Tais Chayrak
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 7:37 pm
Name: Tais Chayrak
Age: 18
Race: Shifter (polar bear)
Height:
Human: 6'7
Shifted: 5'3 tall, 9'0 long
Weight:
Human: 340 pounds
Shifted: 1350 pounds
Appearance:
Human:
The young man is not obese in any form or fashion despite his weight. Even from birth, he was considered large and disproportionate compared to others of his age. Such has been both his advantage and his curse. His bronze colored skin is stretched across a muscular, well built man that almost seems to be more bull than anything. He has a strong, broad chest and powerful, bulky arms that have been formed from years of tossing hay and mucking stables. His legs are large and built up from pulling plows through a fields and pushing tilling equipment. His overall frame seems to be almost monstrous, a giant among men. This comes from the fact that he isn’t a man, at least not fully. His frame is littered with assorted scars with more on his hands than anywhere. Years of hard labor and working accidents lead to such injuries.
Because of his sheer size, his fashion choices have always been limited. He is often seen wearing large, droopy, plain colored linen shirts that seem like they were originally sheets. This look is mostly rooted from the fact that they were actually once sheets as sheets provide enough cloth to cover his frame. They have a hole cut at the center so he can pull it over his head and then the rest is trimmed and sewn together so that it has sleeves and fully covers his torso, like an actual shirt. He also adorns patched together pants that seem to be made of a tightly knit burlap-type of material. Cloth simply never was strong enough to hold up to the farming environment, so he had been forced to revert to tougher materials that are normally used as sacks, used for carrying large amounts of heavy materials. It isn’t always comfortable, but it works.
His hair is naturally snowy white and is kept as short as possible. He prefers not to be completely bald as hair helps protect his head from the sun, but he keeps it just long enough to brush along the back of his neck and the top of his ears. It is a jagged, uneven, and unkept cut that really isn’t for ‘style’, but or being useful while not being in the way. For him, his hair isn’t all that important and is often showed due to the fact it is messy and never brushed or combed. He is kept well shaven an is virtually without hair on anywhere other that his head. Surprisingly, despite being a shifter he has had a hard time growing hair. His eyes are a deep brown, almost black. The pupil and iris are larger than most, leaving little room for the sclera. If anything his eyes are the one feature that give him away as not being fully human, at least to a trained eye.
Shifted:
In his shifted form, Tais is a massive and deadly polar bear. The natural size of his shifted form is largely what has led to his massive human form. His polar bear form is full covered in thick, beautiful, snowy white fur from snout to end. He weighs a massive 1350 pounds, his body extends nine feet from one end to the other, and his shoulder stands at five foot and three inches tall.. His size is a little above average in terms of the bear family he comes from, but most have never had to deal with his kin. This causes him to be quite the intimidating sight. He is armed with 42 sharp teeth meant for injury, consisting of canines and jagged premolars and molars as well as a set of six inch claws on each paw. The large creature is also protected by 4.5 inches of coarse, dense fur followed by tough leathery skin and finally a three inch layer of blubber, making him incredibly resilient.
Further information:
Other than his size, hair, and eyes, Tais appears completely human.
Possessions:
His custom crafted clothes.
Strengths/Powers:
Human:
Size/Strength:
Tais is a massive man and with his size comes his most obvious advantage: his strength. Being a shifted did not completely break him by making him an abnormally large man, it also rewarded him with much of the strength his other side possesses. He does not have super human strength, but instead he has above average human strength for his size. He has the strength and size to pull a plow as well as a horse and has the strength to carry weights that would almost seem absurd. At first, it’s a feat that seems alarming, but when you factor in his size it doesn’t seem so bad.
Intimidation:
Being of such a large size makes him an intimidating looking figure.
Tool Making:
Having worked on a farm his entire life, he has learned how to smith and craft a multitude of tools and different types of blades. This also allows him to be innovative and quickly learn how to craft things he has not worked with in the past.
Loyal:
Tais is loyal to a fault. He’s not quick to trust and not quick to make friends, but when he does let you in you will have a friend who will die for you in an instant or protect you with his considerable strength.
Nonjudgmental:
Tais is not one to judge people for anything. It doesn't matter what they have done, how they look, or how horrid or great their lives may be. Tais believes that it is not his place to judge others the way others have judged him.
Shifted:
Sprinting:
Being a polar bear, he can sprint short distances at up to 30 MPH.
Resilient:
Having 4.5 inches of coarse, dense fur followed by tough, leathery skin and a three inch layer of blubber makes you rather hard to injure.
Strength:
This is a creature that can drag a 4000 pound carcass with relative ease, it has some strength.
Adept Swimming:
Being one of the most powerful swimming land creatures in the world has its advantages. He can swim for several hours at a time without rest and swim up to 6.2 mph.
Weaknesses:
Human:
Size:
Being of such a massive size has it’s strengths, but size also has its serious downfalls. There have often been embarrassing moments of Tais trying to fit through an average door built by humans. He has to duck, turn, and twist to fit into many average buildings and unless they have a high roof, he often finds himself bumping his head. This said, often times simple or poorly made furniture have difficulties holding him up, often either tilting over or breaking with him atop them.
