Tavvru Corbaek
Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 6:45 am
Player Name: Firesong. And Tavvru. Obviously. And possibly someone else.
Name: Tavvru (Corbaek; taken by the sentients in the flock as a sort of joke)
Age: 24
Race: Shifter (Corvir)
Height: Just over six feet when human; the raven likewise stands slightly taller than average at two and a half feet (with a wingspan of close to five feet)
Weight: 150 pounds
Physical Description: Tavvru's physical appearance in human form tends to emulate his dualistic nature. Although not a heavily-muscled human, he is broad-shouldered, and his glossy black robes, slowly being covered with the feathers of ravens, hang loosely about his much narrower frame. Although his robes are hooded, his glittering black eyes are visible within the hood or without, and his black hair gives him a similar effect, albeit with a greater contrast with his skin. He isn't exactly a model of beauty, but there's a certain charm about his apparently (but, in fact, not) weathered face, a relic of the disproportionate number of experiences for his years.
Tavvru the raven, however, is a rather large and powerful bird. Bearing the heavy beak which, aside from size, intelligence, and vocal range, is the primary difference between his species and the common crow, while his size makes him larger even than most ravens, approaching the size of a small eagle. His black feathers possess the typical glossy sheen, and, if you're a small animal such as a fox or lizard, he's really quite frightening. However, his aerial acrobatics can be a sight as amusing as his feather-puffing can be intimidating.
Possessions:
Tavvru carries with him a short knife which he uses for human tasks, such as trimming lost feathers to add to his cloak, preparing victuals, or cutting firewood to a proper size. As a weapon, he bears a rapier, plain-handled and with a simple hand-guard, although sturdied-bladed and quite sharp. A pattern likewise runs down the blade, although if you can't read it he isn't likely to tell you what it means. Aside from that, he has only his partially-feathered cloak and a tarnished silver pendant set with a single large emerald. He also has a tendency to find and lose various trinkets of varying use and value.
Powers or Strengths:
The ability to shift between raven and human. Like a werewolf. But he's a raven, not a wolf. Pretty self-explanatory. The raven is a lot better fighter for a bird than he is for a human. Likewise, the raven can fly, has better eyesight, and can hide more easily than a human can.
Training with his rapier. He's not a mighty warrior, and doesn't have the muscle to do anything to anyone with armour. However, he's good enough to make most people think about what they're doing.
Magic. While limited by the constraints of the shifters, he does have a subtle magic which can be used to encourage the growth of plants, communicate with birds (his size, not his magic, being the thing here which gets them to listen), and briefly (as this consumes quite a bit of energy) control woody plants (meaning trees, shrubs, and bushes), although certain species (such as pines) are easier. No, he can't make them uproot, but he can cause them to hinder people, entangle people, or attack people; the more energy the plant uses, the more it drains him.
Weaknesses:
Arrogance. He's a young man, and a raven, and, although he does think about things, his high opinion of his own intellect leads him to think he's invincible. He does a few things unworthy of his intelligence. He also tends to overestimate his own physicality in human form. He's fairly tall, but his muscles don't match.
Pride. He hates being insulted, and generally finds a way to avenge himself. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't always pick people who will take their vengeance quietly.
Focus. While this can be a benefit in some cases, he occasionally suffers from temporary obsessions, both over objects and events, leading him to either zone out of things or to lose track of the bigger picture.
History:
There are other things which live in the forests around Marn. The mountains and swamps provide a home to the less civilized, the trolls being some of the most feared. Spirits inhabit the waters, werewolves roam the forests. However, although outnumbering the other surviving shifters, they are by no means the sole survivors of the wars.
It is slightly easier to hide the fact that one is a member of the corviri, primarily due to the fact that it is seldom tempting to take a part-raven, part-human form. It's possible, and helpful in some cases, but not only is it hideous to look upon, the flightless wings provide as much hindrance as help, and the talons make one's boots fit decidedly poorly. Not commonly wearing any form which would clearly give them away as a shifter, they have survived through caution. Most people aren't even aware of their existence as a species.
Unlike crows, ravens are not solely carrion-birds, and do occasionally hunt; not only on their own, but aiding wolves; they track the prey, the wolves provide them with food. Thus, in the guise of a raven, these shifters were perfectly capable of surviving in the wild. However, ravens are curious creatures, and often, against the advise of whatever other wcorvirimight have ended up in their flock (or in the pack they accompanied), they would venture away from the birds and beasts, making their own way.
Tavvru was one of these. His father was one of the corviri, and he wasn't really sure who or what his mother was. The older man was a hunter, and, although the two retained only a distant relationship, he did teach the skills necessary for a human to survive; but Tavvru's discontent and eventual boredom were brought on by the realization that even amongst those were different, he had additional talents; it was a subtler magic than that of the humans, realized once when one of the ever-hungry trolls, probably hunting, caught sight of a thick growth of pine rather than an enticingly large and edible raven. He could have just flown away, but as the troll didn't notice him, why bother? So the trees were scarce... or were they?
It was such noticeable demonstrations of his skill and the lack of use his talent had in his current situation which caused his growing boredom with his lot, as is the case with many of those who decide to leave an old life, he eventually decided it was a good idea just to fly away. A solitary raven is nothing to elicit suspicion, nor is an armed man making his way along a path; so, by wing or by foot, he slowly made his way out of the mountains and wilds and towards the areas inhabited with denser populations. Nothing truly unusual happened during the journey down and south, but it did come to his attention that the proper place for someone looking for something that was truly unusual was not wandering around in the forests or trails. Discussions and interesting people happen into taverns, more frequently than anywhere else, especially if one doesn't mind putting up with the occasional drunken lout or hiding your true nature until the opportunity to leave the city comes along.
