Gossamer Dufresne
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- 1. Characteristics
- 1.1 Appearance
- 1.2 Personality
- 1.3 Skills
- 2. History
- 3. NPCs
Gossamer Dufresne is a member of Del Cenere Gang.
He was born to a single mother in the prairie, who drove them both east in search of a better life. After an unfortunate period of abuse at the hands of traveling merchants, they found refuge in Palisade, where Gossamer became a ward under the Ardoix. Following his mother's death, Goss regressed until he was arranged to be granted a servant: Obedience Ordell, whom he came to rely on.
Curious about the frequent comings and goings of Del Cenerens around Palisade, Gossamer (along with his servant, of course) struck out for the gang. Arriving in the wake of the Rey Salvaje's death, Goss saw opportunities in the turmoil, and began cozying up to new leadership.
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Overview |
| Biographical Information |
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| Physical Description |
| Affiliations |
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| OOC Information |
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| Assumptions |
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Del Cenere Gang members may assume and reference the following without discussion/asking:
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1. Characteristics
1.1 Appearance |
| Physical |
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A well-muddled hybrid, Gossamer resembles a fine mixture of his bloodlines. His smaller stature contrasted with large, expressive ears harken back to his coyote heritage, though his muzzle is not so tapered, and his long limbs and slender, slope-backed build suggest wolf blood. Dog genetics are apparent in his coloration, with isabella dilution (including a pinkish-liver nose) and a lavender-blue tongue. His pelt is a chalky color, comparable to bone, lighter on his back and closer to a sandy tone on his face and legs; his tail is banded with these colors, with a pale tip. His fur's texture is silky rather than coarse, with slight waves where the hair is longest. He prefers his Optime form and maintains his appearance well. His pale hair is well-combed, if prone to errant waves, and kept a little past shoulder length. He bathes frequently and utilizes scented soaps. He tends toward looser-fitting or draping clothing, cinched with wool sashes, and is partial to teal-blue hues that match his seafoam eyes. |
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1.2 Personality |
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Summarized: Shrewd, attentive, manipulative, effeminate, flirtatious, guarded, sycophantic, sensitive |
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First meeting Gossamer, one might conclude that he is as delicate as his namesake -- an assumption he prefers not to correct. Effeminate in his presentation and behavior in contrast with rugged individuals (of either sex) in the community, he tends to stick out like a sore thumb. A youth doted upon by his mother and an adulthood with a servant at his beck and call, Goss shirks hard labor and delegates even simplistic mundane tasks to others if he can -- often with over-the-top batting of his eyelashes and wheedling remarks. He plays up his flirtatiousness and often crosses others' boundaries in doing so. One would be mistaken in assuming that he's merely a layabout or nuisance, however. Gossamer is shrewd and takes advantage of others' underestimations of him. He preys on the unwitting or generous and waits patiently for the comeuppance of those who look down on him. Abuse in his childhood has made him calculating and defensive, attempting to suss out others' motivations and play the field so that nobody can hurt him. His lack of physical presence has led to expertise in more underhanded methods; very little is beneath him. Goss was once a kindhearted and sensitive boy, and while he attempts to bury this past self as deeply as he can, he occasionally demonstrates uncharacteristic tenderness and patience with some individuals. Whether anyone will witness more than a glimpse of this depth is yet to be seen.
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| Tropes |
| Sexuality |
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Due to abuse in his childhood, Gossamer is sex-repulsed. He views seduction as a tool, flirting to fluster or endear himself to others, and isn't above sleeping with someone if he thinks it will get him something he wants or keep him safe. He has not examined what traits he's actually attracted to. |
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Gossamer derides the idea of any omnipotent and benevolent god, as well as those who look to religion for a moral code. However, he has a soft spot for the stories of his mother's people, including its spirits and cultural heroes -- tales of Iktómi the trickster being his favorite. He guards this close to his heart, though. |
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Intoxication is vulnerability, and so Goss will ply others with drinks while avoiding drinking himself. If he must drink in a social situation, he prefers to sip wine or light meads; other drinks taste gross to him. He hasn't experimented with smoking or "harder" substances, and he doesn't intend to. |
1.3 Skills |
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Note: Listed skills are those that the character has some significant talent or interest in to be noteworthy. |
| Main Focus: Tea & Ink |
Gossamer apprenticed under Sofia Ardoix in matters of herbs, though he quickly decided he wasn't cut out to be a gardener or a healer. He is competent following an apothecary's instruction if needed to assist in preparing herbs. Where he does excel is preparing teas -- both making flavorful blends and brewing them. His drinks tend to be for taste rather than medicinal purpose, though he's familiar with some herbal teas that can additionally soothe restlessness or anxiety. While his skill with flavors could be used for the benefit of disguising bitter-tasting medicine, Gossamer is capable of something more nefarious -- dosing his teas with poisons that are hard to detect.
Gossamer creates inks -- most commonly from things like soot, oak galls, and rusted nails. His skill is in development, and while he can consistently produce a simple dark ink, he is constantly experimenting with different "binders" as well as pigments from other plants and berries, in order to make inks with different colors, better consistency, and better longevity on paper.