Speed:
Being large has another disadvantage in speed. Because he his so massive, it is hard to run very quickly due to moving so much mass at once. This makes him slower than many others, not making him very good in a chase.
Stealth:
Okay, face it guys. What is the likelihood of a 6'7, 340 pound man sneaking past someone? Not highly likely at all.
Combat:
Tais is a gentle man and would never intentionally hurt anyone. Thanks to being such an intimidating figure, he’s also never been forced to actually fight. Because of this, Tais is not well versed in any form of combat.
Guilty Conscience:
Tais is tender hearted and as a result has a guilty conscience about anything he does wrong. In fact, he still blames himself for the death of his mother after 12 years of knowing the truth.
Easily Embarrassed:
Despite being a friendly person, Tais is easily embarrassed. He grew up in a world where others ‘looked down’ on him for his size and where people used him for his strength. This has led to a man who is very conscious about his size and about the things he does.
Shifted:
Natural Instincts:
Once shifted, Tais loses most coherent human thoughts. The natural will and instincts of a polar bear begins to seep in and ultimately takes full control until the shifted period has ended. His human thoughts are always at the back of his mind while shifted, but it takes a massive amount of will to exert such thoughts over his polar bear form as the beast inside is much more powerful than the man.. The amount of will required to shift his human thoughts to the front is enough force him back into human form and leave him vulnerable. Because of this, Tais only shifts when it is the only option available to him.
Fearless:
Where this may seem like an advantage in some cases, it’s actually more often a disadvantage for Tais due to natural instincts taking over. Once shifted, Tais’ polar bear mind set comes in. Instinctually, polar bears are a creature that is not afraid of anything, even if the odds of dying are far more likely than surviving. This could lead Tais to charge into a battle that is completely hopeless and as a result to his death.
History:
Tais had a loving mother and father who had worked hard for everything they had gained. His father was a shifter and his mother was a human. At a young age, Tais’ father had lived in a small community who had increasing racism against shifters. His mother was the only to accept his father, so when the man ran away she was the one to follow. Over time, they had built a small farm in the Sooqui plane that was more than they could have expected. It was on the east side of the Ofriyu Mar and was situated several miles north of Shim in the rolling hills. For them, this was not a problem. They grew enough to feed themselves and was able to craft almost everything they had from the most basic of materials due to Tais’ father being a handyman. They rarely had to visit Shim and kept to themselves. They lived a happy and peaceful life, but happy and peaceful would have to change. Tais’ mother fell ill. Month by month went by and the woman seemed as if she would make no recovery. Her weakness was soon revealed by her bulging tummy and it became obvious that she was with child. When the time came, it was in the depths of a cold a desperate winter. It was almost impossible to find a doctor that would venture out into the cold, but after three days of riding Tais’ father managed to find a rather unknown doctor who was willing to come help. The doctor arrived, prepared for the birth, and was happy for the chance to make some money. All seemed to be well, but then complications began to arise. Even at birth, Tais was massive. This fact was the one that led to the death of his dear mother. His size prevented her from being able to have a natural birth, but the discovery of an unnatural birth came too late. When the doctor was forced to cut her open, she was already too weak and too gone to fight such an operation. As a result, Tais was raised by his single father in a world where working to survive was everything.
The child grew at an astonishing rate. At the age of four, he had already reached almost five foot tall. Such a rapid rate of growth was the father’s first sign that his son was a shifter. Every day for as long as he could remember Tais was taken out into the fields and every day he was forced to walk in his fathers footsteps. He had to learn to work the fields, learn to feed the animals, learn to craft tools. His father expected Tais to one day take all of this fully and he trained to boy well. He also learned that the boy was tender hearted by nature at a young age. He told Tais the truth about what happened to his mother and insisted it was not his fault and that he should blame it on the shifter blood he had inherited from his father. Still, Tais would not blame his father and instead cursed himself and his shifting side for killing his own mother. It was a guilt he knew he would always carry with him and also led to him refusing to ever shift so that he could try to forget that he was that kind of monster. Still, life went on. It was a simple life and Tais did not have much due to that. For Tais it did not matter as it was the only life he had ever lived and the only life he could see himself in. He quickly grew into his father’s craft and was soon working along beside the man. With his size came surprising strength and his father soon discovered that even at the tender age of nine, the boy was already as strong if not stronger than himself. It did not help that the child was already almost as big as he was. It was actually quite the display when they went to Shim on their monthly visit and people got to see the young boy tossing bags of supplies with ease that many of them would need help with. It made Tais’ father beam with pride each time despite the fact that no one believed the boy was as young as his father claimed.
