Character Sheet for Laiken Berryessa
Species
Common Rat (Rattus Norvegicus)
Character Description
Laiken Berryessa is Gwendolyn's dad. Here he is at 17 years old in late summer of 5645, posing just outside Redwall Abbey's south wall. He's employed by the Marlfoxes, hence the logo on his tunic. But as a fighter with Mossflower's combined armies, he was chosen as a forward shield bearer. His small size(for a rat), excellent swordsmanship, personal confidence, and overall endurance as a fighter gained him the attention of the Long Patrol. He is one of Mossflower's heroes of the great war with the Siberians, although his name and a sketch of the above pose exist only deep within the abbey archives. His name among thousands of others who participated in the final battle. His name can also be found next to that of Boldren Rudd in the abbey archives. They were young lovers during the Rendezvous of the Six Armies and gained a quick fan base among the abbey dwellers.
Laiken was 17 when he arrived at Redwall Abbey with the Marlfox Army on June 21, 5645. The young warrior was rearing to go to battle, he couldn't wait. He trained with may other creatures under the Long Patrol and his skills were noticed immediately. But it was within days that someone caught his eye. A tall skinny albino female rat named Boldren was standing next to him in line for dinner. She looked completely disheveled and nearly in tears. He watched her, unable to pick up her bowl of chow. Push-ups had left her arms cramped and useless. He offered to carry her bowl for her. Their eyes met, her's were a pleading "help me" look through oversized round spectacles. The two rats found a nice spot under a beech tree in the evening warmth. Laiken watched the muscles in her arm lock up when she tried to hold her spoon, she couldn't even feed herself. So he knelt in front of her and spoon-fed her. Boldren giggled, "My hero swooped in with a spoon instead of a sword." Her humor despite her pain was endearing. The two ate together and talked late into the night. Boldren was 20 years old and from a small privileged class of rats from Southsward. She was also a witch, something she revealed to Laiken with a deep sense of trust. They kissed goodnight. Being each other's first kiss, it turned into a makeout session that lasted until midnight.
Laiken didn't sleep that night, he was in love. A typical young male thought went through his mind, "She'd be hot of she wasn't so goofy looking." But that thought was banished the second day they met, Boldren was the most beautiful thing in the world to him. They met for dinner each night under the same beech tree, until the 6th night when Boldren didn't show.
Laiken ran around calling frantically for her. He found her training unit and learned she'd collapsed in a vomiting heap and was taken to Redwall Abbey. He burst into tears uncontrollably, something he'd never done before. "Is this what being in love is like? I can't live without her!" he thought as he ran to the abbey's front gate. He must have made an impression because the imposing Otterguard actually let him in, still armored and carrying a sword from the day's training.
He found Boldren in the infirmary, she'd suffered heat stroke. Barely conscious, she recognized him immediately. He'd never been so relieved in his life to find someone. "Are you Laiken?" a voice came from behind. He turned to see the big Bagermum Liza and nodded meekly. He knew enough of Redwall's history to know he was on shaky ground being a rat. Outside the infirmary, Liza said two things. Boldren is unfit for combat, which he knew but kept to himself, and she's a witch. Laiken froze, "Oh shit."
"Your secrets are safe in Redwall, look after her." She gave him a big motherly hug, he sobbed happily. The young lovers reunited the following evening. They made love in Laiken's tent that night and most nights thereafter. Boldren became a healer in Redwall Abbey. Their love carried them through thick and thin and eventually let to marriage and a child, Gwendolyn, who we know as The White Witch.
Personality
Confident. Serious, passionate, persistent, and driven when it comes to anything he cares about. Emotional toward those he cares for, stoic when it comes to duties. Always looks for a way to solve any given problem, considers it a personal failure if he cannot accomplish a task.
Likes/Dislikes
Laiken likes being a hero, whether in battle or being there for a friend or loved one. Not for the recognition, but to make the lives of those around him better. Likes the physical challenge of sword fighting and most physical activities in general. Likes one on one time with friends as opposed to a group of friends. Once he fell in love with Boldren, she was everything to him.
Has a special place in his heart for Marlfox Queen Shelkka.
