Banksia

Birthday
The day your character became official
Name origin
A genus of plant
Sexuality
Bi Asexual
Gender
Roo (Male)
Sex
AFAB
Plot death
Absolutely yes
Cause of death (if no plots available)
Slain while protecting others from attack, be it from enemy soldiers or wild animals

Purchased traits/items
Scars- second degree burn on right hand resulting in hair loss and pigment change
Items- cloth necklace with gannet feathers
Armour:
Copper helmet, leather gloves on all limbs, fabric armour x4 major areas, leather plating x1 major area, 'batman murder bracers'
Weapons:
Copper dagger, assorted arrows (war bodkin, small barbed head, broadhead)

Size class
Small
Weight class
Bulky
Appearance
Banksia is a well built avus. Dark waterproof feathers line his back, while his pale undersides are soft, thick fur. A short crest tops his head, and though it’s capable of moving, it usually sits flat and relaxed above his warm amber eyes. From his ears to his jaw, a thick beard of fur sprouts from the feathers of his head. Though not the largest, under his dense fur lies thick muscle, making him a formidable opponent. While his demeanor is typically easy going and cordial, his beak hides vicious canines.

Nestling
0-6 months

Banksia was born and raised a nobody. His parents were simple foot-soldiers. They kept their heads down and worked hard, but were never anything noteworthy. He was expected to follow in their footsteps.
He was barely a few months old when he began to spend extended periods of time in the public nursery. He didn’t know much about the war, but he knew it was important enough to pull both his parents away from him. Really, his concept of a ‘parent’ was loose, the carers at the nursery were kind and attentive, and he enjoyed the constant company of other nestlings.
That didn’t stop it hurting when they had to explain the concept of death to a child. That no matter how much he loved them, his parents wouldn't be coming home.

Fledgeling
6 months-1 year

Shortly after his feathers grew in, a stranger arrived in the nursery. Their face was gentle, but they walked with a limp and spoke to the carers in a hush. At first, Banksia worried it was more bad news. Would the carers have to leave and die and never come back too? The young roo was almost in tears when the stranger sought him out directly. Thankfully, his fears were quickly assuaged. The stranger’s name was Spurflower, a captain. His parent's captain. With tears in their eyes, they knelt beside him and apologized for his loss. For having a hand in it.
The wounded captain returned to visit him several times over the next month. It was strange at first, seeing an avus with such an imposing air of command with the carers soften and play with him and his friends. When he began nearing schooling age, the battle scarred captain checked him out of the nursery and introduced him to a handful of other young avus. Some Banksia knew from the nursery, older avus that had since left. They were all orphaned by the war like him. If he wanted, Spurflower offered, he could join them. Make their own family out of the remnants of those broken by the war.
He said yes, of course. He enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the nursery, but the carers had already advised him to jump at the opportunity of a mentorship now that he was nearing school age. Surely getting under a captain's wing was close enough.

Sub-adult
1-2 years

School wasn’t so different from the nursery, but his spare time was another story. Spurflower had finally recovered and returned to duty shortly after he began his lessons, so he was rather thrown in the deep end when it came to cooking and other necessities the carers had previously taken care of. His newfound siblings were thankfully well versed in such matters, so it only took a few culinary disasters before he could more or less fend for himself.
Banksia spent most of his time on education, either through school, or the other captains and sergeants his adoptive parent sent to mentor him when they weren’t around to teach him themself. While it was hard work, all the extra sparring and theory at the hands of so many experienced mentors quickly gave him an edge over his classmates. For every proposed ambush scenario, he had a dozen ways out. For every opponent, he knew a dozen fighting styles. While at this point most of his knowledge was surface level, his versatility allowed him to scramble on top.
Success felt good. Gave him something to strive for. He wanted to learn everything there was to know about warfare. Every strategy, every fighting style. He wanted to take everything his mentors knew and make sure no nestling had to grow up without parents ever again.

He knew he was doing well, but he didn’t quite expect the Queen herself to request his presence. He’d seen some promising students get pulled out of class and into the army early, but never this early. In somewhat of a panic, he and his oldest sister, who had once met the general, smoothed down his feathers as best they could and with her words echoing through his head, he hurried to the courtroom. Remember your posture. Remember your manners. Appearance is everything. His work was always his best, but he really doubted he was good enough for an audience with the Queen.
Her instructions were simple, yet curious: You’ve shown to be a promising young mind. My son needs classmates. We’ll be taking over your education from here. Under no circumstances are you to discuss the... unsavory... details of war.
He agreed to the proposal, of course, that’s what was expected of him. On shaky legs, he returned home. How had he gotten here? He was a good student, sure, but in class with the prince? Wasn’t that reserved for the proteges of captains and generals? Sure, Spurflower had mentored him and his siblings well, but they hadn’t said anything about this!
Nonetheless, he pounced on the chance to learn new material. It was absolutely terrifying to receive lessons from the Queen and General themselves, so he simply threw himself into his studies and tried very hard not to think about how he now shared books with the prince. Spurflower, of course, was over the moon at his success. Banksia, on the other hand, hadn’t expected his hard work to catch up with him like this. He’d never had to worry how well he did before, he simply did his best and everyone was proud of him afterwards. Now failing meant something. If he wasn’t good enough, would he be kicked out? What would his family think? He desperately didn’t want to find out.