At the age of 13, the family horse died. Their plow was large and bulky and nearly impossible to move without a horse or mule to pull it. His father did not have the resources to purchase a new plow, so he certainly did not have the resources for a horse or a mule. He was convinced that he was going to have to sell the farm and move into Shim to live as a handyman. He actually contacted someone about selling the farm, but the morning after contact was made he found a surprise outside. He woke up and Tais was missing, so the man quickly dashed out the door to find his 13 year old son. The sight that greeted him was almost more than the man could take. There was a large polar bear in his fields with the large plow strapped to it, pulling the equipment effortlessly. It was faster and more efficient than a horse ever had been. This was a display that Tais’ father could have never expected as he did not believe his son’s devotion to the farm was as high as his own. He did not agree with the idea of allowing Tais to do such work at first, but the boy admitted that he wanted to keep the farm to honor the mother who’s life he took at birth. It was a guilt that Tais had carried for as long as he had known the truth and his father did not have the heart to deny Tais this. From that day forward, Tais embraced his shifting to help his father the way the man had always helped him.
The farm continued to prosper and Tais and his father were allowed to continue their way of life. Tais was very complacent in his current lifestyle, but as a teenager her became more and more curious about other people and the world as a whole. He had never really had any friends nor had he any sort of female figure in his life. This led to the boy often wondering away from the farm to visit Shim more and more often. He mostly sat back and observed the people here, but during one visit he stumbled onto a scene where a person’s wagon had collapsed and fallen atop them as they were under it trying to adjust the wheels. Several people were trying to help and they were unloading the wagon and making it lighter as quickly as possible though it was obvious that the man needed immediate attention if he was to survive. Being a kind hearted person, Tais happily approached and offered his help. Instead of helping to unload the wagon, he instead moved to the front of it and lifted the entire front end off the ground to get it off the man. The wagon was made of a very heavy wood and the supplies inside added greatly to the weight. It was a feat that would have been impressive for four or five men, so seeing the massive figure of Tais doing it alone had left many in awe. Such a display was not one that would pass silently and soon Tais’ father found out about it. The man chastised his son for sneaking off without permission. At the same time, the man also agreed that it was time Tais started expanding his social abilities.
Tais’ father contacted his late wife’s brother and asked the man to allow Tais to visit his home in Shim from time to time as a favor to his nephew. The man agreed and it took him 10 minutes of knowing Tais to discover his abilities. The man was greedy and eager and he soon began to sell Tais’ skills to anyone who needed a little extra strength in their work. The problem was that often times, Tais was asked to do things that weren’t always exactly legal. The illegal activity that he was asked to help in went anywhere from unknowingly helping in theft to hiding evidence of wrong doing. The boy had rarely ever spent time in Shim and did not know all the laws, but he was more than eager to help all the new friends he had. Tais did not know that he was being used for profit or that many of the things he was doing was wrong. At the age of 16, Tais’ uncle was finally caught being in contact with many local criminals and being the source of many recent crimes. The evidence trail almost led back to Tais, but his father found out what was going on and was forced to lie to protect his son. This showed Tais that people were more than willing to take advantage of someone else and from that day forward the boy was much less trusting of others.
Not long after this, Tais’ father died of an unknown heart disease. The man’s death hit Tais hard and the boy went into a sorrow that he had never known. He really had no one else to turn to and a pit became built in his chest that seemed impossible to fill. For the first year after the death of his father, he never once left the farm. He tended the fields, he took care of their equipment, he made sure the house was in the best shape possible. He stayed alone and too himself, choosing to suffer in silence, to suffer in solitude. Seasons passed, months changed, and finally Tais accepted that this was no longer the life he wished to live. With his father gone and no one there to speak to the farm became more of a burden than a blessing and he found himself collecting his belongings so that he could finally leave and learn what it is like to be your own man. As he left, he took one last look at his home for the past 17 years and
gave it a last wave before going out onto the road to find where he belongs at last.
Recent History:
The last year has been life changing for Tais. He spent a month on his own trying to decide what he wanted to do and spent much time aimlessly wondering the plains. He finally arrived in Shim again and decided to work for a local handyman as an assistant. His friendly personality and demeanor led to him bringing many repeat customers back to the man and as a result, he gave Tais a place to stay. Despite enjoying his time in Shim and being around people once again, Tais still felt displaced and still felt as if there was something else out there for him. In his search for what that something was, he often visited the Red Chalice Inn to listen to people talk. He had repeatedly heard stories from different travelers and merchants speak of a great city across the river, a city the claim to be the greatest in the land. They called it Marn. Tais spent the next several months saving every bishan he could. Finally, when he thought he had enough to survive for a short time on his own, he once more set out on his own.
The trip went without much delay or problem at all. He has only recently arrived in Marn and its size and the amount of people around has put him in a complete state of awe and perplexity. Still, just being here has given the young man new life and he finally feels like he has found a place where he can truly contribute. He is currently looking for work as a handyman or craftsman and can only hope to be hired before his stash of bishani runs dry.