Doesn't hold negative views in general, so his dislikes are few and have little impact on his life. Gets a little annoyed when confused for a mouse due to his small size. He becomes extremely distressed when unable to help friends and loved ones. Case in point is when his new love didn't meet him on the sixth night of their courtship due to heat stroke, he was completely beside himself.
Background/History
Laiken Berryessa was born on May 21, 5628 in the Kingdom of Marl. He is the only child of Strum and Corky Berryessa, two rats in their teens who worked as laborers. They were dirt poor and illiterate. They lived in a large single-room building with other rat and fox families. Laiken was still a baby when the Flea Plague of Marl struck in January 5630, killing his parents as well as many others. Like most cubs, he was spared due to the fleas' preference to the thicker fur of adults. This left Marl with a glut of orphans. Laiken spent much of his childhood as a street urchin. Fighting, stealing, running from soldiers, and doing what he could to survive in the chaos that was post-plague Marl. From age 8 to 12 he was in a little gang of wannabe horde-beasts. He was very popular for being driven, dependable, and fearless. He was also very fast and never lost a fight.
Laiken's life turned for the better when he was 13. Marlfox Queen Shelkka announced a need for 500 infantry soldiers. Laiken and his fox friend Mardy showed up. They were two of the youngest creatures there, but their health and persistence got them recruited. Under the Marlfoxes, Laiken learned to read, learned to fight with a sword, and overall learned to be a good soldier. He was well liked and felt appreciated. He was always grateful toward Queen Shelkka for giving him this life opportunity. He met her twice, once when she came to observe the new recruits, and later at Redwall Abbey when he was visiting Boldren. The second meeting was face to face and random. He and Boldren rounded a corner and there she was. She recognized him as one of her's and held the two young lovers' paws together. "This is what we fight for." she said quietly, and went about her business. The experienced deeply touched Laiken. He has a small pillow with Queen Shelkka's likeness on it, the only 'other woman' in his life.
Laiken fought bravely at Chautaux Flats on October 21, 5645 in what became known as the Second Battle For New Europe. He returned unhurt, having slayed or maimed several of the enemy. He could compartmentalize war as a necessity, thus remained non-traumatized. The soldiers returned to Mossflower as heroes. Boldren went with him to Marl in December, where they married on January 4, 5646. Laiken's earnings were meager, but enough to rent a one room flat. It had a tiny hearth for cooking, small common area, and a bed for two in the corner. Their own little castle. They loved playing house together. Unfortunately, Boldren miscarried several times over the years. But on September 19, 5652, she gave birth to a girl. The little albino was named Gwendolyn, after the heroine and new abbess of Redwall Abbey. The next 7 years were the happiest times of Laiken's life.
Marl got expensive, Boldren wanted to be closer to family, and Laiken's little family needed more space. So in fall of 5659, they moved to Southsward. Boldren's family adored Laiken, and his new job under King Foldore paid better. They had a three-room apartment. Laiken was a guard/constable in the 'vermin' part of Southsward. Things were good until the next fall, when Abbot Serney Blanders was assassinated.
The Berryessa family journeyed to Redwall Abbey for the funeral. Laiken and Boldren were reunited with old friends. Laiken's Marlfox friend Mardy had a dire warning. "Come back to Marl, please! Hellsgates are going to open!" Laiken, being himself, reassured his friend and family that all would be okay.
The Vermin Purge of Southsward occurred in November 5661. Laiken and his family escaped by boat with hours to spare. They arrived in Cascadia, North America, 4 and a half months later. Boldren died during the voyage, leaving Laiken a shell of his former self.
Laiken met a tragic end on December 18, 5663, murdered by defected Long Patrol Hares who were ousted from Mossflower. Common seafaring knowledge led the Long Patrol to him, as he and his ratfolk settled on the coast near a prominent maritime landmark.
Relatives/Family
Father: Strum Rebbek Berryessa, died March 12, 5630 at age 22 from flea plague.
Mother: Corky Arien Berryessa, died March 19, 5630 at age 19 from flea plague.
Wife: Boldren Rudd Berryessa, age 20 when they met. Died at sea of malaria, February 12, 5662 at age 36
Daughter: Gwendolyn Berryessa, aka The White Witch continues a prolonged life over eight centuries after Laiken's death.
