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Ridgewell Hawkes

Ridgewell Hawkes is a member of the Shingetsu Trading Company, ranked as the Araijuhi.

Originally from a small town called Glaenarm, Ridgewell (or Ridge to his friends or those who dare to goad him) was recruited at an early age to join a group of wolfdogs as a mercenary in the wild north of Ontario. He took a keen interest in herbalism while training with them, and became the group's medic some time into his third year. Ridgewell is not squeamish and can sometimes be too blunt, though this only adds to his rough-edged charm.

He is a bulky animal, with a smattering of scars that announce him as a soldier and a gruff brow that is often gathered into a firm frown. He is missing his right eye; the one that remains is a fiery shade of orange. Now that he is in retirement he is looking for a place to settle down that is quieter than the battlefields that he is used to -- and somewhere he can raise his six cats in peace.

Ridgewell joined New Caledonia in May 2020 after hearing about the Realm while spending some time in Portland. Intrigued by the tales spun in his local tavern, he packed up and set off to join them.

Was a pNPC of New Caledonia from September 2020 - January 2023, when the pack was disbanded.


Overview

Basics

  • Date of Birth: 15 April 2014
  • Gender: Male
  • Luperci: Ortus
  • Nickname: Ridge
  • Pack: New Caledonia
    • Rank: Peer

Heritage

  • Family: Hawkes
  • Birthplace: Glaenarm, Ontario, CA
  • Species: Wolfdog
  • Subspecies:

NPCs

Etc .

Appearance

Overview

Despite his age Ridgewell remains quite fit from his time as a mercenary. The whiskers around the edge of his muzzle have begun to silver, and Ridgewell has an expressive brow that is accentuated by the blaze that cuts up over his muzzle. He has a broad chest that is pale and smattered with freckles, though if you look close there are scars hidden beneath the thicker areas of his fur. The most visible of these is the scar that crawls over where his left eye should be. It is obviously mostly dog, but the ruff around his neck and thick set of the mans muzzle show that he has some wolf mixed in.

Lupus : 30 in (76 cm) ↔ 82 lbs (37 kg)
Secui: 43 in (109 cm) ↔ 150 lbs (68 kg)
Optime: 6ft 5in (77 in / 195 cm) ↔ 247 lbs (112 kg)
  • Scars:
    • Two claw marks through left eye, hard-won owing to a rough mercenary lifestyle.
    • Collection of other scars on his forearms and a long slash across his ribs. All are hidden beneath his fur!
  • Interaction
    • Speech: Ridgewell has a gruff tone that lingers in a baritone range. The wolfdog does not often resort to humor, but when he does it is deadpan and often lands wrong.
    • Scent: Cats, earth and soil, herbs, woodsy, smoke
    • Quirks, Gestures, Etc.: The gardener tends to have dirt under his nails and often references the tiffs that his cats are going through in conversation.
    • General Posture and Body Language: Ridge crosses his arms a lot during conversation and tends to be quite defensive when meeting strangers for the first time.
  • Humanization: Ridgewell is quite humanized but is equally comfortable in his four legged forms.
  • Clothing & Accessories: The clothing that Ridgewell travels with is crudely made of leather and fur. He has a collection of mended tunics that he tends to rotate through depending on the season. Due to his time as a mercenary he does not carry anything "valuable" with him for fear of having it stolen or making him a target for violence.

Reference

colored by Stormie, lineart by Despi

Palette

Fur

 Outer Space(#242928)

 Polar (#EFFAFC)

Eyes

 Metallic Bronze (#513720)

Nose/Skin & Scars

 Night Rider (#080605)

 Eunry (#CFA6A4)

Personality

Traits

  • At first glance, Ridgewell can be a gruff man. He often glares at those that are new to him and tends to take some time to warm to having others in his space - but his cats help him cope with this somewhat. Arnie is often first to greet those who wander towards the man's cabin, followed by whoever else from the menagerie happens to be around.
  • Ridgewell does not like talking about his time fighting or his family.
  • Princess can often make Ridgewell devolve into a proud papa-bear. To him she can do no wrong. He often refers to her as 'Little P' and softens up if she is complimented or does something cute.

Skills

  • Medic (Master): Ridgewell does great in high-stress situations due to his time as a mercenary. Trained as a combat medic, he can make decisions quickly while treating someone, and knows what plants to rely on from his stock in order to cure grievances such as fever or minor infection. He has set bones but with varying levels of success. If you are being treated by him, expect a mediocre bedside manner and a whole lot of cats.
  • Gardening (Journeyman): Ridgewell has taken up gardening in his retirement and can often be found with his hands buried in the dirt coaxing something to grow. He knows a thing or two about planting seeds, rudimentary irrigation, and how to go about clearing a plot of land for propagation. Despite his stoic nature, he can often be found working in the garden -- and it's here where he'll open up (like a flower!) if you ask the right questions.
  • Combat (???): Ridge is tight-lipped on the details of his time fighting. It stands to reason that this retired mercenary was once skilled in battle, but no one has seen him spar since his retirement.

NPCs

Ridgewell's cats have an assortment of names and have been with him for differing lengths of time. Ranked oldest to youngest:

  • Toulouse, a scarred looking tomcat who takes no nonsense to the next level. He appreciates sleeping and detests the vigor of those more youthful than him. He has been with Ridgewell the longest and is considered a treasured companion.
  • Midge, a white domestic short hair. Picked up and rescued while completing his mercenary work, Midge is a sassy old broad who will cut you if you say anything behind her back or about the other members of her cat-brigade.
  • Perkins, a long haired orange queen. Perkins is mostly silent, preferring to dote on her daughter and ignore the drama that Midge so often causes.
  • Arnie, a pensive short haired tabby. Arnie enjoys hunting and bringing his trophies to whoever is nearby. He is almost dog-like in that he is impossible to not be friends with.
  • Ulysses, a short haired blue boy with an accent that no one seems able to place. He is mysterious and enjoys speaking in riddles -- he thinks he is much smarter than he actually is.
  • Princess, the youngest of the bunch and Perkins daughter. Little P is orange with white feet and is mostly quiet like her mother. She enjoys perching on Ridgewells shoulders as he goes about his chores.


Threads

  1. the grand idea (07 23 2020)
    New Caledonia, with Iomair and Aidan Loch.
    Ridgewell takes Iomair to a ramshackle building that he and Ambrose have identified as a potential location for a pack Tavern. Aidan stumbles upon the meeting and joins in the deliberations, along with Ridgewells prized cats.
  2. Readings of the past (10 Oct 2020)
    Garden of Bones, with Sólveig Dawnrunner, Woodsmoke, Vodeva, Smokecloud, and Ambrose Rose.
    Ridgewell agrees to teach Sólveig about herbalism and runs into Woodsmoke, Smokecloud, Vodeva, and Ambrose in the Garden of Bones while they're out foraging for medicinal herbs.
  3. Never thought I'd find a way out (10 Jan 2021)
    The Underthing, with Sólveig Dawnrunner and Vodeva.
    While on their way to the Underthing for a mysterious lesson, Ridgewell and Sólveig respond to screams from Vodeva and find her with a minor injury.
  4. Trust the universe (9 Mar 2021)
    Fort Louisbourg, with Sólveig Dawnrunner and Bellad Songthorn.
    In a short introduction, Ridgewell tells Sólveig that he can no longer teach her about herblore and suggests that Sólveig seek out a new instructor to continue her lessons.
Categories: NPC | New Caledonia | Wolfdog