_________________________________________
Example for fun:
The blistering wind whips through, sending flurries of loose snow flying into the dense air to leave a thick haze of powdered fog on the horizon. The freshly settling snow storm had hit he area hard. The sparse shrubbery rustles quietly as it seems to shiver as another layer of frozen decor covers its limbs. Almost nothing more can be heard upon the breeze until a light crunch breaks to silence. It was a crunch of something heavy packing the thick snow down under it’s weight, the sound of something unwelcome looking for natural survivors. It is the sound of a beast looking for it’s next meal. Thick white fur bristles as the wind brushes by and doesn’t even leave a shiver in the beast. It’s large snout is stuck into the air, black nose at its highest point to intake the scents brought on by this newest gust, this newest gift to such a predator. A low growl begins to emit in the large creature’s chest and long retractable claws extend themselves from the beast’s paws. The wind brings good news. The wind brings news of a meal waiting for him to claim it. A meal that made the mistake of trying to hide upwind from its predator.
It began as a small tremble and soon became more of an aggressive shake as the creature left its still position and threw the heavy layer of snow from its figure. It had been ever so still, ever so silent while waiting on a hint of the next prey to cross these plains. It was slow at first as one foot followed the other, trudging through the snow at a starting pace towards it’s target. Then it became quicker as it pushed it’s weight forward and forced its legs to move faster. Next, the almost silence of the plains was shattered as an ear piercing roar rolled forth from the hungry creature. The target lifted its head slowly from the patch of grass it had dug in the snow. It’s brown fur had been lightly salted by the snow, almost hiding the moose in the dense, powder filled air. The creature became more alert as an angry roar filled its ears and it tensed, prepared to make a retreat. The warning had been brief and its reaction was too late as a pair of black eyes abruptly broke the white colored horizon.
The moose had not even had time to truly react as the large bear at full speed was hard to escape from. Once its target was in sight, the 1350 pound beast lurched forward with all of it’s strength and weight to tackle the other creature to the ground. Upon impact, large and powerful forelegs wrapped around the moose’s torso, sharp claws digging into supple flesh as they reached the prey’s stomach. From there, the two creatures hit the ground due to the beast’s momentum, it’s weight crushing the creature below as it fell under the bear’s massive frame. Momentum carried them over, sending them tumbling for several feet which aided in the shredding open of the moose’s stomach as the large predator hung on for dear life. As they came to a stop, the predator’s large jaws clasped around the throat of it’s prey and began to jerk aggressively, snapping the other animal’s neck to assure it was incapable of making an escape. Now, laying there in a pool of blood the bear growled in victory and released the moose. It brought itself to it’s feet once more and glanced down along his glorious white coat, now splashed with red. His massive head shook for a moment, sending a few drops of crimson splashing down against the snow. That had been exhilarating. The creature’s jaws parted once more, his neck extended, and he found himself gripping tough antlers between his teeth. The beasts’ legs tensed up and it began to shift it’s paws backward, dragging the moose through the snow. After a few moments, the beast and its prey were gone, leaving only a pool and a trail of crimson there clashing against the powdered ground. That was all the proof there was of the incident ever happening and it was rapidly vanishing as fresh wave of snow began to brush across the landscape.
Orange and red reflected from the beast’s white fur as it felt warmth once more filling the air around it, it’s prey being drug along. Black eyes watched with care as it’s meal cleared the open door that it was being tugged through. The other creature’s bleeding had long stopped due to the intense cold freezing it and preserving it, even its hanging innards now becoming a cold grey. This saved some mess as the bear finally released the moose next to a small, well built fire buried in the hearth of this house. A loud grunt was heard along with some cracking as fur began to retract, bones and muscles began to shrink and shift into place, and skin began to glow a bronze hue as it reflected the flame’s light. After several intense moments a large, well built, nude man stood hunkered over this dead animal instead of that bear. He let out the breath he had been holding and groaned a bit. “That took a bit longer than I expected. Surprised anything was out today though..” The man’s voice rumbled out as he spoke to himself and looked curiously to his dinner with large brown eyes. He let out a content sigh and headed back into his room. He rustled around for a few moments to find a good pair of pants so he could cover himself once more. He tugged them on with little effort and placed a belt made of string around his waist to secure the clothes. From there, he headed back into the room where the moose lay and looked around for a few moments. Finally, he spotted what he was looking for on the kitchen table. He leisurely approached the table to collect his skinning knife and a small crate. “Well then, I suppose it’s time to collect my bounty..” And with that, he went to work to claim the prizes that this successful hunt offered him.
ooc:
Hey guys, I'm excited to be here. I've done PbP rp for over 10 years now. I started back in AOL chats to be honest, though I'm not proud of it.
I spent three or four years doing chat based games and did not get into my first forum based game until I was well versed in the world of PbP rp. To be honest, I wasn't sure I would like it. I was surprised to find that I enjoyed it more due to the amount of detail the extra space allowed. I played in Avidgamers and Acornrack networks for several years, but eventually quit completely due to starting college. It led to a hectic life and rp became a thing of the past. I've settled down now and was looking forward to getting back into the groove again, but was surprised to find that PbP has virtually vanished while I've been gone. After using most of my resources trying to find a place to start playing again, I decided to try my luck with google and see what came up..You guys were the first on the list.
You seem to have a rather fun and active community and I hope to become a part of it. That said, sorry for any errors I made. This is the first new character I've made since like late 2008 and the first time I've even attempted to type an rp post since early 2009. Hope it fits the bill and look forward to hearing from you.
