He is the son of Ayita Catori and Vigilante Haskel, the former King -- one of three puppies born into their second litter. The trio had a happy childhood; Skoll was a bold, bright youngster, if already a dominant personality. However, his life changed course when his mother was murdered. His ambition and desire for vengeance got the better of him as he climbed through the ranks, getting into fights and damaging ties with his loved ones. Trying to take matters into his own hands culminated in the death of innocents, forever tarnishing the young prince's soul.
More tragedy was to follow. Skoll's distant father deteriorated and died, but not before naming Skoll's sister Charlotte his heir. Though Skoll felt like the throne was wrongfully taken from him, he drove himself to protect the weak and become a Knight of the pack. Shortly after his sister's drowning, he became the Court's Seneschal, the military head.
Skoll was one of the main instigators of the Inferni-Cour des Miracles War and lost his eye in battle. After the conflict, he retreated to a quieter life in the Court, settling down with his mate, Aurelya Shandara. They had a single daughter, Galilee Haskel, before Aurelya went missing. Skoll struggled with his grief and over-protectiveness, but with the support of friends and empathy for Lee, he mended his relationship with her. He later fathered Oberyn and Issola during the dark, uncertain times after the Winter of Tarnished Gold.
When Cour des Miracles disbanded, Skoll stayed with the remnants until they, too, scattered to the winds; even Galilee left with newfound friends. Skoll remained a loner, an old man without a purpose and a prince without a kingdom.
Anyone may reference seeing a large golden wolfdog with a green sun tattoo wandering various neutral territories, or come across the remains of his temporary den sites or hunts. Any face-to-face interaction must be cleared with me first. Thanks!
Troupe members can reference Skoll visiting with Galilee, sharing the occasional kill, and general conversations where he's charming, an asshole, or both.
1. Appearance
1.1 Basics
Physical
General Description:
Skoll is a large mid-content wolfdog hybrid, with key attributes from both species. He has a curly spitz tail and a deep chest, as well as wedge-shaped, doglike ears that are large in proportion to his head. His face is broad and wolfish, with large teeth. He has thick, double-coated fur and big paws.
Optime Hair: His shoulder-length hair is thick and wild, usually tangled and unruly.
Build, Size, and Forms:
Skoll is larger than most -- and won't let others forget. He is muscular and broad-shouldered, but not especially bulky; despite his height, his build is tough and lean like the average wolf, meant for endurance. He is equally likely to be found in any of his Luperci forms.
Lupus: 36 in (91 cm) ↔ 100 lbs (45 kg)
Secui: 48 in (117 cm) ↔ 160 lb (72 kg)
Optime: 7 ft (84 in) (213 cm) ↔ 275 lb (125 kg)
Notable Features
Skoll has one eye and is missing his right one.
He has an old, short scar across the bridge of his muzzle, and some minor notches in his right ear. His thick coat hides his other scars, of which he has several.
He boasts a stylized sun tattoo on his left shoulder. Once a vibrant green close to the hue of his eyes, with age it has faded to Clay Creek (#8C9154) despite touch-ups.
Coloration
Tumbleweed (#DFB386)
Chalky (#EED69A)
Pancho (#E9CDA0)
Bianca (#FAF5EA)
Optime Hair
Golden Sand (#F1DA7C)
Eyes
Vida Loca (#66A21B)
Nose/Pawpads, Claws, Scars
Zeus (#211E17)
Quicksand (#B78F8A)
1.2 Miscellaneous
Interaction
Speech: Skoll speaks in a smooth, arrogant baritone drawl. He is extremely casual in his speech, which is often peppered with slurred French, in which he is fluent. His largely-Quebecois French has some European quirks in vocabulary and accent.
Skoll's body language is extremely dominant, his curled tail raised, chin high, and ears pricked. He has a propensity for invading others' personal space and making challenging eye contact.
He frequently brushes his hair back from his face with a hand (but it never seems to get less messy).
His winks are frequent, cheesy, and exaggerated to make up for the fact that he has one goddamn eyeball.
Adornments
Many factors lead to Skoll shirking any sort of garment, such as his large size, thick fur, feral nature, and daily shifting. However, he has one accessory that he is never seen without:
Sun pendant (leather cord), given to him by his mother on her death bed
Images
2. Personality
2.1 Summary
Skoll is bold, sociable, and very dominant. While often friendly, good-humored and charming, he is equally likely to be arrogant, belittling, and bullying; more than anything, he enjoys getting reactions out of others (good or bad). Opinions on Skoll tend to be polarized, with even his closest friends agreeing that he's a dick.
His moods shift easily, and when Skoll is moody, he's moody. Burdened with guilt for past misdeeds and pessimistic about the world, Skoll has a tendency to brood and sulk in an overblown and dramatic manner.
