Bald Mountain Holt is part of the Kshau Protectorate

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** Note that this character and her half-brother Whitefern were originally created for a Wolf-Riding holt taking place quite a long while before Bald Mountain would have arisen, and any info regarding that era is loosely based on the Elfquest books

 

Image Credits: Lethe

Name Sage

Bonded to: . From: Dawn Watch Hope Court?

Age: 35 Born in: Newgreen season
Soul Name: zli Known By: herself only Found: see below ^
Sex: female Mate Status/Sex Preference: single, prefers females for lovemating*
Children: none
Parents/Relatives: Mother Vinewalk (deceased in cave collapse)
Father Coolwater (deceased after Whitefern's birth) - child of Recognition
Half-Brother (via Coolwater) Whitefern
Original Tribe: Wolf Blooded, Storm's Rise Holt Arrived to Bald Mountain: 191
Height: 4'4" Build: healthy, slinky
Hair Color, Length, Style: platinum pampas-beige, straight and curled only at ends, shoulder blade length, sometimes braided
Eye Color, Size, Shape: dark brown with faint green in bright light, narrow
Skin Tone: light beige, freckles
Overall Appearance: Sage takes after her mother in size but her father in coloration: like her half-brother, she has fair skin and brightly platinum hair. She spends less time in the sun than he does, so her skin is lighter in general, and she unlike he, does get a spattering of freckles in Summer. Sage is tall for a Wolfrider, at over 4'4”, and it was said that Vinewalk was far more pure-blooded than wolf-blooded so that might account for it. However she is not angular or lean, far from it, Sage is a healthy, almost slinky elfess with strong walking leg muscles, and a slender but solid form. Her hands are often calloused from pulling plants from the ground or grinding them. Sage's hair is slightly darker than her brother's, closer to pampas-beige than white. However, hers is also quite straight, curling only at the very ends, and only when it's not tied up in a short, thick braid. Her hair is just barely past her shoulder blades, and since she is often concentrating on healing tasks or other such activities, she generally keeps the braid unless she's bathing. Also she likes to stick things in it, so it's not unusual to see a prickly-brush of items, flowers, herb sprigs, leaves and the like, sticking from her head. Her eyes are a dark shade of brown, with the slightest hint of green when in bright light. Her eyes are more narrow than her brother's, another feature from her mother.
Voice Quality: Sage's voice is clear, she tends to enunciate well and hardly ever raises her voice.
Clothing -- Summer: Sage wears layered clothing of loose leather leggings in a dark brown color, a single-shouldered top in lighter tan, and often has a smock with a number of pockets on it, over that. She likes soft leather boots, and also has thin sturdy leather gloves in a pale grey shade. She and her brother have a massive bear fur cloak, made from their first (and pretty much only) shared kill. At some point they will likely cut it into two pieces, for now they don't really need it so often, and in Winter they would prefer to snug together in a den anyway.
Clothing -- Winter: (add the bear cloak)
Jewlery Worn, Made: leather gloves
Tatoos/Markings/Scars: none
Pets/Animals Kept: none
Notable Posessions: herbs and ointments, pastes, other healing items
Holt Function: Herbalist, always fiddling with plants and herbs, fungi and algae when she can find it, she knows plants inside and out, literally!
Strength: Average, digging in the dirt does require a good amount of effort
Dexterity:
Above Average, she can sense the differences between seed pods by holding them
Agility:
Above Average, reaching those hard to find vines and fruits takes climbing and balance
Health:
High, she's hardy, from an early line of wolf-blooded elves
Size:
Above Average, also because of that early line, her height and overall appearance is more upright and elegant than some her age
Intelligence:
High, she knows her mind about things, and seeks out information and advice, she's a scientist at heart
Appearance:
Above Average, pretty but not ravishing like she thinks some are