Age: 18
Race: Shifter (polar bear)
Height:
Human: 6'7
Shifted: 5'3 tall, 9'0 long
Weight:
Human: 340 pounds
Shifted: 1350 pounds
Appearance:
Human:
The young man is not obese in any form or fashion despite his weight. Even from birth, he was considered large and disproportionate compared to others of his age. Such has been both his advantage and his curse. His bronze colored skin is stretched across a muscular, well built man that almost seems to be more bull than anything. He has a strong, broad chest and powerful, bulky arms that have been formed from years of tossing hay and mucking stables. His legs are large and built up from pulling plows through a fields and pushing tilling equipment. His overall frame seems to be almost monstrous, a giant among men. This comes from the fact that he isn’t a man, at least not fully. His frame is littered with assorted scars with more on his hands than anywhere. Years of hard labor and working accidents lead to such injuries.
Because of his sheer size, his fashion choices have always been limited. He is often seen wearing large, droopy, plain colored linen shirts that seem like they were originally sheets. This look is mostly rooted from the fact that they were actually once sheets as sheets provide enough cloth to cover his frame. They have a hole cut at the center so he can pull it over his head and then the rest is trimmed and sewn together so that it has sleeves and fully covers his torso, like an actual shirt. He also adorns patched together pants that seem to be made of a tightly knit burlap-type of material. Cloth simply never was strong enough to hold up to the farming environment, so he had been forced to revert to tougher materials that are normally used as sacks, used for carrying large amounts of heavy materials. It isn’t always comfortable, but it works.
His hair is naturally snowy white and is kept as short as possible. He prefers not to be completely bald as hair helps protect his head from the sun, but he keeps it just long enough to brush along the back of his neck and the top of his ears. It is a jagged, uneven, and unkept cut that really isn’t for ‘style’, but or being useful while not being in the way. For him, his hair isn’t all that important and is often showed due to the fact it is messy and never brushed or combed. He is kept well shaven an is virtually without hair on anywhere other that his head. Surprisingly, despite being a shifter he has had a hard time growing hair. His eyes are a deep brown, almost black. The pupil and iris are larger than most, leaving little room for the sclera. If anything his eyes are the one feature that give him away as not being fully human, at least to a trained eye.
Shifted:
In his shifted form, Tais is a massive and deadly polar bear. The natural size of his shifted form is largely what has led to his massive human form. His polar bear form is full covered in thick, beautiful, snowy white fur from snout to end. He weighs a massive 1350 pounds, his body extends nine feet from one end to the other, and his shoulder stands at five foot and three inches tall.. His size is a little above average in terms of the bear family he comes from, but most have never had to deal with his kin. This causes him to be quite the intimidating sight. He is armed with 42 sharp teeth meant for injury, consisting of canines and jagged premolars and molars as well as a set of six inch claws on each paw. The large creature is also protected by 4.5 inches of coarse, dense fur followed by tough leathery skin and finally a three inch layer of blubber, making him incredibly resilient.
Further information:
Other than his size, hair, and eyes, Tais appears completely human.
Possessions:
His custom crafted clothes.
Strengths/Powers:
Human:
Size/Strength:
Tais is a massive man and with his size comes his most obvious advantage: his strength. Being a shifted did not completely break him by making him an abnormally large man, it also rewarded him with much of the strength his other side possesses. He does not have super human strength, but instead he has above average human strength for his size. He has the strength and size to pull a plow as well as a horse and has the strength to carry weights that would almost seem absurd. At first, it’s a feat that seems alarming, but when you factor in his size it doesn’t seem so bad.
Intimidation:
Being of such a large size makes him an intimidating looking figure.
Tool Making:
Having worked on a farm his entire life, he has learned how to smith and craft a multitude of tools and different types of blades. This also allows him to be innovative and quickly learn how to craft things he has not worked with in the past.
Loyal:
Tais is loyal to a fault. He’s not quick to trust and not quick to make friends, but when he does let you in you will have a friend who will die for you in an instant or protect you with his considerable strength.
Nonjudgmental:
Tais is not one to judge people for anything. It doesn't matter what they have done, how they look, or how horrid or great their lives may be. Tais believes that it is not his place to judge others the way others have judged him.
Shifted:
Sprinting:
Being a polar bear, he can sprint short distances at up to 30 MPH.
Resilient:
Having 4.5 inches of coarse, dense fur followed by tough, leathery skin and a three inch layer of blubber makes you rather hard to injure.
Strength:
This is a creature that can drag a 4000 pound carcass with relative ease, it has some strength.
Adept Swimming:
Being one of the most powerful swimming land creatures in the world has its advantages. He can swim for several hours at a time without rest and swim up to 6.2 mph.
Weaknesses:
Human:
Size:
Being of such a massive size has it’s strengths, but size also has its serious downfalls. There have often been embarrassing moments of Tais trying to fit through an average door built by humans. He has to duck, turn, and twist to fit into many average buildings and unless they have a high roof, he often finds himself bumping his head. This said, often times simple or poorly made furniture have difficulties holding him up, often either tilting over or breaking with him atop them.
