Nikamew Sycamore
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- 1. Characteristics
- 1.1 Appearance
- 1.2 Personality
- 2. History
- 3. Relationships
- 4. NPCs
- 5. Miscellaneous
Nikamew Sycamore is a member of the Court of Fangs.
Born in Mer Bleue, he was raised in a small, feral pack consisting of close family. His early childhood was normal, but upon reaching shifting age, he was eager to explore what made him different from others. Unfortunately, this led to other, non-shifting packs viewing the Luperci as a threat -- which resulted in his family being attacked and cast out of the reserve. Following this, Nikamew dispersed to live on his own.
In the years since, he has been constantly on the move -- thief of snares and cunning, passionate opportunist drifting from place to place. Too traditionally-minded to join with any of the larger Luperci-dominant packs and civilized settlements encountered along the way, he sought like-minded canines who would accept him for what he is. He eventually found this in the recently-formed Court of Fangs.
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Overview |
| Basics |
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| Heritage |
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| Affiliations |
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| OOC Information |
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| Assumptions |
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Court of Fangs members may assume and reference the following without discussion/asking:
Anyone may reference seeing or smelling Nik from a distance in Ethereal Eclipse. |
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1. Characteristics
1.1 Appearance |
| Physical |
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Nikamew is long-legged, with the slender features of most timber wolves -- though due to his average size, thick fur, and surprising sturdiness, no one could mistake him for anything but a purebred wolf. He has long whiskers and almond-shaped eyes, the fur of his cheeks and ruff of his neck prominent where the rest of him seems sleek. While his thicker coat hides most of these, he has some nicks and scars on his snout from tussles in the past. His gradient of sepia, fawn, and cream shades -- darkest at his head, lightest at his legs -- is broken up by his cream-colored ruff and darker patches of bistre brown. Notably, his saddle and tail-tip are bistre, as are small markings on his lean face: his ear-tips, spot on his muzzle, and chevron markings near his eyes. His eyes are dark ochre. Nik is most commonly found in his Lupus form, where he travels with a slinking, almost vulpine gait. He occasionally shifts to Optime if it serves a purpose, and appears equally confident in this form as he does his others, although he stands with hunched, feral bearing. In this form, his mane becomes long, unstyled silky off-white hair. |
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Forms |
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1.2 Personality |
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Summarized: Opportunistic, cunning, passionate, playful, flippant |
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Nikamew is a wolf with two simple goals: living a decent life, and being right. The former goal is simple, as Nik just wants food, fun, and company. The latter goal is one of many factors that puts him at odds with others. His feral upbringing, and the unjust exile of his family pack, has given him a complex about his worldview. One of his favorite pastimes is debating more humanized (and, in Nik's eyes, foolish and overly complicated) Luperci, forcing them to justify their beliefs. If the other takes offense, well, that's their fault. His demeanor is generally pleasant, playful, and sometimes lackadaisical -- seemingly always amused and unbothered by anything (especially when he's in the process of riling up someone else). He enjoys lighthearted tussling and good company, and can be a fun companion to someone on the same page as him, but his flippancy often also rubs others the wrong way. A risk-taker with confidence in himself bordering on arrogance, he often doesn't give the appropriate weight to serious things. Nik doesn't tightly hold onto any moral code. Certain things are expected, of course, such as providing for his group and (more or less) keeping on the good side of those he likes. However, he is an opportunist who would never neglect an advantage, even if it's a "dishonorable" one. He sees nothing wrong with thievery and bullying if it means benefiting himself or his group. He isn't above stealing from traps, using tricks or intimidation, or putting expendable others in harm's way to get a meal; honor feeds no one, after all.
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| Sexuality |
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Grey-asexual, Nikamew rarely experiences attraction to others, and puts a greater emphasis on platonic relationships in his life. He has courted females before, more out of a desire to do what's "natural" and start a family than any real attachment, and these relationships quickly petered out. He will have sex for pleasure and would enjoy such an act with a friend. |
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Nonreligious, Nikamew believes in no gods or tenets (and disdains the concept of following an invisible god's rules). He knows there are forces beyond anyone's understanding, but rather than speculate as to their cause or attribute things like disasters to deities, he gives them little thought. It's just how the world is. |
2. History
While all previous generations of his paternal family had been non-Luperci, his mother Soraya introduced the virus to her mate Bittercress and, by extention, her children. The pack adapted well to this in the beginning, as neither Soraya nor Bittercress utilized their Optime forms. However, when the pups reached shifting age, they were eager to explore what made them different from most of the packs in Mer Bleue.
At first, this was not discouraged; the ability to shift granted them, and by extention their pack, an advantage. However, what would have been a quickly-forgotten minor territorial scuffle when the boys were yearlings ended up turning other packs in the area against them -- as they teamed up on an interloper in their Secui forms. While attitudes toward Luperci varied in Mer Bleue, they were often ambivalent at best, and this act made the threat the shifters posed apparent to their neighbors.
Two family groups banded together to attack Nikamew's pack, demanding that the shifters be cast out of the reserve. The conflict escalated, which resulted in the death of Butterbur. In the end, the little band was forced to move.
Indignant and desiring revenge, Nik made a lot of noise about reclaiming their territory and insisting they'd done nothing wrong -- but his family was too scarred by the conflict, and even his brother disagreed with him. Maskwa ended up standing by the family to protect them, and Nikamew dispersed to find his own path.
In the years since, Nikamew was constantly on the move. A few failed courtships meant that Nik remained alone, still too traditionally-minded to join with any of the larger Luperci packs and settlements he encountered along the way. Life as a lone wolf was difficult, but Nik became a skilled thief of snares, adapting to his situation as he travelled.
3. Relationships
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4. NPCs
cNPCs:
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| Fennel (Hide) |
| Basics |
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| Description |
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Court of Fangs members may reference:
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Skills & Abilities:
Description: "While the roots of her fur were a warm fulvous color, the long hairs lightened to gold at the tips, wispy in a way that made Nikamew think about a dandelion head transitioning from petals to tufts."
Fennel looks like the average fox, though more gold-toned than red, with typical dark stockings and white underside. She's on the smaller side, and skinny due to slim pickings of prey, especially during warmer seasons; in the winter months, she looks dense and plush thanks to her coat, but with her characteristic wispiness. Her slit-pupil eyes are a rich brown.
Personality: Spunky as an adolescent, Fennel has grown more cynical as an adult vixen. She retains the clever playfulness stereotypical of her species, but she doesn't allow herself to trust others too deeply, and recognizes her place at the bottom of the predator pecking order. She will "bargain" with larger animals -- for example, give them a piece of information in exchange for scraps of food -- and play tricks on those deserving, but she always makes sure there is an opening for herself to escape and, being a clever gambler, never bets with what she isn't willing to lose.
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5. Miscellaneous
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