Gossamer has beautiful penmanship, with mastery over a brush or a quill (which he can make). He has good hand control and is mindful of bleeding or splotches when he writes. He can write in a couple different "fonts," from plain and legible writing to a flowing cursive with elaborate flourishes for something more artistic. He can draw small embellishments, such as stylized flowers, but not much else. With a keen eye for detail, Goss might possess the ability to copy handwriting as well...
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| Auxiliary Skills and Hobbies |
Learning on the road with a single, overly-forgiving horse has not made Gossamer a master with equines -- in fact, he's rather inadequate. He knows the basics of horse care and needs; how to tack, pick hooves, and brush a horse; and he can ride an obedient horse and put it through its paces, as well as keep seated during minor startles. With any animal more spirited than that, he's rather at a loss. That said, Goss is a natural when it comes to his own body language around horses, and he's very mindful and reassuring with them on the ground.
Gossamer makes his own soaps from tallow, lye, and powdered herbs -- as well as plant oils when he can afford them. He overall relies on trade for the ingredients; while he conceptually understands how to render tallow or gather lye water, he dislikes these tasks. His soaps get the job done, though unless extracted oils are added, their scent is only as strong as the dried herbs'.
Goss is keenly observant and attentive to small detail; this acuity also holds true for numbers. He can take quick stock of stores and utilizes a shorthand to notate these things. He's also quick to notice when something is out of place.
Untrained and reliant on the element of surprise or a compromised foe, Goss doesn't fight unless he has the upper hand or is in desperate straits.
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2. History
| Del Cenere Gang | |
| Duration: | 09 October 2023 – Present |
| Ranks: | Los Linternas (April 2024 - Present)
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Winona Dufresne was a coydog woman who lived in a small, nomadic pack that wandered the prairies of southern Manitoba. One autumn saw a vagabond join their band for a reprieve from lonely traveling, though he did not linger more than a few months. An attempt at escapism brought he and Winona together for a short-lived affair, the consequences of which Winona bore in the deep of winter: a single son.
Gossamer's puphood was spent in a sling as his mother rode eastward on a stolen horse, as old tensions within the pack came to a head and Winona decided she wanted better for herself and her child. Before she found this better life, however, desperation following an injury drove her into the arms of a band of traders that abused both her and her son. Goss repressed much of this, but not all; it would color much of his motivations and outlook moving forward.
Eventually, the pair was able to leave as Winona recuperated and fatally broke ties with their abusers. Continuing east, they found refuge in Palisade, where Winona's skills in horsemanship and hunting made her an asset to the coyote settlement. She managed to ingratiate herself with the head of the Ardoix family, setting up Gossamer to apprentice with them as a ward. Not long after this, relieved that she had found security for her child, she succumbed to a latent illness.
Gossamer struggled in the months following his mother's death, regressing in the social progress he'd made, until an arrangement between the Ardoix and the Braithwaites granted him a servant companion: a hound girl who bore emotional scars from her own past, too easily startled to be fitting chattel for the Braithwaites. With someone to assist him in the day-to-day, both with chores and as someone to talk to and teach, Goss seemed to heal -- or, at the very least, open back up and do a very good job of pretending to.
Gossamer eventually grew curious about the frequent comings-and-goings of Del Cenerens around Palisade, and decided that he (accompanied by his mother's horse and his loyal servant, of course) would seek out the gang for the opportunities it promised him.
3. NPCs
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| Sunka (Hide) |
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| Description |
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Del Cenere Gang members may reference:
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Skills & Abilities:
Description: Sunka is a grade horse of average size. He has an angular frame with prominent withers, and a low-set tail beneath a sloped croup.
His most remarkable feature is his coat pattern: a varnish roan blanket. A majority of his body is dusted white, including significant portions of his face. His bay coloration shows through in flecks and spots on his torso, with the most distinct spots on his rump. His legs darken into the black points of a bay horse; his mane is also black, with his tail an ombre into black that begins silver-white at its base.
Personality: Sunka has a passive, agreeable personality. While friendly with Luperci and horses that approach him, and interested in watching others, he is not actively social and does not seek out companionship except with those he's most familiar with (such as Gossamer). He is forgiving of an inexperienced rider's errors and tends to be obedient (sometimes to his detriment), if a little hard to get moving -- slow to respond to requests, rather than defiant of them. Due to night-blindness, he is quick to spook in dim areas or darkness, and tends to be guarded during those hours, though he isn't hard to reassure. Overall, he's a sweet horse, if not the brightest crayon in the box.
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| Notes |
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1 Plains Coyote, Mexican Coyote, Northeastern Coyote ⇑ 2 Great Plains Wolf, Eastern Timber Wolf, Arctic Wolf, Red Wolf, British Columbian Wolf ⇑ 3 Spitz (including Chow Chow), Shepherd, Sighthound, Spaniel, et. al. ⇑ |