Speed:
Being large has another disadvantage in speed. Because he his so massive, it is hard to run very quickly due to moving so much mass at once. This makes him slower than many others, not making him very good in a chase.
Stealth:
Okay, face it guys. What is the likelihood of a 6'7, 340 pound man sneaking past someone? Not highly likely at all.
Combat:
Tais is a gentle man and would never intentionally hurt anyone. Thanks to being such an intimidating figure, he’s also never been forced to actually fight. Because of this, Tais is not well versed in any form of combat.
Guilty Conscience:
Tais is tender hearted and as a result has a guilty conscience about anything he does wrong. In fact, he still blames himself for the death of his mother after 12 years of knowing the truth.
Easily Embarrassed:
Despite being a friendly person, Tais is easily embarrassed. He grew up in a world where others ‘looked down’ on him for his size and where people used him for his strength. This has led to a man who is very conscious about his size and about the things he does.
Shifted:
Natural Instincts:
Once shifted, Tais loses most coherent human thoughts. The natural will and instincts of a polar bear begins to seep in and ultimately takes full control until the shifted period has ended. His human thoughts are always at the back of his mind while shifted, but it takes a massive amount of will to exert such thoughts over his polar bear form as the beast inside is much more powerful than the man.. The amount of will required to shift his human thoughts to the front is enough force him back into human form and leave him vulnerable. Because of this, Tais only shifts when it is the only option available to him.
Fearless:
Where this may seem like an advantage in some cases, it’s actually more often a disadvantage for Tais due to natural instincts taking over. Once shifted, Tais’ polar bear mind set comes in. Instinctually, polar bears are a creature that is not afraid of anything, even if the odds of dying are far more likely than surviving. This could lead Tais to charge into a battle that is completely hopeless and as a result to his death.
History:
Tais had a loving mother and father who had worked hard for everything they had gained. His father was a shifter and his mother was a human. At a young age, Tais’ father had lived in a small community who had increasing racism against shifters. His mother was the only to accept his father, so when the man ran away she was the one to follow. Over time, they had built a small farm in the Sooqui plane that was more than they could have expected. It was on the east side of the Ofriyu Mar and was situated several miles north of Shim in the rolling hills. For them, this was not a problem. They grew enough to feed themselves and was able to craft almost everything they had from the most basic of materials due to Tais’ father being a handyman. They rarely had to visit Shim and kept to themselves. They lived a happy and peaceful life, but happy and peaceful would have to change. Tais’ mother fell ill. Month by month went by and the woman seemed as if she would make no recovery. Her weakness was soon revealed by her bulging tummy and it became obvious that she was with child. When the time came, it was in the depths of a cold a desperate winter. It was almost impossible to find a doctor that would venture out into the cold, but after three days of riding Tais’ father managed to find a rather unknown doctor who was willing to come help. The doctor arrived, prepared for the birth, and was happy for the chance to make some money. All seemed to be well, but then complications began to arise. Even at birth, Tais was massive. This fact was the one that led to the death of his dear mother. His size prevented her from being able to have a natural birth, but the discovery of an unnatural birth came too late. When the doctor was forced to cut her open, she was already too weak and too gone to fight such an operation. As a result, Tais was raised by his single father in a world where working to survive was everything.
The child grew at an astonishing rate. At the age of four, he had already reached almost five foot tall. Such a rapid rate of growth was the father’s first sign that his son was a shifter. Every day for as long as he could remember Tais was taken out into the fields and every day he was forced to walk in his fathers footsteps. He had to learn to work the fields, learn to feed the animals, learn to craft tools. His father expected Tais to one day take all of this fully and he trained to boy well. He also learned that the boy was tender hearted by nature at a young age. He told Tais the truth about what happened to his mother and insisted it was not his fault and that he should blame it on the shifter blood he had inherited from his father. Still, Tais would not blame his father and instead cursed himself and his shifting side for killing his own mother. It was a guilt he knew he would always carry with him and also led to him refusing to ever shift so that he could try to forget that he was that kind of monster. Still, life went on. It was a simple life and Tais did not have much due to that. For Tais it did not matter as it was the only life he had ever lived and the only life he could see himself in. He quickly grew into his father’s craft and was soon working along beside the man. With his size came surprising strength and his father soon discovered that even at the tender age of nine, the boy was already as strong if not stronger than himself. It did not help that the child was already almost as big as he was. It was actually quite the display when they went to Shim on their monthly visit and people got to see the young boy tossing bags of supplies with ease that many of them would need help with. It made Tais’ father beam with pride each time despite the fact that no one believed the boy was as young as his father claimed.