World/Setting
Set on planet Earth approximately 50,000 years in the future. All of my Redwall OCs are depicted as they were in the year 5645(Year Zero was when time measurements switched from seasons to years.), the year of the Rendezvous of the Six Armies. Most of the anthro world is stone aged to medieval at this time, with some increasing industrialization. The most modern cities have technology equivalent to that of Ancient Rome. Worldwide ocean travel exists with celestial navigation as a risky undertaking.
Laiken is from the Kingdom of Marl, located in the southeastern part of Mossflower. It is ruled by the Marlfoxes, originally a specific fox family made infamous in the Redwall book titled, Marlfox. The original Marlfoxes led by King Mokkan lived on Marlfox Island, in Castle Marl. They didn't want you to forget the name 'Marl'. The island was described as being in the middle of a giant inland lake. We know this as the westernmost Balearic Island of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea. King Mokkan was slain in the year 4687, the supposed last of the Marlfoxes. But the line reappeared 300 years later, not on Marlfox Island but on the seashore of southeastern Mossflower. And although their presence was known to the Long Patrol, they never again appeared in the Redwall book saga.
The Kingdom of Marl covers the area around what we know as Valencia, Spain. Marlfox Island is still part of that kingdom, but is now more of an outpost and a retreat for nobility. Marl is populated mostly by creatures of the 'vermin' class, but 10 percent of the population are those of 'goodbeast' species, outcasts and oddballs that have found their place here. The Marlfoxes are still the ruling class in a mix of a free market economy and feudalistic rule under a monarch. The Marlfoxes use coinage as a medium of exchange, and new idea in Mossflower. Speaking of Mossflower, the citizens of Marl do not consider themselves 'Mossflorian', despite the common language, shared history, and even some shared holidays. This issue remains contentious even to the modern day, where Marl is a province of Mossflower.
The Marl that Laiken knows is a place of upheaval, rediscovery, and re-imagination. The Flea Plague of Marl struck in 5630, when he was a dibbun. The fleas arrived on merchant ships. They were aggressive bloodsuckers that caused severe infection in their hosts. Most died within a week of septic shock, those with extremely strong immune systems survived. The new Marlfox Queen, young Shelkka, appealed to Redwall Abbey for help, something no Marlfox would have considered in the past. The response came in the form of 700 Long Patrol Hares entering their city heavily armed and wearing plague masks, creatures of nightmares. But their better angles prevailed, allowing Marl to recover.
Laiken grew up an a Marl of youth who'd lost their parents. It was already a place of mystics, thinkers, imagination. Foxes are crafty creatures, and rats are very persistent and organized when not succumbing to life's temptations. Queen Shelkka seized this moment in time to use the energy of Marl's youth to rebuild the kingdom. This all happened just in time as a strange ship docked in Marl during the spring of 5644. Aboard was Queen Guivderin of Dugroznik, a long time trading partner of the Marlfoxes. She brought news of the Siberians invading her kingdom and needed military assistance. Queen Shelkka directed the rat-queen to Redwall Abbey. But Guivderin returned nine months later on a quest to unify Mossflower. Queen Shelkka accepted. And on June 21, 5645, Laiken arrived at Redwall Abbey as one of many rat soldiers with his queen and the Marlfoxes to take part in the Rendezvous of the Six Armies.
The Marlfoxes and their army of mostly vermin species forever redeemed themselves in Mossflower history because of their assistance in defeating the Siberians. The silent stealth they are known for put enough of a dent in the Siberian supply line to help turn the battle of Chautaux Flats.
Body
Attractive young male rat. Small for his species at only 5 feet 4 inches tall. Toned and muscular, covered in smoky grey fur with 'naked' feet and tail. Headfur cut short on the right side of his head with the rest long and pushed to the left, a popular 'bad boy' hairstyle of the time. Light brown eyes with a hint of friendliness and seriousness.
Clothing
Tunics are his clothing of choice. He has his Marlfox Kingdom tunic and several casual tunics of his own. Brief-style undergarments. Large leather belt and thick leather flap guarding his crotch.
Accessories
Generic shortsword issued by the Marlfox Army, which was gifted to him for his service when he left. Oversized shield manufactured from the same metal as the sword of Martin the Warrior, meant to repel the large ballista bolts used by the Siberian Army. Obviously he wasn't allowed to keep this.