He often also plays the hero, determined to protect his loved ones and others who need help. At his best, Skoll is supportive and loving, goofy and playful, and even gentle.
Motivations: Redemption and God's forgiveness; passing on his skills and legacy; protection of his loved ones, comrades, and the weak; formerly, seeking power and leadership in the Court
Fears: Drowning or being washed out to sea, losing any of his children, dying without a legacy, hell
2.3 Details
Interests
Likes: Fighting, hunting, shifting, the wilderness and running around in it, heroics, horses, stories, socializing, flirting, provoking others
Dislikes: The ocean, cowardice, killers, hypocrisy (hypocritically), lack of humor, strict humanization, jackals and coyotes
Sexuality
Skoll is heterosexual and has not shown much interest in relationships since the disappearance of his mate. Though still largely loyal to her memory (with one exception), he is rather lonely.
He is a flirtatious individual who banters with others as means of being friendly and getting his ego stroked (even returning flirtatious comments to interested men). However, he would likely balk at any significant, real interest. He also feels like he's past his prime anyway, unlikely to find a meaningful new relationship at his age.
Spirituality
Skoll believes in the basic tenets of Christianity, the most important facets of which revolve around sin and forgiveness. Specifically, Skoll carries with him a deep guilt due to his oldest transgressions, fearing that he is destined for hell.
In relation to others, he is not so fatalist. He raised his children to follow the moral beliefs he viewed as important, and he has used religion to comfort others. Skoll is ready to assure anyone that God has a plan and that their sins can be forgiven -- just not his.
Biases
Infamously dislikes jackals, who are murderous heathens, and coyotes, who are troublemaking scavengers. He believes individuals of any species can be good or bad, but he is to distrust these.
While very accepting of others' religious beliefs -- monotheism, polytheism, atheism -- he violently disapproves of individuals who think they are divine.
In general, Skoll is not politically correct and often mocks others for their sexuality or nontraditional gender roles -- generally critical of feminine and "weak" men rather than masculine women.
At the same time, Skoll has a gay brother and lesbian daughter whom he loves unconditionally and wouldn't tolerate being judged for their sexualities. (He's just a butthole, you guys.)
Substances
Skoll drinks in social situations, such as bars or celebrations. While at first alcohol makes him loose and happy, he quickly becomes a "sad" drunk. He can't bounce back like he did when he was younger, frequently suffering hangovers after a night out.
He has not and is not inclined to try other substances.
Extended: Skoll has only detached links to small families -- such as the Takekuro family, which is linked through his half-sister Amaranth's children. He doesn't know about Amaranth's litter by Vigilante.
Galilee Haskel is his firstborn daughter, essentially his mini-me. Skoll was very overprotective of Lee in her youth, which led to some contention, but as she gained independence their similarities led to a deep understanding of one another. Skoll is overwhelmingly proud of Galilee. He views her as something of his reason to live.
Oberyn and Issola are his youngest children. Though their conception was unplanned, Skoll devoted himself to raising them with all the love in the world, supporting them in all they wanted to do. After the Petite Cour's disbandment, the yearlings struck off on their own.
Skoll's mother, Ayita Catori, died from her wounds when he was about a year old. Due to her early death, Skoll tends to view Ayita as a saint, helped by her gentle guidance and stories about faith. His search for her attacker put him on a path of vengeance that changed his outlook and morals forever.
Vigilante Haskel was Skoll's father -- distant out of necessity due to the conflicts in his childhood. Skoll went from idolizing Vigilante to criticizing his decisions, especially his appointment of Lottie as his heir. Skoll talks dismissively of his father, but secretly he regrets his anger and misses him.
Charlotte Haskel, Skoll's sister, took his "rightful" place on the throne when their father died. Skoll saw Lottie as unfit and unprepared for her role, though Lottie had proved herself cool-headed and a keeper of Skoll's darkest secret. It wasn't until she was washed out to sea that Skoll regretted his treatment of her, realizing he'd been blinded by envy.
Hati Catori is Skoll's brother, the moon to his sun. Skoll was a bit of a bully to Hati when they were teens, but they made up after their mother died, and Skoll proved that he would accept Hati no matter what. They grew apart over the years due to differing lifestyles.
Skoll disdained Liam Catori, his older brother, for defending Lottie and not being around when it mattered. Skoll held him at an awkward arm's length until his departure from the Court.
He was never close to his half-siblings, Amaranth and Kable Catori, though he was a fond uncle to Amaranth's middle children. He was kind and supportive to Liam's daughter, Valencia Catori, as well.
Though he never knew his uncle, Zafier Catori, his mother spoke of their similarities.
