Deadwood (NPC, dead)

Birthday
?/8/21 ages up every Aug/Feb ?th
Name origin
An area of tree that has died
Sexuality
Bisexual
Gender
Roo
Sex
AMAB

Purchased traits
Pair of scars on left forearm
Size class
Enormous
Weight class
Tank
Appearance
Deadwood is a hulking, imposing figure if ever there was one. His shoulders are broad and thickly muscled, and a dark mane of feathers sprouts from around the base of his neck. Despite looking rather ridiculous, his long neck raises his bearded head high above even the largest dromaeus, and allows his wicked beak to dart nimbly about in a fight. While lacking the sharp talons and toothed maws the dromaeus are famed for, his sharp beak and thick legs are no less capable of rending flesh and delivering devastating kicks. Colour wise, the roo is dark and striped with rufous underparts and flashes of yellow and red along his impressive bill.

Nestling - Fledgeling
0-1
Born to a successful dromaeus captain, Deadwood was always expected to achieve greatness. While his mother was often away advising wings of the army, his father helped care for children at the orphanage. It was easy enough for Deadwood to accompany him to work, and as such his social life started off strong.
   It was in the orphanage that Deadwood met Barbule, a young roo who had barely met their parents before they were taken by war. He was one of the few avus that were perhaps as outgoing as Deadwood, always eager for the praise of his peers and carers. The two became fast friends, and spent most of their time playing soldiers. Even as a nestling, Deadwood knew he hated the enemy for taking his friend's parents away.

Sub-adult
1-2
Having spent time around dozens of children since he was a nestling, Deadwood enjoyed the new faces school brought. Bright, charismatic and always taking the lead on group projects, the young roo looked promising. He wasn't the brightest, but that didn't matter if he brought the best out in his peers. Deadwood simply seemed to have a knack for arranging avus so they played off each other's strengths.
   It was in school that he met Larkspur, a bright and equally charismatic young hen. The two hit it off immediately, quickly becoming inseparable, though it wasn't until their last months of education that the two realized their feelings for one another.

Adult
2+
Deadwood graduated straight into the role of sergeant. Seeing as he'd shown so much potential, his mother had been able to put in a good word with the general. The flight he commanded was made up of Barbule, Larkspur and several of his other classmates. Deadwood would have had it no other way.
   The danger of war came as a shock, but Deadwood adjusted about as well as he could have. Like in school, Deadwood knew exactly how to utilize the avus under his command, and was never afraid to ask his smarter peers for strategic advice when he needed it. Quickly, the promising young roo became known for keeping his squad alive through their tight-knit bonds. He was never afraid to get his paws dirty, either.
   Even when he was eventually promoted to captain, Deadwood was still renowned for fighting on the front lines with his squadron. More often than once, he pulled enemies off his soldiers by the throat. His squadron of the army took some of the least losses in recent history. When the previous general died, Deadwood was an obvious choice.
   As General, the only thing that really changed was the number of avus he had to manage. He still organized the captains and sergeants under him in a way that brought out their strengths, but it was hard not being everywhere at once. The heavy losses the army took no matter how well he did weighed on him. Even so, he made it through the next few years with mounting success, all things considered.

After Deadwood and Larkspur had settled into their respective roles as General and Captain, the two began to consider their own lives a little. They had officially partnered several years prior, and had both decided they were ready to think about starting a family. Larkspur was quite happy to take some time off the battlefield, and so within the year, their son was born. He was the light of Deadwood's life. Larkspur was killed before he was even three years old. What was left of his small family was devastated.
   Deadwood couldn't stand that his only son wanted to go off to war and risk joining her in the grave. Before Woodsorrel had even finished his bereavement leave, Deadwood had already begun to arrange his flight so that it only left the kingdom if directly by his side. After some losses at the border, he arranged it so Woodsorrel's flight never strayed far from the capital. He kept a close eye on the young roo's performance, pointing out every possible flaw and shortcoming. It was harsh, and he hated to see his son dejected, but the only way to survive was perfection. When he showed little improvement, he forbade him from leaving Preyma outright.
   Keeping so much focus on Woodsorrel affected his work, but there was nothing that could be done. It still pained him, but he couldn't stand losing all he had left of Larkspur. Barbule helped out where he could, be it keeping contact with other captains or keeping an eye on Woodsorrel.

There was, however, a thorn in his side. Princess Zinnia had recently acquired the rank of Captain. On numerous occasions, the hen appeared to take great pride on pointing out every flaw in his strategy. Everywhere the sleepless nights and fretting over his son had left him sloppy. It didn't hold too much bearing on him, but he also didn't like the way she… looked at him. He knew she was close with Woodsorrel, so he'd probably been complaining to the young princess. The thought of others questioning what he'd do to keep his remaining family safe made his feathers bristle. However, Zinnia never said anything about the matter to him, she'd just… stare, with a look on her face that made his feathers prickle.

One night, out along the border of the eastern mountains Queen Acacia sought to claim, their camp was ambushed by hippus soldiers. It was chaos, but the soldiers who weren't slaughtered in their nests managed to rally.
   But not around him.
   While tearing through the camp trying to pick up wounded soldiers, the general found himself cornered. The soldiers that were able had already regrouped. From the cliffline above, Zinnia looked him dead in the eye, then ordered the retreat.
   All the rage in the world couldn't have saved him as the hippus bore down.

KIN:

OTHER:

Likes

• Particularly fond of hard foods such as seeds, nuts and shellfish
  
  

Dislikes

• Things being out of his control
• Winter. His neck gets cold
  
  

Trivia

• While he has canines towards the back of his mouth, his beak itself is the most dangerous part, being well able to pierce flesh and crush bone

Songs

• Werewolf Gimmick - The Mountain Goats
• Severed - The Decemberists