O'Brien
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- 1. Characteristics
- 1.1 Appearance
- 1.2 Personality
- 1.3 Skills
- 2. History
- 3. Relationships
- 4. Miscellaneous
O'Brien is a member of New Caledonia.
Born in Eilean Cù the bastard son of a shepherd woman, he jumped at the chance to join his vagabond father in Airgid Gleann. However, following a tragic accident and a traumatic encounter with a Badb witch, O'Brien fled the Silver Valley. He spent some time pickpocketing in Dublin before crossing overseas. He met his future family in Portland, where his impulsive defense of an old man sparked the brawl that sent the Troupe fleeing east. The band made their own luck on the road, gaining new members and strengthening their bonds with one another, and eventually opening La Estrella Roja.
O'Brien formed another strong bond, too: one with Willow Cormier. Torn between his loyalty to the Troupe and his love for Willow, he reluctantly chose the former, rejecting Willow's offer to live in her pack. However, when the woman seemingly disappeared that summer, O'Brien was drawn to look for her. He found her, in the end, but injury and other complications slowed their return home. Willow got pregnant in the interim, giving birth to two daughters: Beth and Doineann. They raised the girls the best that they could in the wilderness of Manitoba, until they were old enough to travel -- but Willow and Doineann lost their lives to an accident during a harsh winter. Burdened with grief and a promise made to Willow that they would see their children to her pack, O'Brien escorted Beth onward.
The pair joined New Caledonia at the end of summer. O'Brien hoped to leave once his daughter was settled in, but learning that the Troupe had suffered loss and moved on without him left him undecided. Though he didn't quite feel like he fit in with the pack, he contributed as a hunter and shaped his skills to become a proper rogue. [THEN STUFF HAPPENS HA]
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Overview |
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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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New Caledonia members may assume and reference the following without discussion/asking:
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1. Characteristics
1.1 Appearance |
| Physical |
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O'Brien is, in a word, unremarkable; most folk wouldn't look twice at him, and he prefers it that way. He looks like a nondescript mutt of common breeds, with shepherd-like coloration (mostly tan, with a black saddle and accents), and short but dense fur that sheds water well. Average in height, his build is somewhat lanky, with a deep chest and long limbs indicative of some sighthound heritage. His face is rugged, almost-handsome (not memorably so), with a disarming smile and gentle brown eyes. He has floppy ears that partially stand up. In his Optime form, his hair is messy and a little wavy, slightly overlong but never below the jawline. |
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Palette |
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Adornments |
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O'Brien favors nondescript outfits that helps him blend into his environment (whether woodland or crowd), or obfuscates his features. His closet isn't very diverse; he trades out tattered garments with near-identical replacements.
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1.2 Personality |
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Summarized: Quiet and reserved, warm and kind, loyal, superstitious |
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O'Brien is quiet and reserved, very private about his thoughts and difficult to get to know. However, this doesn't mean that he's standoffish; he's laidback and polite, with a strong moral code. While he pilfers things for a living, using his ability to hide in plain sight, he never takes from those down on their luck and would readily come to a stranger's aid. He's gentle and kind, if quick to shy away from personal questions. His devotion to his loved ones knows no bounds, but he demonstrates his love through actions rather than words, which don't come as easily to him (as if afraid to name the feelings aloud). He's steadfast and loyal, wanting nothing more than to see his companions happy, even at the cost of his own. However, with a notable exception, he holds most at an arm's length these days. Grief and guilt constantly shadow O'Brien, whose superstitious beliefs have deluded him into thinking that he's cursed. He attributes things like accidents to his mere presence (or lack of presence), and believes that anyone who associates too closely with him is putting themselves at risk.
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| Sexuality |
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O'Brien is bisexual. He has a preference for strong women (bonus points if they're taller than him) and beautiful men, and is attracted to kindness and confidence. He is a serious and committed partner, demonstrating his love through acts of service. He has a deep well of emotion and caring to give, but this is not always obvious. O'Brien struggles to express his feelings verbally; he often leaves things unsaid and holds back parts of himself from his love interests. |
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O'Brien is most familiar with the Coisricthe pantheon, with some knowledge of New Caledonia's Old Gods. He is extremely superstitious, performing little rituals to appease his gods (e.g., burying the hearts of his prey for Lugh). He is private about this. He also totally thinks he's been cursed and is hella angsty about it. |
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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. Skills that have been mastered (and are best expressed as such) are marked. |
| Main Focus: Pickpocket, Rogue |
O'Brien's vocation depends on him being invisible -- often in plain sight. His unremarkable appearance helps with this, but O'Brien can "blend in" with a crowd and go overlooked by adjusting his posture and gait so as not to draw undue attention. For example, he can read a rowdy group and fit in by being just energetic-looking enough to match, as a quiet man in a loud bunch would be suspicious. Perceptive and graceful, he can dodge quickly through crowds and find escape routes others might miss. Soft of step, he is able to "stalk" through forests as well.