3.2 Other Relations
Notable Past Relations
Aurelya Shandara is Skoll's missing mate. He fell head over heels for her quickly, as she was a beautiful woman who could match his wit. They were partners during times of conflict, fiercely coming to the other's defense (which led to Skoll losing his eye). Many expressed surprise that Skoll would ever settle down with someone, and perhaps it was too good to be true. Skoll doesn't know if Aurelya left him or got lost somewhere, just that he misses her terribly.
Pascal Sadira, Silvano's son, was saved by Skoll at a young age; they used to bond over storybooks, and for his part Skoll was fond of Pascal. However, Skoll was also too rough and teasing with Pascal, who quickly became disillusioned with Skoll's attitude. Skoll likes Pascal far more than Pascal actually likes Skoll.
Skoll was also fond of Abigail Sadira and Alessan Stormbringer. He had a teasing but protective relationship with the "princess," and treated Alessan as something of a replacement for Silvano after the man's death, though he didn't treat Alessan very well.
Dreyma Moineau bonded with Skoll after her mother Shiloh's death. He had difficulty with her similarities to Aurelya at first, but their relationship settled into something comforting and intimate, if not intended to be serious or long-term. However, Dreyma became pregnant and didn't want to be a mother, and so their relationship ended awkwardly.
Linden Aatte had a contentious relationship with Skoll, who viewed Linden as a friend and comrade. They fought a few times (this usually being Skoll's fault), but Skoll greatly respected him -- until his involvement with Mistral came to light.
Skoll and Alistair Callow-Knight had something of a brotherly friendship (or a bromance). Skoll viewed Alistair as one of the sensible Cavaliers and enjoyed their banter. Their duties made for rare meetings, until Al up and left Skoll his pack.
Atalanta Kartal was Skoll's first love, though his confession spooked the flighty woman. They recently reunited and bear no ill feelings toward one another.
Dead Relations
Though he never knew their names, three jackal puppies (the offspring of Machidael Lykoi, his mother's killer) are the cornerstone of Skoll's issues. He kidnapped them when he was young, intending for them to be raised in the Court rather turn into monsters like their father. However, in hiding them away for fear of the consequences, he neglected them until two passed from malnutrition; finding out his secret, Lottie mercy-killed the third. The deaths of these innocents are Skoll's darkest regret and worst sin.
Silvano Sadira was Skoll's King and dear friend. Silvano was one of the few superiors Skoll actually respected (though Silvano had to beat it into him) and viewed as a role model, at least until his fall from grace. Skoll stuck by Silvano's side as his health deteriorated, mourning his death and the man that Skoll thought he was.
Skoll became fast friends with Shiloh Dawnbringer, Silvano's mate. He admired the woman for her wit, level-headed demeanor, and fighting skill. She was probably the best at "handling" Skoll outside of his mate and children.
Mistral de l'Or was initially regarded as an upstart brat, until she returned to the Court and became a true enemy. Skoll hated Mistral until her death and the revelation that she was his niece. Skoll wonders how she would have turned out if he'd treated her differently in her youth.
Interested in his pack's military tier from a young age, Skoll trained religiously and was mentored by many warriors greater than him. He has many years of combat experience, having served in several pack conflicts and dispatched foes one-on-one to protect his allies.
Equally comfortable on two legs or four, Skoll fights like a feral beast -- using teeth and claws regardless of his form, taking advantage of his often-superior weight to throw others around or pin them down. With good endurance and a high pain tolerance, Skoll has outlasted many opponents in fights, and isn't afraid to fight close and dirty.
Other Physical Talents:
Skoll is very fast at shifting and takes as little as two minutes to shift between forms. He has great focus and control over his body, which allows him to converse and even walk during the process. He shifts daily and is very comfortable with all his forms.
His endurance is his greatest strength, moreso than his size and speed. Skoll relies on his tireless energy in most aspects of his life, from travel to fighting. As he ages, however, his natural gift has begun to wane. While in better shape than most his age, he would be outlasted by a fighter in their prime.
Auxiliary Skills and Hobbies
Hunting and Scouting (Master):
Skoll excels at hunting in a pack and even taking down medium-large prey on his own, running down prey until they're exhausted and using his brute strength to kill them. He has a keen eye for tracks and natural features thanks to his life experience, and he's also seen most of what Nova Scotia has to offer, giving him familiarity with many territories.
Literacy (Journeyman):
Skoll read a lot when he was young, from biblical texts to works of fiction written by humans, fantasy stories being his favorite. Though a slow reader, he has a large vocabulary. However, his penmanship is clumsy (due to large hands), and he struggles to follow written directions.
Horsemanship (Deprecated):
An avid rider in his youth (if not remarkably skilled), Skoll often worked with his mare and provided basic care for her. However, he was always more comfortable on his own four legs, and would later realize his large size was detrimental to most horses. While unable to ride and out of practice, Skoll is comfortable around horses.
