S A M O S E T - W A L E M Q U E L A
Details
Full Name: Samoset Walemquela
Race: Rathor- Elk Beastalt
Sex: Male
Age: 26
Height: 8'0" without antlers
Weight: 300 lbs
Birthdate: 33 Searing 4595
Birthplace: Rathrouen
Profession: Falconer
Housing: Small hut on outskirts of Amoren
Titles:
Factions:
Fluencies: Vithmi and Common
Conversationals: None
Ineptitudes: None
Appearance
Physical:
Samoset is a bull elk Beastalt. His fur consists of a dark brown covering his head to his shoulders it then extends down his front in a thinning line to end at his groin, and again reappearing on his legs and arms. A light blonde circle centered on his tail reaches to the back side of his hips and inner thigh. The rest of his torso and upper thighs is a mid-colored, sandy blonde. He stands at 8 feet, 300lbs, well-built and athletic from travelling the forest on hoof. His antlers usually increase his height to 10 feet on average, but can vary depending on the year with new antlers. His antlers are a deadly tool and a doorway menace when he has them.
Equipment:
Like most Rathor-Beastalt, Samoset does not wear much clothing. Covering himself with an earthy toned, lightweight cloth that reaches to his knees for the sake of others. He wears colorful and decorative coverings for festivities. He also hangs beads or other jewelry on his antlers, sometimes getting them painted splashy colors of reds, yellows, and blues. He also will paint his fur from time to time, often choosing a red to not class with his brown-rust colored eyes
When he is out in the field however, he wears his leather armor. Light and well fitting. He does color it with browns, dark reds, and greens. His two-toned travelers’ cloak is usually worn over the top of his armor A staple of his outfit wherever he goes is a thin metal tube on a necklace. This is the whistle he uses to train his eagle and to give it instructions. If he is ever in an instance where the eagle is with him, he will wear his leather bracers and gloves. His weapon of choice is a spear or another polearm. His spear that he owns is sturdy but light enough to throw if he needs to.
Personality
Samoset can come across as naïve at first but he recognized his lack of knowledge in a lot of thing still. He is very serious about his work and that can make him seem cold initially. He tries to have an open mind and a light heart about all that he works on, but things that mean a lot to him have to be done correctly in his mind. He will often use humor to fill in uncomfortable silence whilst also diving into the thick of danger for a friend. He will stand up for what he thinks is right, which can get him into a fair amount of trouble with systems or personalities with different beliefs.
History
Samoset was born in Rathrouen in 33 Searing 4595. His father was a Valran who used his magics for trade. He was a small, successful merchant set upon making sure his offspring would have the best leg up in pursuing their Purposes. Samoset was insulated from a lot of the slavery and conflict surrounding Rathrouen as a youngling. He had close bonds with his half-siblings whom they all shared a father. His mother put down her trade to raise him like the other mothers that were in his father’s herd. He did not know his Purpose when his parents gave him a choice of pursuing that or continuing to learn and explore. His father had attended when he was young, so agreed to fund Samoset’s education at the highly prestigious academy provided that Samoset take to magic.
This is where Samoset obtained his marks of control for Resonance and Druidism. He was attuned to his mark of control for Resonance first. It is between his shoulder blades, hidden by fur now. Initiation was particularly bloody for Samoset. The initiating mage was extremely talented but did not expect the amount of blood that came out of the Rathor. Samoset was mid growth for his new antlers. With his antlers still in velvet, once the initiation started, the fragile, blood-filled tissue broke open. Other complications with initiation happened as usual. Samoset’s bones rattled; his eyes felt as if they would fall out of his head. He closed his eyes and listened, meditated. He felt the waves of sounds coarse through him, the mark forming on his back not being a stationary print. Rather, the mark was a vibrating, seemingly alive wave on his back. Fluctuating with each change in pitch and tone. The waves of the mark became translucent against his skin as the initiation came to a close. His antlers were stunted that year due to the damage done to the velvet.
The test for Druidism was easier on Samoset’s body than the initiation for Resonance. However, Samoset struggled with feeling the connection to nature. Here he found that he could lean on Resonance, use the sounds around him to get him into a deep state of focus and feeling. He was handed a wilted flower and before he knew it, the grass under him was dead and the flower revitalized. The mark was a dark brown on the skin over his heart, covered now by his thick fur. He could feel a change now, Resonance had not initially left a mark on him, but with the powers of Druidism a part of his soul, he could feel a change. The air around him was crisp, the colors vivid. Sounds from all around seemed familiar. He could tell immediately that animals took a liking to him faster than before.
