"Ranger"
"Ranger"
A timid but stubborn creature with a duty to fufill.
Warning: will bite if provoked.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Small, but agile.
Body Features
Bruised knees and bloody knuckles.
Identifying Characteristics
Bright red, birdsnest hair.
Apparel & Accessories
Seems to always be coverd in a thin layer of ash and dust.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
"Ranger" is a native to the Aremore region, their family and ancestors have lived as hermits in the outskirts of the settlement for as long as its existed, maybe longer.
They have acted as protectors and perservers of the land and whatever thing that lived there. In their parents time, that job consisted mostly of taking care of and defending the wilds from exploitation and enviormental destruction, since the actual people of Aremore didn't need a lot of help back then (at least not on a larger scale).
But after the burning of Aremore and the huge influx of refugeas from the end, "Ranger" feels responisible for caring for the settlement and its people, like they do for the rest of the land and life there.
This despite the fact that their secluded upbringing means that they really don't know how to interact with others very well. Hell, they don't even have a real name for most of his life because growing up they only ever referred to each other as "mom" "dad" and "child" and they only really talked to their family.
(TLDR: They are an socially incompident forest ranger who have taken on the responibiliy to rebuild society for some reason.)
Gender Identity
No. or all? idk gender is made up and they don't have one.
Education
Home schooled (technically)
Employment
Currently working on the rebuilding of Aremore
Accomplishments & Achievements
Raised a litter of orphaned squirrel kits into fullgrown, capable, independent squirrels once.
Failures & Embarrassments
Show Spoiler
"Rangers" whole family fought when Aremore burned. They watched from the shadows as the strange men arrived, as they started to set the fires, as they torched homes and lives. At first, they didn't try to fight them, there was to many of the men, and just the three of them. Sometimes "ranger" still wonders if it would have gone differently if they had tried to stop them earlier. But they didn't, they waited intill the men were more scattered and disorganised. In the commotion and chaos, while "ranger" and her father were running around frantically trying to put out the fires and rescue people from the inferno, her mother went after them. She saw them, at the top of the oldest oak tree at the core of the Aremore settlement, setting it ablaze. She must have known when she went up there that she wouldn't come back down again, or maybe she didn't, maybe she didn't think about how the flames would ravage her way back or how no one could survive a fall from that hight. Either way, "ranger" saw her disappear up the tree and that was the last time he saw her. Maybe she got revenge on the men with the tourches, but she couldn't save the oak tree, nor could "ranger" and his father save Aremore. Their father passed a few days later, the smoke distroyed his lungs and the heartbreak did the rest. "Ranger" couldn't save him either.
Mental Trauma
Show Spoiler
Survivor's guilt. so much survivor's guilt.
Fears fire.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
To protect the land and the living things on it.
Savvies & Ineptitudes
Virtues & Personality perks
Loyal and determinant.
Vices & Personality flaws
Trust issues.
Hygiene
Bad :)
Social
Contacts & Relations
Childhood friends with a perticular bee. Spent summers with them until the years just before the Fire.
"Ranger" haven't seen the bee after his homestead burned. They assumed that he died.
Family Ties
Show Spoiler
Lost in the fires
Mannerisms
Feral and jumpy.
Wealth & Financial state
Does not believe in or understand capitalism money. (And probebly doesn't want to)
A strange little being that lives in the moss and speaks to trees.
Character Location
Alignment
Neutral good
Date of Birth
Spring
Birthplace
The woods
Children
Current Residence
Aremore
Gender
Undefined, uses pronouns interchangeably
Eyes
Mossy green
Hair
Tangled, was fiery red once, but is now covered in a permanent layer of ash.
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Scarred
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"Ranger"s journal, written with help from whoever will help them
Sooo, the festival happened. It went about as expected. After a few hours of festival fun and talking to people we were all called to an opening meeting. It all seemed fine, intil that owl man (Kiko??Ciko??) ran up on stage. He said he had gotten a letter, saying the queen of Virkhagen was dead. Whoever wrote the letter said Hans was only the start... or something like that, I was not really paying attention at that point. People started to panic and murmer. A few of us went back to check on Aremore.