Charisma:
Average, she's still unsure about all the different people here at Bald Mountain, where did they all come from?
Magic Power:
Low, but present more than many of her extended Wolf-riding kinfolk
Magic? How Powerful?
sending 6/10, able to reach a reasonable distance with clarity, but she prefers the close connection of a group
magic feeling 1/10, yup, magic is a thing that exists... she can only really sense plant magic on touch
plant sense (only) 6/10, but her sense of the plants themselves is quite strong! their condition and overall health, any immediate damage, their state of fertility, and how many of any given type of plant in an area are all easily sensed within about 50 meters of herself
Climate/Locations Preferred: Anywhere that the plants can grow is fine with her, and there are a variety of them here at Bald Mountain, from the lake to breezy heights and deep forest or scrub, what an interesting place!
General Likes: having activities to keep her busy - Since she is kept busy by trying to help her tribesmates, she often doesn't have time for herself. When she does, suddenly, find that there's no immediate danger or wounds to be cured, Sage hardly knows what to do with herself. It is then that she will gravitate toward her brother, and hopefully he'll have some idea of what to do with her
General Dislikes: fighting, shouting, abusive people
Fears/Worries: she doesn't know what happened to the rest of her people, since she and her brother were put into preserver "wrap-stuff" they woke up how many hands of turns later? Will they come looking for them? Are they on their own? there are other Wolfriders but they seem to be from other splinter groups
Special Strange Info: * Lovemate: whoever, she's a bit preoccupied with gathering and patching people up. Sage prefers female companionship, as she is a bit intimidated by angry or aggressive people since the breakup of the tribe scared the crap out of her. She will be very careful around Heartstorm after watching both she and Two Spear in their sharp rages, though as the tribe settles down a bit, she might enjoy the company of such folk more and more.
Basic Personality: Extremely protective, intense and focused. Sage knows the woods and plains just by looking at them, so she feels better about being out alone than in group hunts. She enjoys being depended upon even if there are other means to help heal her tribe. She appears painfully shy around stronger males and aggressive females, that is to say nearly all the tribe when TwoSpear was chief, but in reality she's just making sure that they aren't about to explode on her like Two Spear did with his own daughter and mate – or indeed the rest of the tribe. Sage is hard to distract, and has endless tolerance for the antics her brother is known for. She does snap at him on occasion, if he interrupts something very important, but in general he knows better than to do that anyway. Sage's personality can be compared favorably to Joyleaf with a bit of Rayek thrown in.
How they feel about
Humans
: a long and deep fear, but ... the few around here seem quite nice?
Elves -- herders: as she tends to the plants they tend to small animals, that's good!
Elves -- magic users: admiration and amazement
Elves -- bond-riders: how elves work best
Trolls, etc: hardly knows of these large creatures, they're clearly intelligent and have amazing metals!
Bond Animal Info if any: Stickerbrush (or just sticker), male wolf who is rather prone to accidents and muddling into dangerous situations. Sticker is a long-legged, gangly youngish wolf who looks perpetually underfed though is quite healthy. His fur is a mottled medium brown with hoary grey toward his belly, lighter grey on his underside, lower legs, and muzzle; feet are usually muddy but when clean are nearly white. He has a light grey chin and underneck, and an uneven white tip to his brown tail. His eyes are yellow, more amber than tan. Though Sticker is seen as a bumbling idiot by many in the holt, he's pretty smart, and has a clean, sure mind that is easily sent to and from. He's just intensely curious and pretty clumsy. Mated to: none, hah, who would find such a clutz a good mate!
Skills:

