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Ambrose Llywelyn

Ambrose Llywelyn was a former Loner in January 2011.

1.  Appearance

Abrose is a gracefully aging Welsh Terrier, graying around the edges but still tough and wiry as he was in his youth. A sailor by trade, he has built up fantastic strength over the years from heaving sails and carrying cargo on board, and so his form is covered in corded muscles that give him an impressive figure despite his years. He usually wears his optime form, for the simple reason that it allows him to both be dexterous and to appear on relatively the same size scale as his larger canine companions, although sometimes he enjoys lupus form for more leisurely pastimes. Despite this, he is still very, very short, although he carries himself with such excellent posture that he appears to be taller than he really is.

Ambrose's coat is curly, with a golden-brown color that shines spectacularly in the right light despite the encroaching presence of grey in it. The dog's back, sides, and collar are all black. He has dark, deeply set eyes under very prominent fluffy brows, and his muzzle bears a fountain of greying whispers that give him the appearance of a full beard and mustache. He takes great care of this beard, trimming it and grooming it so that it takes on an elegant, Conquistador-esque quality. The mustache especially he has grown out, and he makes certain that it always curls charmingly.

In addition to these markers, Ambrose bears the traits of his breed: His floppy, triangular ears have a half-cocked look to them, as if he was listening constantly for small prety. His forearms and the lower part of his legs are covered in hair that is unusually thick and long compared to the shorter fur on the rest of his body, making natural arm- and leg-warmers that sometimes even cover his paws. This has the effect of making him look even more strangely proportioned and stocky than he already is.

As for clothing and adornments, Ambrose is almost always fully clothed, with a loose grey shirt in the style of 17th Century sailors, wide-legged navy-colored pants, and a bright orange belt sash in which he tucks personal belongings - including a journal, a compass, and a bag full of curious souveniers from every place he has traveled to. Ambrose's most treasured possession, however, is a long curved dagger in the style of a falcata that serves him both as a cutlass and an all-purpose knife. He has both of his ears pierced, with a number of rings in all different metals in his left ear and a large hoop and engraved golden cuff on his right. His arms and chest are covered in scars from various accidents on the job, and he has a large nick in his right ear. In addition, he has a blue nautical star tattooed on the back of his right hand, and on his left arm, branded and tattooed in dark ink, is the word "Lucky" with "Fortuna" in smaller letters beneath it.

2.  Personality

Ambrose is a professional adventurer, although it has been a long while since he was young enough to dash about on mad journeys of treasure-hunting, exploration, and derring-do like he used to. However, don't tell him that! He is still on the hunt for romping trips of danger and excitement, and even though he knows he may not physically be up to the task, he still pursues it with vigorous enthusiasm. He is also - quite literally - an old seadog, and takes great delight in burdening young ears with frightening, fantasical tales of his high-seas adventures... only a few of which ever actually happened. He is good-humored and can be rather grandfatherly towards young pups, showering them with gifts and indulging them in all of their most ridiculous games of make-believe. It might be said that, in his middle-age, he is reverting to childhood again, but the old sailor will himself insist that he never actually grew up in the first place. He can be an incorrigible flirt at times, but he does so with the charm and chivalry of a man who knows that his flirtation amounts to merely harmless banter which he greatly enjoys playing at. Although he does occasionally go tilting at windmills, for the most part Ambrose has a down-to-earth perspective on serious topics, and he has been known to give practical advice when asked for it. However, his advice often leans towards one simple philosophy: Follow your heart, and a good life will find you.

3.  Faith

Doesn't really have a god or organized religion, but he trusts Lady Fortuna with all things, believing her to be "the oarswoman that steers all decent sailors safely to harbour." Believes highly in the power of chance and serendipity, and of course, like any good sailor, he is full of little superstitions and encyclopedic knowledge of good and bad omens.

4.  Biography

Ambrose has lived by the sea his entire life. Growing up on the coast of Wales, he had the chance to visit the ocean any day he wished, and by the time he was a year old he had built and sailed his own wood-and-leather coracles and basic rafts and canoes in the salty waters of his home. As soon as he was old enough, he left life as a shepherd and hunter behind him and set out for Liverpool to become a sailor. From there, he sailed all over the Atlantic, Mediterranean, North Sea, Black Sea... Any ship that would take him, basically. He has sailed on whalers, fishers, merchant vessels, military vessels, and even had a stint as a pirate-- sorry, a privateer for a wealthy but shady group of wolves on the island of Corsica. Along the way, he familiarized himself with the port cities of Europe, particularly falling in love with Barcelona and losing his heart to the lady Marisela, from whom Fortune unfortunately parted him too early.

After many years on the seas of Europe and Africa, Ambrose made his way to the Americas and discovered the lively, culture-filled ports of Barbados and New Orleans, as well as the bustling city of Freetown so close to the borders of 'Souls. He took to American waters pretty quickly, and soon he started making trips between Europe, Africa, and the Americas on a regular basis, ferrying canine passengers and cargo of all sorts between continents. Although this work was less adventurous than his previous jobs, Ambrose had to admit that he was starting to grow tired more quickly, to injure more easily... In short, he was starting to grow old. Work that used to be easy now caused him aches and injuries that took far too long to heal. Realizing that the time had finally come to hoist the sails for the last time, lick his metaphorical wounds, and retire to a more subdued life, he bid farewell to his crewmates and disembarked at Freetown, where he set out on foot for the land of 'Souls.

4.1  Tall Tales

• He won his falcata in a duel with a pirate king
• His Spanish lady, Marisela, was a noble lady of highest rank, whom he courted despite the violent measures taken by her father to keep them apart... These adventures run the gamut from simply running from the old man as he brandished a pistol to eloping with Marisela and having to fight the old man in a labyrinth of caves, being captured by the authorities and threatened with death, and escaping valiantly (but not without a fervent oath between the lovers to reunite one day in the future)
• He saw Fortuna part stormclouds and guide his ship safely through a storm; he also saw Fortuna split a boat in half with her oar and sink the entire crew
• Saw a sea serpent swallow a boat whole (Really! Honestly! He did! =P )
• He is a wanted man in fifteen packlands (though if this was true, he certainly would not be running around so easily today)
• He got the nick in his ear fighting for the chieftainship of a tribe of shipwrecked canines turned cannibals... one of 'em ripped his earring out
• As a child he was captured by the folk of the Otherworld and carried across the sea to witness the Isles of the Otherworld, lived on each island for 30 years each, then returned home at the same time and age he had left it... and this is what inspired his love of sailing
• The souls of dead humans lurk in the deep oceans and lure canine sailors to their deaths in the deep. He knows this because he saw it happen once.
• He once sailed on a boat captained by the Devil. Literally.