O'Brien is an expert at pickpocketing the unsuspecting, as well as planting objects on people. This is thanks to nimble fingers, but also a talent for misdirection and -- most importantly -- choosing the right victims. He hasn't used these skills for more theatrical legerdemain, but it's only a matter of time before card tricks join his repertoire.
The best escape routes are the hardest to follow. O'Brien is adept at scaling trees and ruined buildings alike, with a generally keen eye for bad wood or loose stone that cannot bear his weight. He isn't the fastest climber due to his caution, and he is limited by what can hold his Optime weight.
Of note is O'Brien's utter lack of combat experience with his dagger. He often uses the weapon for show, and he can certainly stick it in someone's gut if he's lucky, but for all that he twirls and fidgets with it, he isn't good at using it.
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| Auxiliary Skills and Hobbies |
O'Brien hunts in his Lupus form. He is a fast sprinter, able to turn quickly enough to catch rabbits and squirrels. He has a high success rate when he hunts small- to medium-sized prey, though he is less comfortable hunting larger prey. Additionally, he can set simple snares along game trails and branches, and he's quite good at disguising them. However, many of his traps are knocked loose or broken when the prey is caught. He has no desire to learn more complex traps, not seeing a need.
O'Brien's deft hands make him good at skinning prey like rabbits. Though he can cure small hides through drying, he is unfamiliar with the tanning process. Raised in a community that kept sheep, O'Brien is knowledgeable about the early steps of processing wool: namely shearing the sheep (though he would need assistance with this), and scouring and carding the wool.
His father taught him the basics of wood-carving when he was young, and O'Brien picked it up again in emulation of Sawyer Cook and to busy his hands. He can make simplistic or stylized animal shapes; more complicated animals or larger projects look more awkward.
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2. History
O'Brien was raised in Eilean Cù as a bastard without a father. Even as a child, he did not avoid the clan’s discrimination: a bastard child marked an outsider by features as simple as flat-lying fur, he was treated as “lesser” in minor, subtle, but no less hurtful ways. When he acted out as a result, this only “proved” to the clan that he was trouble.
In adolescence, O’Brien met his father for the first time. Surprised but delighted to find that he had a son, Cormac invited the boy to come live with him.
O’Brien accepted the offer in hope of “finding his place” in Airgid Gleann, but he felt alienated by the Badb tribe’s religious fervor -- and especially perturbed by the shadow of the occult. He formed a mild phobia of crows as a result, often complaining to his father that he thought the birds were “watching” him. However, the tribe did test his cunning, and he turned into a stealthy hunter.
He lived with the tribe for several more months, but following a tragic accident and a traumatic encounter with a Badb witch, O'Brien fled the Silver Valley. Upon returning to his mother's homeland, he learned that she had died of an illness over the winter.
O'Brien spent some time pickpocketing in Dublin before crossing overseas, eventually making landing in Portland.
| The Troupe | |
| Duration: | November 2018 - July 2020 |
| Role: | The Pickpocket |
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| New Caledonia | |
| Duration: | 26 August 2022 – 23 January 2023 |
| Ranks: | Distinguished (Nov 2022 - Present)
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| Co-Ranks: | • Rogue
• Hunter |
Laudem aperiam vix ad. Eam an dico tota habemus. Est tale lobortis convenire at, eu nec scaevola mnesarchum, cum enim commodo ea. Ei vix quaestio indoctum mediocrem, ius vocibus adipisci repudiandae id. Cum ei harum evertitur. Viris mediocrem referrentur ad quo, eum et mundi sonet utamur, falli novum viderer ea est. Hendrerit elaboraret pro te, sed elitr copiosae pertinax et, numquam efficiantur at usu. Dicunt denique an quo, tollit tibique ex his. Accusam aliquando torquatos eum et. Alii sale accommodare mea te. Ad corpora signiferumque vix, viris labores est at, purto nusquam sit eu.
Cu utinam dictas prodesset cum, in mel periculis argumentum. Ludus assentior sententiae et per, cu albucius noluisse prodesset vel. Habeo moderatius quo ex. Populo ceteros noluisse te pri, eum ea ipsum eligendi, eos ne quem atomorum. Ne legendos elaboraret pri. Mel ex eligendi quaerendum. Sed graece comprehensam id, tale accusam epicuri vim ea, at magna facilisi comprehensam quo. At ius zril impedit insolens, ex oporteat salutandi cum.
3. Relationships
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| Other Relations |
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| Notable |
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4. Miscellaneous
| Triva |
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