Name: Tavvru (Corbaek; taken by the sentients in the flock as a sort of joke)
Age: 24
Race: Shifter (Corvir)
Height: Just over six feet when human; the raven likewise stands slightly taller than average at two and a half feet (with a wingspan of close to five feet)
Weight: 150 pounds
Physical Description: Tavvru's physical appearance in human form tends to emulate his dualistic nature. Although not a heavily-muscled human, he is broad-shouldered, and his glossy black robes, slowly being covered with the feathers of ravens, hang loosely about his much narrower frame. Although his robes are hooded, his glittering black eyes are visible within the hood or without, and his black hair gives him a similar effect, albeit with a greater contrast with his skin. He isn't exactly a model of beauty, but there's a certain charm about his apparently (but, in fact, not) weathered face, a relic of the disproportionate number of experiences for his years.
Tavvru the raven, however, is a rather large and powerful bird. Bearing the heavy beak which, aside from size, intelligence, and vocal range, is the primary difference between his species and the common crow, while his size makes him larger even than most ravens, approaching the size of a small eagle. His black feathers possess the typical glossy sheen, and, if you're a small animal such as a fox or lizard, he's really quite frightening. However, his aerial acrobatics can be a sight as amusing as his feather-puffing can be intimidating.
Possessions:
Tavvru carries with him a short knife which he uses for human tasks, such as trimming lost feathers to add to his cloak, preparing victuals, or cutting firewood to a proper size. As a weapon, he bears a rapier, plain-handled and with a simple hand-guard, although sturdied-bladed and quite sharp. A pattern likewise runs down the blade, although if you can't read it he isn't likely to tell you what it means. Aside from that, he has only his partially-feathered cloak and a tarnished silver pendant set with a single large emerald. He also has a tendency to find and lose various trinkets of varying use and value.
Powers or Strengths:
The ability to shift between raven and human. Like a werewolf. But he's a raven, not a wolf. Pretty self-explanatory. The raven is a lot better fighter for a bird than he is for a human. Likewise, the raven can fly, has better eyesight, and can hide more easily than a human can.
Training with his rapier. He's not a mighty warrior, and doesn't have the muscle to do anything to anyone with armour. However, he's good enough to make most people think about what they're doing.
Magic. While limited by the constraints of the shifters, he does have a subtle magic which can be used to encourage the growth of plants, communicate with birds (his size, not his magic, being the thing here which gets them to listen), and briefly (as this consumes quite a bit of energy) control woody plants (meaning trees, shrubs, and bushes), although certain species (such as pines) are easier. No, he can't make them uproot, but he can cause them to hinder people, entangle people, or attack people; the more energy the plant uses, the more it drains him.
Weaknesses:
Arrogance. He's a young man, and a raven, and, although he does think about things, his high opinion of his own intellect leads him to think he's invincible. He does a few things unworthy of his intelligence. He also tends to overestimate his own physicality in human form. He's fairly tall, but his muscles don't match.
Pride. He hates being insulted, and generally finds a way to avenge himself. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't always pick people who will take their vengeance quietly.
Focus. While this can be a benefit in some cases, he occasionally suffers from temporary obsessions, both over objects and events, leading him to either zone out of things or to lose track of the bigger picture.
History:
There are other things which live in the forests around Marn. The mountains and swamps provide a home to the less civilized, the trolls being some of the most feared. Spirits inhabit the waters, werewolves roam the forests. However, although outnumbering the other surviving shifters, they are by no means the sole survivors of the wars.
It is slightly easier to hide the fact that one is a member of the corviri, primarily due to the fact that it is seldom tempting to take a part-raven, part-human form. It's possible, and helpful in some cases, but not only is it hideous to look upon, the flightless wings provide as much hindrance as help, and the talons make one's boots fit decidedly poorly. Not commonly wearing any form which would clearly give them away as a shifter, they have survived through caution. Most people aren't even aware of their existence as a species.
Unlike crows, ravens are not solely carrion-birds, and do occasionally hunt; not only on their own, but aiding wolves; they track the prey, the wolves provide them with food. Thus, in the guise of a raven, these shifters were perfectly capable of surviving in the wild. However, ravens are curious creatures, and often, against the advise of whatever other wcorvirimight have ended up in their flock (or in the pack they accompanied), they would venture away from the birds and beasts, making their own way.
Tavvru was one of these. His father was one of the corviri, and he wasn't really sure who or what his mother was. The older man was a hunter, and, although the two retained only a distant relationship, he did teach the skills necessary for a human to survive; but Tavvru's discontent and eventual boredom were brought on by the realization that even amongst those were different, he had additional talents; it was a subtler magic than that of the humans, realized once when one of the ever-hungry trolls, probably hunting, caught sight of a thick growth of pine rather than an enticingly large and edible raven. He could have just flown away, but as the troll didn't notice him, why bother? So the trees were scarce... or were they?
It was such noticeable demonstrations of his skill and the lack of use his talent had in his current situation which caused his growing boredom with his lot, as is the case with many of those who decide to leave an old life, he eventually decided it was a good idea just to fly away. A solitary raven is nothing to elicit suspicion, nor is an armed man making his way along a path; so, by wing or by foot, he slowly made his way out of the mountains and wilds and towards the areas inhabited with denser populations. Nothing truly unusual happened during the journey down and south, but it did come to his attention that the proper place for someone looking for something that was truly unusual was not wandering around in the forests or trails. Discussions and interesting people happen into taverns, more frequently than anywhere else, especially if one doesn't mind putting up with the occasional drunken lout or hiding your true nature until the opportunity to leave the city comes along.