The tree is gone. Or stump, I guess. It was regrowing, I know it. But now its gone. We don't now how, or why. It must have happended around the time when the queen was murdered.
When it dissapered it took its protective magic with it. Things have been deficult ever since.
Fuyku got hurt. I dont know how. I may have acciedently accused the owl man of murder. I was a mess at the time, I wasnt thinking of my words or how I say them.
Zky came by one day, he was very sick. I though it was the potions at first. But a few days later, Leaf (the little moth from the Alley) came by. He had Zkys journal with him. It said that Zky had started to misstrust his memory. After a short scavenger hunt we had the other parts of the journal. Exept for one page. In it Zky wrote about his visions, and talking to ghosts. It said that the grim ripper had talked to him, and showed him a vision of the future, where a black fungus plauge was released on humanity by the royals. Zky is different now. He is shorter, and can make you go blind, and move really fast and suddenly appear behind you. And he is set on preventing the plauge by hunting down and killing the royals, as well as Witch Dancer. He wont say why The dancer. He just said that Dancer would stand in the way. So thats bad.
He's not the only one that has been effected since the loss of the tree. Aeleos have too.
A few weeks ago I found a letter in his home. It was adressed to Ramsworth. They apperently knew eachother before Ram forgot everything, they were somewhat family I think. I tried to gentely get him to tell Ram, but he was afraid.
Well Rams found out, and he got mad. Very mad. Goose was there. I don't know exactly what happened, but Aeleos got hurt, very hurt. Goose said he though Rams had killed him. They didnt tell me at first, we thought we had another skinwalker on the lose again. Apparently Aeleos had stormed into the alley tower and threatend Dancer and said he had ruined his life. I think he had been spiraling for a while, the insident with Rams just pushed him of the edge. I ran around for hours trying to find Aeleos. When I finally found him, he was putting on a set of armor that Rampart gave him. He said he wants to get rid of the people who ruined his life. He acted on that as well, at Sallys Housewarming. He bursed in, and at somepoint cornerd Leaf, Sally and Goose. He wants information from them, and is willing to threaten and maybe kill to get it. They made a deal, safety for information. When I found him, he told me he was worried that Witch Dancer and his secret club thing "the vex" might have sinister plans. He is very secretive, he says he doesnt want to put me in danger. Rakker has been talking to him. Rakker worries to, he thinks Witch Dancer might try to bring back the end. I want to help him, but at the same time, I realize this is dangerous. There are very few things I woudnt do or sacrifice to get my home back. Also while I was running around trying to find Aoleos I met Alice. I asked her if she new where he was. She knew, she lied to me. I was so upset at the time. I struggle to remember most of that day though. I had some, a lot, of vine. At some point, I don't know how, I knocked her out. It wasnt ment to hurt her. Sometimes I forget how different city people are. When I was small my mom would sometimes bite my ears to get me to listen. And it didn't really hurt, not seriously, but it made you stop and listen up. City people are not so hardy, and they don't just fight it out when they need to work something through. I never ment for her to actually be hurt.
Rakker got mad when he found out. He tried to hide it but I could tell. I hated it. I have never really feared him before. But the death of the tree has been tearing at him too.
ahhhhh
Its all so much.
Ive been struggling lately, with my dudy here, if I'm doing it right.
I was never suppose to get this close, to the town and the people. Sometimes I wonder if it was for their sake or mine, considering lately I seem to make eveything worse when I try to help.
Aoleas said something like that too, he questioned if it was really my duty to intervene when the rest of the forest isn't effected. I don't intervene when a fox kills a rabbit. Sometimes I even help. But now I'm so involved.
I.. I dont know.
Aoloes was one of the few people still around that remeber Aremore before the fires. Now I wonder if the Aoleos I knew has been dead for a long time. With the tree and its magic gone, the memory of Aremore, all that we are, the sprit of my home, is fading from the very soil. It no longer whisper in the wind through the trees. It no longer dances on fields on foggy nights.
