Character Sheet for Roel
Character Description
Roel is a young deer-boy, born and raised in the village of the Natra tribe, hidden deep within the majestic Withwood forest. Standing 137cm tall (4'6'') at the age of 11, he might be smaller than most of his peers, but that did not hamper his physical development. As an aspiring scout and hunter of his society, the fawn traverses the wilderness tirelessly, learning nature's secrets and honing his skills.
Natrian society is modelled partially after the Slavic tribes of middle-eastern Europe around V-VIII century with an added mix of the more stereotypically tribal elements.
Personality
Description in History tab, because too long :c
Background/History
The tale of a deer began on a night preceeding a decisive battle in Natra's feud against a rival tribe. A night darker for the family than it first seemed, as dawn's light would wash over the body of a buck, amongst many others, in its flow through the bloody battlefield. The seed was already planted, however; a parting gift and a fruit of pair's last hours together, the son of a brave warrior would first see the world months later, during a harsh winter. Runty and meek, the fawnling was given the name 'Roel'; a blessing to attract spirits of sturdiness and endurance, and allow the cub to survive through the cold months.
Roel's father, Sourg, was the hero of goodnight stories and lullabies wrought by boy's mother since child's earliest years. These tales helped Daliah soothe the pain of losing a beloved mate while creating an ideal and example for the fawn to strive towards. As deer's father became more and more of an idol, however, the place of a fatherly figure was eventually taken over by Marlon, doe's only brother and a long-time friend of Sourg. Roel's uncle, in turn, transformed the regret over his inability to prevent his comrade's death into a force that would drive him forward in the process of shaping Sourg's heir. Marlon believed it was a task he was obligated to commit to.
While the boy never caught up in size with his peers, the perceived legacy of greatness and expectations arising from it fuelled his development. Since the very beginning of Roel's seventh spring, the deerling was hard at work. Weapon's training and sparings, physical exercises and survival trips, building up stamina; the numerous and occasionally overdone training regimes polished young's potential and patched up his weaknesses. And though he never fell behind in physical development, Roel faced his first 'failure': he was simply too much of a runt to ever work well as a warrior, ultimately forced to feel satisfied with aspiring for the role of a hunter.
Though initially a shy and sheltered fellow, it didn't take too long for the deer-boy to grow into the tightly-knit community of his tribe. Covering up social awkwardness and insecurities with a layer of sass and humour, Roel eventually managed to secure a small crowd of friends. From there on, his playful and energetic, though noticeably peaceful and non-competitive, nature could grow unhindered. Accustomed to the family-like structure of Natra, the deer-boy is as helpful as he is trustful, assuming goodwill in everybody he wasn't previously warned about.
Always in the shadow of an idealised father and a demanding uncle, the fawn developed a deep-rooted reverence for authority figures. A 'by the book' type of a kid, Roel will consider the rules and elders' stances over his own, doubting his skill and judgement on a regular basis. Being just a kid, however, means that the deer is likely to 'forget' about this principle the moment no authority is present. Thus, the lone job of a hunter allows the boy to truly spread the wings of his considerable skill and creativity, normally hindered by insecurities.
World/Setting
Seemingly endless when entered, great forest known commonly as Witchwood spans over north-eastern part of the continent, forming a natural barrier between largely unknown, harsh North and civilised lands of east and west. We should mention here that this backwood is not properly known itself, even by numerous tribes calling it home - explorers from outside of it have only scrapped the surface, bringing back as many facts as inaccuracies blown out of proportion by fear, contributing to near mystical image of Witchwood that lives in minds of 'civilised' nations. Those are the reason for the name given to it as well.
Hopelessly romanticized and mystified, these wilds, along with otherworldly creatures and occurrences that are supposedly both native and common, have become a staple of campfire stories, spawning own tropes and archetypes. There is little to no people, after all, for whom place like that one wouldn't be a stimuli for imagination - trees old enough to remember times of storyteller's ancestors; vast marshes sitting among trees and lit with looming wisps; nights in the shades of trees tall like towers, surrounded by mysterious songs of night animals... all of that made Witchwood a near-favourite theme for many tales.
Tales that later inspired individuals to experience it all first-hand.
It remains a curiosity that, despite a few settlements or actual cities existing relatively close to the fabled forest, they don't have much different perception of Witchwood itself than nations living half the world away - their actual experiences are usually with the very few who emerge out of it for trading, aforementioned Natra tribe in particular. This became more apparent when world became curious enough about the backwood that small groups of explorers ventured away from their homes with wilderness as their destination - and, of course, having people who settled a day away from Witchwood share most of superstitions only reinforced them in these daring people.
Continued exploration brought... not that much, actually. Several species, herbs and plants were catalogued, some tribes and their culture described in more of a detail, but it all was like a droplet in the sea of knowledge yet to have - and it was easily covered by how, for every fact, there were two 'fairytales' made. Granted, it brought the deep benefit of making traders more often know what they actually could be interested in, making the process of exchanging goods smoother - and less disadvantageous.
All of that, however, doesn't change how much of a legend and enigma Witchwood remains, to this very day.
Body
When on the move, the deer is a sight to behold: a rather short body of the young is slender and gently toned, harmoniously flowing between well-trained motions and stances. The muscles, built through intense training and countless assignments, are quite impressive for a boy of Roel's age, even though his frame lacks the bulk one expects in his more combat-oriented peers.
The deerling becomes much more of a kid when off his duties: it is during that time that one can focus on a rather friendly and soft expression or the playful, carefree sparks playing in young's olive eyes. Both Roel's tail and ears seem in constant motion: flapping, pointing and folding in response to his surroundings. The fawn, like all of his species, walks on a set of tough, dark hooves, though feet are not the only place where these can be found. Curiously, the tip of each of Roel's fingers is fully coated in the same type of tissue.
A mop of unruly, toffee-coloured headfur sits atop the boy's skull, almost as hard to contain as the boy himself, proudly adorned by a set of developing antlers and a dangling, playful braid of hair. The fur on the outer side of Roel's body shares the colour with the head-patch, while the inner side is splashed with creamy, faintly hazelnut markings. These flow from just right under his nose through the chest, belly and down to the groin. The fair-coloured dominion spreads to the limbs as well: inner thighs, nearly to the knee level, as well as arms, yet only to about the middle of the forearm. A much darker shade of brown cuts through fawn's face, like two curved blades covering the cheeks and pointing straight at the soft, black nose.
One mark, however, seems to be most eagerly omitted and covered by the boy in question: a set of creamy spots, dripped onto his left buttock and serving as an annoying remainder that he is still a few years from becoming a true buck.
![[AnaPunda] Swing!](https://va.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/1947/1947772_Roel_deer_dewd_1_shaded_noncustom.jpg "[AnaPunda] Swing!")