Rook Aquila

Rook Aquila is a kenku bard who appears in the Riftwatcher campaign as a guest supporting character. He is played by M.B.

Description

Appearance

Rook is a raven patterned kenku that stands a bit shorter than most. Compounded by his height, he is slightly rotund in build. Over the years, he has always worn brightly colored clothing of Renaissance design. The latest colors are a burgundy with violet stripes. He wears a bard's floppy hat with a peacock feather stuck into it. His vielle is always in his hands or in the case strapped across his back.

Personality

An upbeat and cheerful person, Rook enjoys playing up his part of being the fool. A false naivety usually hides a keen mind that knows more than any could guess. Rook has a fondness for his brother, Kavas, and the two often pretend to be ignorant of the other's doings. Their standing joke between the two of them was that Rook got all the luck while Kavas had all the skill. Not entirely accurate, though Rook does stumble into situations that work out in his benefit fairly frequently.

Biography

Background

Born in Two Ports, Rook was hatched from an egg shared by his twin brother, Kavas. In known history, there had not been two children born of one egg amoung the Kenku before and so their family called them the Lucky Brothers. When Rook showed a talent for music, his family decided to nurture his artistic abilities to try and get him out of the typical Kenku lifestyle of being hired thugs and petty thieves. Being a poor family, it took them a while to scrounge up the money to buy him a used vielle. Rook suspected his twin of making the difference through illicit means, but never questioned him.
The two of them took off together, looking for whatever means they could to improve their station and make Rook's talent known to the world. They shared many adventures and it is said that the two may have gone to or even come from another world at one point as they have many tales of things no one in Malgrave has seen. Rook particularly enjoys a story about a fleet of ships that sail the sky rather than the water and when prompted, Kavas will confirm it. They continue roaming the lands, still reaching for the goal of getting Rook to the high life.

Becoming a Riftwatcher

Rook and his brother had been hired by a drow woman seeking pieces of an artifact at some point, and their hunt for these pieces led them to a band of adventurers that had several of them. With their well practiced routine, Rook distracted these adventurers while Kavas stole the four pieces of the Ceresc Seal they had collected. After explaining their situation to the brothers, Rook and Kavas returned the pieces and offered their assistance. They were directed to the secret city of Kaltose to meet with the ones that had tasked them to gather the pieces. They met the Riftwatchers, who were impressed with the two kenku's abilities and inducted them into their ranks. The brothers participated in the Battle of the Black Desert and were present when the Ceresc Seal was reformed. With the battle over and the Seal safe, there was little for the Riftwatchers to do, and so Rook continued traveling with his brother to continue increasing his renown.
At some point, Rook sought the help of fellow Riftwather, Paige Amura, to help him use the power of the Ceresc Seal to view into other realms for new ideas for songs and stories. It is unclear what his original intention was or how he convinced her to allow it to be used for such a purpose. What is known is that Rook's exploits with men typically loosens his beak. Some things he's said aren't worth a story, while others he vowed only to share amoung friends have slipped out. Either through inebriation or the attempt to try and impress, these tales have started to make their way into the open. Whispers of what he's seen have started to trickle around the world, catching the interest of several powerful circles.

Relationships

Kavas Aquila

Rook is very close to his twin brother. Rook is well aware of Kavas' darker side and his willingness to kill and steal to help further their goals. The two rarely share their emotions openly to each other, which is speculated to be partially due to their worship of Dayea, a goddess of secrets. As such, Kavas remains stoic while Rook remains cheerful outwardly, but there is something between the two of them that makes their true feelings known to each other.

Character Information

Legacy

• "Birds of a Feather" is a published book cataloguing Rook's travels throughout the world with his brother. It is his most popular piece of work and is translated into most written languages. It garners a lot of attention as it spans over 160 years of experiences despite the average lifespan of a kenku being 20 years.

• "Ballads of Blood" is a compilation of short stories and songs written by Rook detailing the battles and final moments of friends who have died. It is considered a collection of tragedies as they are all depicted as fallen heroes. There are fewer copies than any of Rook's other work, making them rare and valuable for collectors.

• "Silent Blade" is a considered Rook's only work of pure fiction. Stories of a vigilante that was formerly an assassin, doing good deeds to redeem themselves of past evils. The past deeds are never explained, only that they are a great burden this hero of unspecified race. It is hinted that this character was a close personal friend of the Rainbow Rogue.

• Several other smaller known works totalling 41 volumes.

Notable Items

• Vielle: A used but well repaired and cared for instrument bought by Rook's family for him.

Quotations

• "Sorry to disappoint you, miss, but I am a gay little birdie."

Character Type
Guest Character
Actor
M.B.
Race
Kenku
Date of Birth
Unconfirmed
Status
Alive