My parents would know what to do. I use to feel them. I'd feel my mom whenever I climbed a difficult mountain, or jumped across a river, when I hunted, and most of all when I would watch the sun rise from the stump of the old tree.. My mother is adventure, she is in the feeling of strenght, magic and mystery. Id feel my father while eating with people I trust, while decorating the shelfs upove my bed, when warming myself under a soft blancket. My father is in the feeling of home, safety, warmth.
Lately I have not really felt strong or safe. They are not with me here, I fear whatever took the tree took them with it.
I wasnt suppose to be alone yet. They had so much more to teach me about our duty. They were suppose to be with me untill I was ready to take it on.
I don't know if I can do it alone. We already failed the forest, when Aremore burnt the first time. And now everything I do seem to repeat the process.
Maybe I need to move away, get some distance, maybe I was never ment to live in the city in the first place.
Maybe Aremore was already doomed the first time we failed it, and all of this is just throwing fuel on the fire.
"Ranger"s journal, with help from Rakker
The festival is closing in. And we are all runing around trying to prepare.
Especially the security. I joined the Alley. Even though i dont entirely trust The dancer. Having more eyes and more people might help. We have made an agreement that if an attack were to happen during the festival, we will let whoever needs protection into the bunker. This has put more pressure on all of us, there is so much more to prepare now. Alice and Rakker has even set up a couple of traps to stop anyone coming after us down there, despite my complaints.
We (me and Rakker) finally went to Ephyry, to speak to his brother. It went unexpectedly well. He was not to upset about having to think Rakker was dead for years. they joked around together. They have the same eyes, and sound the same. I think i like him.
Speaking of not being dead. I met Sky the bee. He just stood there one day. In his old home, crying. I was so happy and confused. I thought they all died in the fire, but apparently he and his syster has been in Ephyry this whole time. Ive been trying to convinse him to return to Aremore, but he has a shop and a house in Ephyry now.
"Ranger"s diary, with only some help from Rakker
There is someone named Pheonix. She lives in Fuyukus body and sees through her eyes sometimes. Its sorta complicated and but it has to do with the gem in her head somehow. A few days ago Pheonix came out and refused to let Fuyuko come back. She barred Alices old place and broke her doors. We had to go get Alice from Ephery to get in. In there Alice and Moore confronted her. After some fighting and reading Pheonix mothers journal to her, we tried talking to her. I wanted to remind her about how she feelt for Moore and Alice but that made Moore all nervous. Apparently they hadnt actually talked about it with eachother yet. Anyway, the whole conversation made Pheonix break down and Fuyuko come back. Now shes been back and fourth now and then and I think Alice is trying to find a way to separate them through potions which she buys from that Cat Zky.
I met Pheonix on her way to Virk the other day. I was worried about Fuyus body so I asked to go with her and suprisingly she didnt disagree. She took me to see her grave, which is where I found out something.
Pheonix is Kyle.
Kyle as in Rakkers old friend. The one he killed.
At that point Rakker came running. He was very mad and worried for me for just walking into Virkhagen without him. I understand him, it wasnt very smart.
Together we visited Pheonixs old home. She talked about her mother, and then let Fuyu come while still in their old home. I dont know if she did it on purpose, but this did something to Fuyu. When she woke up she didnt remember us, and tried to fight us. After giving up on talking to her we returned home. Alice was there, and when we told her what had happend she got upset. She ran of towards Virk but as we were about to follow her, a raid broke out in Aremore. I don't know what caused it but we didnt have time to figure out. Rakker told me to follow Alice while he held of the raid. We didnt have time to talk about it.
After following Alice around for a while trying to find then fight then talk to Fuyu or Pheonix, I could finally return to Aremore to help with the raid.
But when we got back, It was already over.
The bodies of beasts and raiders where littered all over the town. Rakker was nowhere to be found.
I paniced for a second, before remembering the safe room. A room Rakker made in case he ever really need to calm down.
I rushed down there and found him in a corner.
He was shaking, and coverd in bood, mercifully not all his.
When he was me he told me to go away. He said he could be dangerous, and that he was a monster.
I felt horrible.
For scaring him by going of to Virk without telling him. For all of the things he has had to take care of since we started the festival. For leaving him alone here to deal with the raiders.