At the age of 16, he was enrolled at Nardothis. He became educated in scouting and martial prowess. Becoming proficient with a wide variety of weaponry, receiving the basics of tactics and military logistics. Here, Samoset learned of his own inherent disadvantages of his body. While he was strong and fast, more nimble opponents could wear him down if he gave in to wild swings and compulsive aggression. He learned to not underestimate any opponent and not to rely solely on his strength to win him any fights or duels. Additionally he was schooled on Resonance magic, to a greater degree.
Finally, Samoset was faced squarely with the reality of slavery. It appalled him but he did not think it would be possible to eliminate slavery. The argument was framed with an economic lens. A lens that Samoset’s father shared a great deal of insight with him throughout his primary education. While the issue of slavery dug deep at the core of being a Rathor, he reluctantly put the issue aside for the remainder of his schooling at Nardothis.
Upon graduating at 19 from the academy, he had his coming-of-age ceremony. The festivities started as a wonderful family gathering and ended with his father taking him and his other Elk-Beastalt half siblings out for a rut. This was the last part of being a Beastalt that his father gave all of his sons. It involved going out to a tavern or bar and competing with other males for groups of females looking for a male. Most contests were won with size and intimidation alone, but his father also taught the nuances of fighting with his antlers. This was showcased with his father and a challenger taking a stroll outside with the female group in tow to see the sparring match take place. Of course, this was all for show and masculinity as the females always had the choice of leaving.
The spiritual part of coming of age happened a few days after the family ceremony. It happened spontaneously as Samoset meditated towards the top of a tower. He would spend hours sometimes, listening to the world around him. Feeling the sounds and toying with them. He could feel the waves and vibrations in his mark as well as his body and antlers. He always thinks and feels that his antlers help to grab sound and resonance from the air. That particular day a new sound on the wind caught his attention. An elk call way out into the distance, one he could not modify. He opened his eyes and gazed out, feeling deep in his soul that he had to follow the call. Follow the call that could not be amplified or altered. Follow the call that was so familiar, yet this one was so puzzling.
He returned home and made preparations to leave the next day. He gathered his spear that he used at school, sturdy and light. He packed his bag with rations, donned his armor, and set out. The call had him heading South, but he didn’t make it too far out of Rathrouen before he was confronted with his first obstacle out on the road.
He came across many groups of slaves on his travels out of the city and the city outskirts. Samoset was walking down the road, heading South. The groups of travelers were beginning to thin out amongst the acres of farm fields that spread out in the surrounding environment. A slaver had his slaves on the side of the road, screaming at them about something. The man brandished his whip menacingly as he strode up and down the row of knelt people who were nothing short of terrified. Some protecting children, others looking as though they had just withered the storm and collapsed. He could see the blood soaking through their clothes, staining the ground. He slowed and watched as the slaver lifted his whip to hit a man protecting a child. Samoset in one fluid motion reached out and grabbed the slaver’s arm, stopping the stroke dead. It surprised Samoset as much as it surprised the slaver who turned to square up with the Beastalt. Samoset towered a solid 3 feet over the man at least. The man twisted his arm to try and squirm free of the firm grasp, and quickly swung a punch with his other balled fist before Samoset could speak up. The elk took the punch, wincing a little but the leather armor taking the brunt of the blow. With this distraction, a slave took the opportunity to stand up and stab the slaver in the back with a sharp rock. Hitting the man over and over, slicing into his back and head. Samoset stepped back, releasing the slaver from his grasp as the slave fell onto his master. The job was quick and brutal, Samoset jumping back in a defensive stance as the slave stood again. Thanks were all that were muttered from the exhausted, beaten, and half-starved group.
Samoset was speechless from the encounter. He had acted not out of thought, but out of the calling in his heart and soul. He knew he did the right thing, even if the outcome was not what he had expected. He was shaken, but not sorry. There were winners and losers in the world, but Samoset knew in his bones, that no one deserved that treatment.
The experience was a pivotal moment for Samoset, it occupied his thoughts, distracted him for a couple of days as he wandered South. He met another Rathor on the third day. He was happy to talk to someone and travel with someone. This Rathor was a master falconer and animal handler, having his own falcon which he trained. Samoset was entranced when he discovered that the Rathor had a secret weapon. This Rathor was practiced in Druidism. The Rathor spoke of being able to communicate with animals and obtain a deeper connection with the wild world around them. Samoset felt in the moment that if he could learn the ways of Druidism, he would have a better chance at understanding the call he had heard if he heard it again.