At the age of 13, the family horse died. Their plow was large and bulky and nearly impossible to move without a horse or mule to pull it. His father did not have the resources to purchase a new plow, so he certainly did not have the resources for a horse or a mule. He was convinced that he was going to have to sell the farm and move into Shim to live as a handyman. He actually contacted someone about selling the farm, but the morning after contact was made he found a surprise outside. He woke up and Tais was missing, so the man quickly dashed out the door to find his 13 year old son. The sight that greeted him was almost more than the man could take. There was a large polar bear in his fields with the large plow strapped to it, pulling the equipment effortlessly. It was faster and more efficient than a horse ever had been. This was a display that Tais’ father could have never expected as he did not believe his son’s devotion to the farm was as high as his own. He did not agree with the idea of allowing Tais to do such work at first, but the boy admitted that he wanted to keep the farm to honor the mother who’s life he took at birth. It was a guilt that Tais had carried for as long as he had known the truth and his father did not have the heart to deny Tais this. From that day forward, Tais embraced his shifting to help his father the way the man had always helped him.
The farm continued to prosper and Tais and his father were allowed to continue their way of life. Tais was very complacent in his current lifestyle, but as a teenager her became more and more curious about other people and the world as a whole. He had never really had any friends nor had he any sort of female figure in his life. This led to the boy often wondering away from the farm to visit Shim more and more often. He mostly sat back and observed the people here, but during one visit he stumbled onto a scene where a person’s wagon had collapsed and fallen atop them as they were under it trying to adjust the wheels. Several people were trying to help and they were unloading the wagon and making it lighter as quickly as possible though it was obvious that the man needed immediate attention if he was to survive. Being a kind hearted person, Tais happily approached and offered his help. Instead of helping to unload the wagon, he instead moved to the front of it and lifted the entire front end off the ground to get it off the man. The wagon was made of a very heavy wood and the supplies inside added greatly to the weight. It was a feat that would have been impressive for four or five men, so seeing the massive figure of Tais doing it alone had left many in awe. Such a display was not one that would pass silently and soon Tais’ father found out about it. The man chastised his son for sneaking off without permission. At the same time, the man also agreed that it was time Tais started expanding his social abilities.
Tais’ father contacted his late wife’s brother and asked the man to allow Tais to visit his home in Shim from time to time as a favor to his nephew. The man agreed and it took him 10 minutes of knowing Tais to discover his abilities. The man was greedy and eager and he soon began to sell Tais’ skills to anyone who needed a little extra strength in their work. The problem was that often times, Tais was asked to do things that weren’t always exactly legal. The illegal activity that he was asked to help in went anywhere from unknowingly helping in theft to hiding evidence of wrong doing. The boy had rarely ever spent time in Shim and did not know all the laws, but he was more than eager to help all the new friends he had. Tais did not know that he was being used for profit or that many of the things he was doing was wrong. At the age of 16, Tais’ uncle was finally caught being in contact with many local criminals and being the source of many recent crimes. The evidence trail almost led back to Tais, but his father found out what was going on and was forced to lie to protect his son. This showed Tais that people were more than willing to take advantage of someone else and from that day forward the boy was much less trusting of others.
Not long after this, Tais’ father died of an unknown heart disease. The man’s death hit Tais hard and the boy went into a sorrow that he had never known. He really had no one else to turn to and a pit became built in his chest that seemed impossible to fill. For the first year after the death of his father, he never once left the farm. He tended the fields, he took care of their equipment, he made sure the house was in the best shape possible. He stayed alone and too himself, choosing to suffer in silence, to suffer in solitude. Seasons passed, months changed, and finally Tais accepted that this was no longer the life he wished to live. With his father gone and no one there to speak to the farm became more of a burden than a blessing and he found himself collecting his belongings so that he could finally leave and learn what it is like to be your own man. As he left, he took one last look at his home for the past 17 years and
gave it a last wave before going out onto the road to find where he belongs at last.
Recent History:
The last year has been life changing for Tais. He spent a month on his own trying to decide what he wanted to do and spent much time aimlessly wondering the plains. He finally arrived in Shim again and decided to work for a local handyman as an assistant. His friendly personality and demeanor led to him bringing many repeat customers back to the man and as a result, he gave Tais a place to stay. Despite enjoying his time in Shim and being around people once again, Tais still felt displaced and still felt as if there was something else out there for him. In his search for what that something was, he often visited the Red Chalice Inn to listen to people talk. He had repeatedly heard stories from different travelers and merchants speak of a great city across the river, a city the claim to be the greatest in the land. They called it Marn. Tais spent the next several months saving every bishan he could. Finally, when he thought he had enough to survive for a short time on his own, he once more set out on his own.
The trip went without much delay or problem at all. He has only recently arrived in Marn and its size and the amount of people around has put him in a complete state of awe and perplexity. Still, just being here has given the young man new life and he finally feels like he has found a place where he can truly contribute. He is currently looking for work as a handyman or craftsman and can only hope to be hired before his stash of bishani runs dry.