I kissed him. And apologised.
He turned all red in the face, I think this is a good thing?
It calmed him down.
We went outside together, did some farming, he asked me out. Things were fine again.
Not really, there is still plenty of trouble ahead we have to deal with, but atleast now i feel a bit better about dealing with them.
I like being around him.
Rangers diary (now written with less help from Rakker)
A lot of things have happened.
We had a town meeting, and talked about the future of Aremore. There was many big words and I didn’t understand som of it. But we did decide to build up the sanctuary.
Rakker was worried that some of the people from his past might try to start a fight on the festival. He planned to travel to virkhagen, completely alone, to talk to them. He told me not to come with him, barely let me send Ram or Blim with him. I hated him for putting someone i love in danger like that. He refused to listen to me so there was no point arguing with him. Screaming at a mountain will give you nothing but echos. So I went around, called for help for whoever could hear. And people did hear, more then i ever thought.
Tensions have been rising. The dancing witch and his tower asked me the other day. He talks about the Allay, and about the other nations. I do not care for his grand scheming, but if the allay can help me protect the woods then it might be worth a try.
We lost Willow. I still don’t know how it happened. I don’t want to ask, people are upset still. Most Alice, they were close.
Fyuko has been acting strange lately, she shares her body with someone else. They are called Phoenix. I haven’t met them, but they scared Alice.
I think Fyuko is scared too, she left one day, without a word, she left Alice a note, Alice can’t read. When she realized Fyuko was gone she panicked and left to live with Moore in Ephyre.
Fyuko came back, a few days later, and looked for her. I got mad, and yelled. I shouldn’t have, but I it hurts me that Alice didn’t get to say goodbye. Fyuko realized too. She didn’t know how much hurt she would do. So we set of to Ephry to apologize. It was an impulse decision and i still can’t really believe i went. There is so much outside of aremore. The houses in Ephyry are big like mountains and colored like sunsets. You can get lost in them like caves and you can’t see the horizon from in there. It feels like being in a jar must feel like.
We found Alice finally, though she didn’t seem to want to talk. Fyuko could barely talk either. But she apologized. Alice still seemed stressed, about willow and Fyuko and the rush family and everything. We tried to talk her thought it. It didn’t work.
After she left Fyuko cried. I have never seen her cry before, i though she was melting at first.
There is a flower moth there to help her at least.
About rush.
I went into his tower. Found a letter. Form Rams dad. It mentioned his brother as well. I asked him about it. He told me he use to be close with his brother. That they were his second family. He is afraid to show Ram the letter, he thinks Ram will be mad, or leave. I promised to ask Ram. If he rather learn something unpleasant or stay here with his family and not knowing. He said he didn’t know, but that he would be mad if someone kept things from him.
When Fyuko came back she also brought with him an owl man. He said he spoke for virkhagen and someone named Freya. He wanted to talk to Rakker. I thought this would worry me more, but he seemed pretty weak. Rakker could handle him if he needed to. I listen to them speak. They talked about Elias. The scientist for Hans who dancer talked about. Owl man doesn’t know where he is either. But they want to find him. Owl thinks that he figured out how to close the end. And maybe he could open it again.
Dancer talked to me later about him. He called Elias a doctor, even though he doesn’t help people. He talked about being in a cage, and reading his papers, and they said he was a doctor.
At least this all meant Rakker doesn’t need to go to Virkhagen. Good. He hasn’t been sleeping and he punched a wall so hard he hurt his hand. He thinks he needs to take care of everything himself.
I asked him to teach me to fight, i want to be ready for the festival in case something happens. I am not very good at fighting, but I’m fast and can bite. It took a while but i got in one good hit. Actually Rakker seemed pretty hurt, I’m afraid i opened up his old wound.
He apparently has a brother. In epheyiry.
"Ranger"s diary (written with the help of Rakker)
People have started to show up in the festival area. As well as buildings. I worry what will happen to the buildings when the festival is over and the people return home. Will we wrip them down? Will they just stand empty? I dont like either option, empty buildings are a bad omen, but so much here is in ruin already. So far its mostly Ephyrie who are building stuff, but I am watching carefully to see if things show up by Virkhages tent too.