Despite the stress of the new arrangements, he quickly became fast friends with the prince. Somehow. He avoiding talking about the war on pain of death, and he found it rather jarring how improper the young prince could be at times. Here he was walking on eggshells, meanwhile the prince was losing his temper and inviting him to goof off. But the prince was upfront and easy to talk to, unlike the rest of their classmates. They were just as nervous as he was, but not nearly as good at hiding it. He felt like the least qualified person in the room, but he was doing his best and somehow it was working.

Adult
2+ years

Thanks to his extensive education at the hands of the rainforest’s finest (and a few good words from Spurflower), Banksia entered the ranks as a sergeant commanding a small squadron. He was told on several occasions he was doing well, but he very much felt like he’d been thrown in the deep end. He was in charge of other's lives! He was definitely not ready for this!
While he had obviously gotten some martial training during his classes with the prince, he was grateful now more than ever that Spurflower had ensured he’d sparred with the captains themselves. While no one was ever seriously injured, there were several close calls even when he thought he was getting the hang of things.

Until the close call turned into an outright disaster, that was. During an ambush in Northern territory, a squad of dromaeus took them by surprise. His squad was formidable, but they simply weren’t prepared for armoured mountain troops. He lost several to their teeth and claws. Several he’d sworn to protect. He thought he’d be terrified. He wasn’t prepared for white hot fury. He liked to think he was buying his squadron more time, but really, he killed that dromaeus in a rage he didn’t know he had. Battered, bloodied and hoarse from screaming, he limped away from that fight with what remained of his squadron.
Despite his failings, apparently this was somehow a good outcome. Impressed by what he was loath to describe as anything but sheer reckless luck, the general herself took him under her wing. He sat in on her war councils while his split knuckles healed. He really, truly, felt he belonged anywhere but here.

While he obviously kept his ear to the ground during his time on the battlefront, a lot of his knowledge came through the letters he exchanged with the prince. How was Zuuren faring? Do we have enough resources for civilians? Now more than ever, it was also a comfort to have someone to confide in. They were both miserable, it turned out. The prince missed his mother dearly, and Banksia had to admit, it also pained him to be so far away. Despite their distance, the two only grew closer over the coming months.

After a year and a half of learning and strategizing and fighting, Banksia was granted a few months of leave to recuperate after yet another difficult fight. Unfortunately, the joy of seeing his friend and family again was short lived. Mere days after his return home, word arrived that the Queen had died, taken by illness as it raged through the camp. Words felt useless to comfort his friend through his grief, but they were all he had. As always, he did his best. The pain of losing his own parents was old and dull, but he understood loss.
The general, his mentor, though her age and old wounds were beginning to take their toll, shouldered much of the burden of the war while the grief stricken prince ascended the throne. Banksia rarely returned to the battlefield during this time, instead he was advised by the general herself to ‘keep an eye on the young king’. He knew this meant making sure he didn’t do anything rash, and in truth, the thought of leaving him with his grief weighed heavily upon him, so he was happy to oblige.

The last few years of the war seemed to move at a blur. As soon as word that Zinnia had pulled back from the war arrived, the exhausted general resigned, requesting her title be passed on to him. Of all people, the young avus who’d barely held the rank of captain for a year. He was grateful she proposed the idea in private, because he denied it sharply and outright at first. He didn’t have nearly enough experience to do the job! Any other captain would be better!
Eventually, though, she managed to talk him into it. She would be there whenever he needed advice, she just needed some of the weight off her weary shoulders. More importantly, the young king needed someone he trusted wholeheartedly in the role. He had the feeling that meant ‘don’t let him throw us back into war, please’.
Though utterly terrified, Banksia once more put on a brave face and stepped into another role he felt woefully unprepared for. All the lives now in his hands… he couldn’t think about it. Quickly, he learned Wolfsbane and their court were invaluable advisors. He put in a few good words, but ultimately he felt they did most of the work when it came to talking the king into agreeing to peace.

No more war.
He really, truly hoped he was good enough to keep his kingdom away from any more war.

In-game activity
Soon

KIN:

OTHER:

Likes

• Having time to spend with friends and family, no business involved
• Cool weather
• Swimming

Dislikes

• The slightest personal failure
• Summer. His fur is so think and the rainforest is so hot
• Aggression

Trivia

• Preferred weapons are polearms, longbows and slings, though he knows how to use just about anything
• At the request of the king, just about anything he owns has seabird feathers attached to it in some manner. He appreciates the sentiment, but it pains him to know why
• His fur is oily and able to repel most water, like seabird feathers. This makes him incredibly buoyant

Songs

• Jerusalem - Sinéad O'Connor
• The Haunting Presence - Giles Corey
• Weep - Mother Mother
• Ominous 80 - Black Wing
• Big Bad Wolf - Shakey Graves