Image Credits: frame and gazette Arkane; Nestkeeper City of Heroes

Name: Nest Keeper

Gender/Preference: male, does not 'prefer' anything now

Age/DOB: appears to have been infected around age 30, but damage to his body and face make it impossible to really tell how old he is, unknown date of birth

Faction: Independent, infected by bloodflies

Family: none that would recognize him now

Height/Build: 6'2" / not emaciated but was certainly burly before being infected

Hair: still brown, and though once was obviously full had started receeding, is not kept brushed

Eyes: hazy grey-green, due to infection; possibly had been more blue-green

Appearance: light tan skin common to those living in Karnaca, it cannot be determined whether he has any scars or tattoos, since the extent of changes to his body would cover them; has lost quite a bit of flesh or at least fatty tissue under face and hands, and his feet appear bloodied as well, which leads us to believe that he still has decent blood flow to his extremities, cutting them on sharp edges constantly. It is unknown whether his clothing is 'dockworker' or 'merchant' but they were never higher class than either of those, and if 'dockworker' styled, would follow from his large frame. Nesting bloodflies have created their distinct honeycomb shaped protrusions out of his shoulders and upper body but these do not appear to hinder him terribly in movement. He smells terribly, and there are living insects within parts of his skin, so do not watch him closely lest madness overtake you.

Note: the bloodfly infestation within his body will not kill him. He is the host of this nest, which then swarm occasionally - small larva that emerge are cared for by their elder drones, and moved up to the distinctive red Nests along the ceilings and walls. He cannot host anything larger than them, but he seems able to sense their mood, and his body will writhe with the larvae if they are agitated too much

"He was not a bad man, never meant harm. What is he now, I wonder?"

Skills and Occupation: while he may have once been a dock worker, now he is known as a Nest Keeper, one of those infected by Bloodflies who has not died, but instead through some odd connection (perhaps Void-magic) can respond to, communicate with, and even command Bloodflies.

Residence: Serkonos / Karnaca, along the south-east coast known as Docherty's Dock, in a ruined building common these days, abandoned due to bloodfly infestation

Notable Possessions: Only the nests and the bloodflies. He could be tremendously rich, given how much Blood Amber is scattered about, created within living tissue as a result of the bloodflies taking over them - but he cares not for any of that wealth. Only the bloodflies.

Personality: Perhaps he was a good man. Maybe he was a scoundrel. All that is known now is that he is 'private', reclusive, unless he needs to feed his bloodflies. They require flesh, blood, obviously - and the best place to get that is on the docks. While he does occasionally abduct living humans, he seems to refrain from that in favor of dead ones, intact bodies only, or large fish, anything with blood that attracts the insects brooding within his own flesh. His body is called to whatever is 'fresh' nearby, but he still consciously avoids contact with people, knowing somehow that they would kill him on sight if they could.

Likes and Dislikes: only the bloodflies are his passion now. Protect them. Feed them. Nurture them. Send them to find new homes. He does not like being interrupted in these tasks.

Fears or Interruptions: He does still fear being discovered, and he will definitely become angered at the intrusions of explorers or accidental wanderers. He will kill to protect his nest.

History: Was this his home? A small apartment in the upper floor of a three-story house overlooking the churning Karnaca Bay? Probably. Was he a dock worker or a whaler? Probably, the trappings of his home still bear work gloves and boxes from the port nearby. If you can find those things buried under the layers of nests, that is.

How did he get where he is now? In this weird place, beyond the World, beyond the Void, somewhere he could not possibly have comprehended even before the bloodfly infestation in his body? It's highly likely that the Outsider himself placed this aberration at the Heimdall, just to see what would come of it. For aren't there other creatures needing tender care? To be commanded with purpose for protection and expansion?

How much of the docks will be overtaken by this new brood?

We'll see, won't we.

*** (from the Hatching)

So many fascinating species hailing from far off worlds. Krum would have liked to collect a blood sample (or a larvae sample) from Nest Keeper before he left. She'd heard reports from soldiers of an infestation starting at the docks and certain rooms in candidate quarters. Hopefully Nest Keeper dropped a few pieces of his swarm from Krum to play with. The soldiers and their flamethrowers could deal with the rest of the problem.

Bloodflies swarmed angrily around a few bursters who approached with aggression, and the burstlings lack of chitin made them vulnerable to stinging bites. But those that came calmly, oozing eagerness, were allowed to approach.

The first to succeed was a grey-brown winged burster who crooned; :: Hive? Sapindaless feels a whole Hive here. A hive for Sapindaless? ::

A grey-green slithered toward Nest Keeper with more confidence, although she was  half the size of her brother.

:: Yes :: she snapped. :: A hive for us . For you and Sieversiss . ::

The swarm of bloodflies gathered around them like a fog as the bond between their minds solidified.

(dragons - burstlings, then adults)

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