Ive met some people from the other cities.
There is the thing made out of snow. Alice seems to have made friends with them. They say they are from Virkhagen which scared me at first but Alice said that they probably were created after the fires so at least there is that. They still unsettle me, they can disappear into snow and i dont like not knowing where they are. I will keep an eye on them.
I have also meet the Flower girl that apparently lives in Lucius(Fire guys) green house and does gardening for him. I dont really know how long she's lived there but if Lucius and Pheobe trust her then i do too. (They might be together now, if what Rakker heard is true)
The third person ive meet is someone that calls themselves "Witch Dancer" (finally a name i can understand). They said that they live in Ephyrie now but that they use to live with a tribe further north then Virkhagen, before they were wiped out. I didnt know there were cities more north then Virkhagen. He mentioned that he was worried about meeting someone from Virkhagen, a scientist, he called him "Hans right hand man". When he found out that we dont know who sent the invites he panicked. He worried it was a trap and said we have to prepare ourselves. He seemed alarmed they we didnt act more worried, that we haven't built defences or watchtowers. We tried to calm him down, say that we cant prepare for everything, no one is ever really safe and all that. It didnt seem to work. He will be building watchtowers in the Ephyrie area of the festival grounds, and suggested we do the same. While I appreciate the sentiment I dont think he understands what the situation is like here. He called our lack of defencees "positive thinking" but i dont think thats true. Not a day passes where I dont worry about the men coming back. I think its some sort of acceptance. Even if we built defenceses and watchtowers, who would man them? And if we saw danger coming, then what? i mean we'd put up a fight, sure, but we all know that if Virkhagen or Ephyrie or anything else really wanted to hurt us right now we wouldn't stand a chanse. The best we could hope for would be buying enough time that people could escape. I cant defend my friends and I cant defend my home. I know that already.
I wanted to scream that at him sometimes, when he went on about all the ways we are vulnerable. I know we are! but that do you want us to do?!
But Alice clearly got upset by what he said so I had to keep calm. I spoke to him afterwards, tried to make him understand, or maybe just feel better. I dont think it worked. I gave him permission to build the towerd in our area to if that might comfort him. He seems to have lost a lot at the hands of Hans, I guess it felt familiar, so meny people here have lost, i feel like ive grown use to how people sound when they are in pain.
The unfriendly friends attempted to raid Aremore today. We were lucky there were so many of us so we could fight them of pretty easily. Im not mad at them, they are no more evil then wolfs are for hunting rabbits, its in their nature.
Anyway all of the witch dancers talk of disaster has worsend my worries as well. I hate it. We need to keep making those escape tunnels.
"Ranger"s diary (written with the help of Rakker)
I've been told I might wanna keep a diary, to keep track of my thoughts and remember people. I'm still struggling with the writing, so Rakker is helping me.
Anyway.
I'm not sure where to start. I feel like far to much has happend in the last few years to be recaped here. I guess I could start with the Festival, I remember that better.
So we were organising a festival. Like the once we use to have before the fires. I didn't realise how much ive missed them untill Blim brought it up. I seems like the others feelt the same, everyone threw themselves at the work. Built games and made food. It was amazing, we havent had something to celebrate in a long time.
So a few days into the preparation we all received a letter. It was an invite to the festival addressed not only to Aremore but to the other nations as well. We don't know who sent it, or why. I wasnt even sure they would show up.
A few days ago it became apparent thay they will, as grand buildings started to pop up around the festival grounds.
I have to share something. Although ive been trying to hide it, it scares me a lot. I havent ment many people from outside of these forests. Much less at the same time. So many people all in one place, in my home, that I dont know.
Ive been trying to keep a brave face in front of the others. They were so excited, I dont want them to be scared too. I want to enjoy a festival again, Its so exhausting being scared.
Rakker was scared too. People from Virkhagen will be here, they might recognise him. We tried to reassure him. To tell him we wont let anybody bring a fight to a festival. To tell him we be able to defend him. Really i dont know... no wait dont write that, its nothing.
Anyway i should really get back to preparing stuff. im making a sled ride :)
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