
Average
Average
Social
Poor
Poor
Focus Skills
Career and Income
Housing and Inventory
Goals
Short-term:
- Settle into their new body/life/identity
- Don’t get discovered.
- Stay alive. By whatever means necessary.
Long-term:
- Feed the hunger in them. They don’t remember, but what they want is to feel like they’re accepted and belong somewhere, to be connected to other people.