The Rathor agreed to teach Samoset if he would be the falconer’s apprentice and assist him in the coming years. Samoset agreed and began a long journey of learning much and travelling far. Samoset first learned about animal care, the Rathor taught Samoset about animal husbandry, patience, and operant conditioning. They soon arrived at the capital, Genteven. The large city nestled among the curving banks of the Amoras River, surrounded by rolling, lush, and green hills. Expanding out from the metropolitan hub, endless acres of vineyards with other crops speckled here and there. This city was immense and beautiful; truly a sign of civilizations’ endless march onwards.
The Rathor travelled to various noble houses and wealthy merchants, teaching house falconers, nobles, and merchants the art of falconry in a brief 6-month course each. Other visits included check-ups and medical visits for all sorts of animals. Magic was rarely used in front of others however; it was not the Rathor’s way. He preferred the science, experience, natural way of doing things.
Training a new falconer was a laborious process. Samoset’s Rathor mentor would first sit with the bird and Samoset would sit with the owner and would be falconer. This job could be extremely frustrating depending on the falconer to be. Younger kids could be rewarding to work with, but could also be impossible to work with. House falconers were more routine to work with. Much of the time would be spent sitting with the birds, allowing the birds to get comfortable with the falconers and to form a bond. This involved a lot of sitting, no glove work. Most would find sitting and talking with a bird for as much time as could be spared as a boring waste of time. Samoset, and all falconers really, saw that time for what it was. It was time spent building a lifelong bond with a unique individual. A bird of unique and fascinating qualities no matter what species they were. Samoset’s Rathor mentor took time in between jobs to teach him the nuances, capabilities, and limits of Druidism.
After two years of travelling and working with the Rathor, Samoset was reintroduced to Druidism. He had the mark but had largely left that education behind him. He spent another year learning from the Rathor, however his mentor was not a mentor of magic by trade. As such, he mis-managed Samoset’s progression into the druidic magics. Samoset during their free time was often pushed into overstepping. His mentor believed that only through pushing harder and harder could one progress. Samoset knew better from his time at the academy, but relented and went along with it for a while. But after a year of hard work, Samoset had enough of the pushing. He had off and on struggled with extreme cramps and fatigue, vomiting after most sessions with his mentor. He held not hard feelings for his mentor. Someone who had taught him so much and gave him so much in way of connections and life experiences.
After parting ways, Samoset continued southward, wherein he met his lifelong friend. The road was long, and full of turns. Samoset was not sure on where to go but then again, he didn’t want for much during this time in his life. He stumbled upon a yearling golden eagle. It a broken wing and had clearly sought him out from the drag marks. Samoset was broken hearted and pulled the energy from the surrounding plant life to restore the bird’s wing. After the initial survival instincts, the bird backed off, but was always a part of Samoset’s days for the next month.
Samoset set to work, slowly building a stronger bond with the bird, eventually getting it to take food from him. He worked slowly and methodically, seeing how the bird had an affinity for him, he might as well get the bird trained so it was safe to handle. Training took 8 months in total to get the bird onto his glove and jesses fitted to its ankles. He made a hood for the bird but rarely used it. He grew close with the bird, landing on the name Swiftwind for the bird. She grew to be a magnificent bird, a larger bird than Samoset had worked with before. Full of personality and energy, her wingspan reached out to 7 feet, weighing in at 10 lbs. She trusted him, and he trusted her.
The pair travelled to Arlain, where Samoset set to work taking mercenary and scouting work between falconry with merchants and lower nobility. He enjoyed the work and meeting new people and putting his military education to use. He learned a lot fighting bandits and other nuisance tribes in the countryside that until that point, he had managed to largely avoid. He learned a lot about fighting and improvising in the thick of combat.
That was his life for the next few years. Working on becoming a good mercenary, scout, gaining reputation as a falconer amongst the upper class. Training and working with Swiftwind were always a treat. The bird always soaring above him or perched on his glove, antlers, or on her perch wherever they set up camp. Life was stable but not fulfilled. Samoset could hear the call further south still. The call was more vivid though, clearer in tone but still unchangeable.
Samoset and Swiftwind headed further south, to the lands with a moderate climate. Warm weather was nice usually… but when he arrived in Amoren, he was just starting to shed his winter coat, it had been a hot winter’s travel for him. He did what he was taught, he made connections with those who he knew would desire his expertise. He started to make connections and started to search and listen again for the call, but the winds were silent for the time being.
