Rastus, The Explorer
The one and only Rastus is quite unique among the Gnomes. Having spent decades isolated from his own kind, Rastus has gained a much wider understanding of the boreal forest his people call home. He has gained both fortune and notoriety from the experience. While his books about the plants and animals of the forest are universally loved, Rastus's opinions about The Prank War have proven quite unpopular.
Almost Lunch
It was an otherwise unremarkable day when Rastus followed a familiar route along The Hatway, a magical portal network designed to make travel safe for all of the Gnomes of the forest. He thought that he was going to just quickly pop out of a door near his favorite garden, grab something to eat and then return home. The inside of a Hatway door is transparent to allow a Gnome to check for danger before exiting a tree. Rastus checked for trouble ten times, as is Gnomish custom. He did not see the Dread Owl. On wings made of silence, the Dread Owl swooped upon the stupefied Gnome. Its talons gripped him as it flew off with him. Fortunately for Rastus, he never made eye contact with the owl and avoided its Doomgaze. By creating an illusionary tree snake and dislocating his shoulder, Rastus was eventually able to escape. Unfortunately, his hat was lost.Fifty Years A Vagrant
Without his magic hat, Rastus couldn't use The Hatway to return home. Locked outside without his key, Rastus eventually resigned himself to enjoying life outside. He did spend much of his time looking for any of his peers but the only one he saw was his rival - twice. On the first occasion, Rastus wasn't sure if Frasten saw him before quickly going through a Hatway door and closing it. Rastus tried to call out to him to no avail. On the second occasion, Frasten's smug joy was written all over his face as he stuck his tongue out. He taunted Rastus before loudly banging a Hatway door shut in his face. Rastus has never mentioned this to anyone.Sure. It was funny for the first ten or twenty years.
Fear of Heights
After his first flight experience, Rastus has determined that his little feet need to stay on the ground. Dizzying heights cause Rastus a great deal of anxiety. He can't think, his vision closes in and he feels as though he might faint. When he remembers the owl attack, Rastus clutches his Courage Stone and tries to go on about his day.Pixies Aren't Terrible
With life in the forest being more difficult every day, the Gnomes have started a Prank War against the Pixie refugees who have been stealing from Gnome gardens. At first, Rastus thought that bewildering the little Pixies was harmless fun until he saw one cry. Now he's an advocate for a more positive relationship with the new neighbors. He's currently on a quest to solve The Prank War.He never takes his hat off - not even at the spa. Paranoid, I suppose.
Children
I need an article about the Dread Owl :)
If you are looking for my Worldember articles check Magic Earth or My Worldember Progress Page
Me too, LOL! I don't think there will be a prompt for it. The forest is populated so I can't use this week's prompt. I'll be adding more about the Snow Wrens today. Maybe we can squeeze in a non-SC article. :)
It was a stretch to fit the prompt but we have our Dread Owl! https://www.worldanvil.com/w/the-dragonstar-sagas-melissaplaysrpgs/a/dread-owl-species