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Example for fun:
The blistering wind whips through, sending flurries of loose snow flying into the dense air to leave a thick haze of powdered fog on the horizon. The freshly settling snow storm had hit he area hard. The sparse shrubbery rustles quietly as it seems to shiver as another layer of frozen decor covers its limbs. Almost nothing more can be heard upon the breeze until a light crunch breaks to silence. It was a crunch of something heavy packing the thick snow down under it’s weight, the sound of something unwelcome looking for natural survivors. It is the sound of a beast looking for it’s next meal. Thick white fur bristles as the wind brushes by and doesn’t even leave a shiver in the beast. It’s large snout is stuck into the air, black nose at its highest point to intake the scents brought on by this newest gust, this newest gift to such a predator. A low growl begins to emit in the large creature’s chest and long retractable claws extend themselves from the beast’s paws. The wind brings good news. The wind brings news of a meal waiting for him to claim it. A meal that made the mistake of trying to hide upwind from its predator.
It began as a small tremble and soon became more of an aggressive shake as the creature left its still position and threw the heavy layer of snow from its figure. It had been ever so still, ever so silent while waiting on a hint of the next prey to cross these plains. It was slow at first as one foot followed the other, trudging through the snow at a starting pace towards it’s target. Then it became quicker as it pushed it’s weight forward and forced its legs to move faster. Next, the almost silence of the plains was shattered as an ear piercing roar rolled forth from the hungry creature. The target lifted its head slowly from the patch of grass it had dug in the snow. It’s brown fur had been lightly salted by the snow, almost hiding the moose in the dense, powder filled air. The creature became more alert as an angry roar filled its ears and it tensed, prepared to make a retreat. The warning had been brief and its reaction was too late as a pair of black eyes abruptly broke the white colored horizon.
The moose had not even had time to truly react as the large bear at full speed was hard to escape from. Once its target was in sight, the 1350 pound beast lurched forward with all of it’s strength and weight to tackle the other creature to the ground. Upon impact, large and powerful forelegs wrapped around the moose’s torso, sharp claws digging into supple flesh as they reached the prey’s stomach. From there, the two creatures hit the ground due to the beast’s momentum, it’s weight crushing the creature below as it fell under the bear’s massive frame. Momentum carried them over, sending them tumbling for several feet which aided in the shredding open of the moose’s stomach as the large predator hung on for dear life. As they came to a stop, the predator’s large jaws clasped around the throat of it’s prey and began to jerk aggressively, snapping the other animal’s neck to assure it was incapable of making an escape. Now, laying there in a pool of blood the bear growled in victory and released the moose. It brought itself to it’s feet once more and glanced down along his glorious white coat, now splashed with red. His massive head shook for a moment, sending a few drops of crimson splashing down against the snow. That had been exhilarating. The creature’s jaws parted once more, his neck extended, and he found himself gripping tough antlers between his teeth. The beasts’ legs tensed up and it began to shift it’s paws backward, dragging the moose through the snow. After a few moments, the beast and its prey were gone, leaving only a pool and a trail of crimson there clashing against the powdered ground. That was all the proof there was of the incident ever happening and it was rapidly vanishing as fresh wave of snow began to brush across the landscape.
Orange and red reflected from the beast’s white fur as it felt warmth once more filling the air around it, it’s prey being drug along. Black eyes watched with care as it’s meal cleared the open door that it was being tugged through. The other creature’s bleeding had long stopped due to the intense cold freezing it and preserving it, even its hanging innards now becoming a cold grey. This saved some mess as the bear finally released the moose next to a small, well built fire buried in the hearth of this house. A loud grunt was heard along with some cracking as fur began to retract, bones and muscles began to shrink and shift into place, and skin began to glow a bronze hue as it reflected the flame’s light. After several intense moments a large, well built, nude man stood hunkered over this dead animal instead of that bear. He let out the breath he had been holding and groaned a bit. “That took a bit longer than I expected. Surprised anything was out today though..” The man’s voice rumbled out as he spoke to himself and looked curiously to his dinner with large brown eyes. He let out a content sigh and headed back into his room. He rustled around for a few moments to find a good pair of pants so he could cover himself once more. He tugged them on with little effort and placed a belt made of string around his waist to secure the clothes. From there, he headed back into the room where the moose lay and looked around for a few moments. Finally, he spotted what he was looking for on the kitchen table. He leisurely approached the table to collect his skinning knife and a small crate. “Well then, I suppose it’s time to collect my bounty..” And with that, he went to work to claim the prizes that this successful hunt offered him.
ooc:
Hey guys, I'm excited to be here. I've done PbP rp for over 10 years now. I started back in AOL chats to be honest, though I'm not proud of it.
I spent three or four years doing chat based games and did not get into my first forum based game until I was well versed in the world of PbP rp. To be honest, I wasn't sure I would like it. I was surprised to find that I enjoyed it more due to the amount of detail the extra space allowed. I played in Avidgamers and Acornrack networks for several years, but eventually quit completely due to starting college. It led to a hectic life and rp became a thing of the past. I've settled down now and was looking forward to getting back into the groove again, but was surprised to find that PbP has virtually vanished while I've been gone. After using most of my resources trying to find a place to start playing again, I decided to try my luck with google and see what came up..You guys were the first on the list.You seem to have a rather fun and active community and I hope to become a part of it. That said, sorry for any errors I made. This is the first new character I've made since like late 2008 and the first time I've even attempted to type an rp post since early 2009. Hope it fits the bill and look forward to hearing from you.