Riding: Her typical Wolfrider skills are varied in use – she prefers to walk more than ride Stickerbrush, because … well it's easier to dodge things on foot rather than try and convince that wolf to go the right direction. She rides pretty well, given that he often runs off when she least expects him to.

Hunting: Her preference is to hunt or trap small prey, rather than big animals and thus she often refrains from joining a big hunt unless it's necessary that everyone participate. She doesn't feel confident enough in her group skill to be very comfortable, though she does enjoy using clever traps and nooses.

Weapons: though she has a number of javelins and a short wooden, crystal-tipped spear, she more often will use numerous small traps and nets, prepared while there is time to work. She has always wanted a good sharp knife similar to the crystal head of her spear, but makes due with a bone knife to cut herbs or gut kills.

Woodwise, Cooking: Because she was raised and trained by a tree-shaper, Sage knows plenty about the woods and knows what to do with nearly any plant that she's already familiar with. She will balk at experimentation with strange plants, preferring to observe animals and see whether they eat it or not, before trying it herself for either food or healing. Because her mother was a big supporter of growing plants for the tribe, she often ran afoul of Two Spear's anger, and has learned how to slide veggies into meals like stew without even telling anyone. Without Two Spear around, she's learning that this is not necessary, and is taking more risks with spices and herbs, and preservative mixtures for cached kills.

Healing: though she has no power to heal with magic, Sage knows the best ways to reduce fevers, heal cuts and wounds, purify and speed healing on infections, and to a more limited extent how to fix broken bones or sew up cuts. She has no fear of bloody injuries, isn't grossed out by pus or gore, but would prefer not to have to see such wounds on her tribemates! Thus, the quicker she goes into action, the better!

Herbalism/Magical: Since she also doesn't have true tree-shaping she doesn't really have a magical ability to shape the plants she uses, but does seem to show a bit of affinity to them: it's more than just training or gut instinct, but not to be relied upon just by “magically testing” the area for special herbs. Her ability is far more skill than magic, in any case. Unless something dramatic happens to her in the meantime, Sage will only ever have ‘a feeling' for the plants around her, and not be able to actually mold them to her will.

History:

^ (A bit about her soul)

When Downsoft died giving birth to Whitefern, Sage was off helping Willowgreen with gathering. Together, she and Sage's mother Vinewalk would help feed the tribe when things were lean, or while Two Spear was out hunting (whether he came back with meat – or whether he came back *at all*). Sage enjoyed a closeness with the healer and was clearly similar in her desire to help the tribe with plants and gathered foods. When both Sage and Vinewalk received a bizarre ‘sending' from Downsoft, only Vinewalk knew the meaning of it: she'd died, bearing her child! Though they tried to arrive in time, there was nothing that Willowgreen could do to help the woman. Vinewalk adopted little Whitefern, while both she and Coolwater grieved.

Years later, as Willowgreen and she were collecting more roots for the night's stew, Sage watched their mighty chief Two Spear as he stormed back to their holt with a massive scoop-horn carcass. Two Spear was hardly impressed by the armful of carrots and beets that Sage had, scattering them to the ground and refusing her a cut of their kill. Willowgreen would try to intervene, but as always, that would merely lead to an argument and her crying. Sage bolted away, hungry and shamed, into the woods.

The woods were always her comfort, even at the age of only three hands, Sage could list all the trees properties, which mosses grew on what branches and what they were good for. Of course – what they were good for, wasn't what their chief wanted. Feeling horrible and alone, Sage set about picking more food plants. After all she was still hungry and whether or not Two Spear wanted it, she liked greens. She'd tried defending the idea when she was quite young, but that only meant that the chief guffawed at her and made Willowgreen wince. Vinewalk would not interfere with this process, but she never withheld any love, comfort or advice. Sage was out of sending range by the time Vinewalk realized she'd gone running off.

It was growing colder, the bite in the air was of an early Whitecold. And suddenly as they would – a bitter ice storm dropped a sheet of wetness over the whole area. Cut off from her tribe by the fact that she could hardly walk through two miles of hip-deep ice and sleet, Sage remained where she was, in the hollow of a tree, with her herbs and a large turnip for company.

When she'd been younger and felt Downsoft's spirit touch her as she died, Sage didn't understand the content of the elfess' contact. But now, oddly, she felt that Downsoft was with her. The comforting presence of her mother's lovemate brought hot tears to Sage's eyes. But it also brought a strange sound… the whisper of her true name, zli… her soul name. Whether it was Downsoft's spirit delivering her from the fear and pain of the icy night, or her own spirit finding its strength, Sage didn't really know or care. Now she was whole. In the morning, she prowled back to the tribe's encampment with her armful of newly gathered roots – to the sky with Two Spear and his crazy talk. Carrots were good for you.

 

Dragon Name:
Gender:
Size: s/l/ws
Build:
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Stats: Strength, Speed, Endurance, Agility, Health, Intelligence
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Parents:
Origin: Dawn Watch Weyr Hope Court? **Page of Swords? Queen of Wands?
Other Info: