Barb

Birthday Season

• Spring

Sexuality

• Demisexual

Gender

• Hen

Sex

• AFAB

Size Class

• Small

Weight Class

• Bulky; on the chunky side

Appearance

Sporting russet colored feathers, Barb is certainly a striking harpy. A crest of feathers adorns her rounded face, her beak long and dark in color. A strikingly blue mask stands out on her face. While her feathers are more orange in color, her fur is a creamy tan with a light undertone. Her wings and tail feathers are dark in color with white stripes on the dorsal sides

Nestling-Fledgeling

Barb’s mother comes from a long line of toymakers and her father from a long line of carpenters. The two bonded over their love of carving wood and settled down, wanting nothing more than to raise a family together. However with the war raging all around them a peaceful life seemed impossible. Nevertheless they began work on a magnificent home partially carved into the trunk of a giant tree. The tree was far enough removed they felt they could safely rear children. Work was slow, with the father having to take time off to craft weapons and aid in the war effort. Eventually they were able to construct enough to make their home hospitable for a family and had a clutch of three.

Barb was the oldest of her siblings, being first laid and first to hatch. She was followed by two brothers. They were adored by their parents who spoiled them with gifts and trinkets every chance they could. Barb was especially adored being the only female of the clutch. When their eyes opened and their feathers began to grow the chicks proved to be a rowdy bunch. It was unwise to turn your back on them even for a moment. Life for Barb and her brother’s was full of adventure. While they didn’t live an extraordinarily lavish life, they always had enough. Their mother was able to make a living selling toys, trinkets, and furnishings. What she didn’t sell she often gave to grieving families who graciously offered her what they could be it fruit or wood from a tree. Barb rarely ever saw her father. The war kept him away for months at a time. He would always return with a smile and new stories to tell. They would stay up late into the night listening to his war stories (he kept out the more frightening details).

A few months away from their first birthday disaster struck. Barb was playing tag with her brothers when one of them, the youngest, lost his footing and fell from the tree. They could do nothing but cry for their mother, who did everything she could to save the young harpy. It was too little too late, and their brother ended up passing away that night. His death devastated their mother, who was never the same.

Sub-adult

A year had passed since her brother’s death. Her family had fallen on hard times. Her mother didn’t have the drive to make things anymore, leaving them with no source of income. Being the eldest Barb felt it was her responsibility to step up and carry on in her mother’s place. She began carving small statues, struggling to remember what her parents had taught her. It was slow learning and hardly any of her creations sold. She was beginning to lose hope when finally their father returned home.

He had not heard the news of his sons passing and they all cried together that night. Their father’s return brought some of the life back to their mother, though it wouldn’t last. He was only able to stay with them for a few weeks, but the family made the most of that time. Barb’s father taught her everything he could about carpentry. By the time he left she was able to make eloquent boxes with murels carved into their sides. Her’s were nowhere near as beautiful as the ones her parents would make but she was able to sell them for a few coppers.

Adult

They were able to scrap by the following years. Barb was constantly carving wooden trinkets and furnishings, getting better with each item she crafted. Her brother spent less and less time at the house. He had found a group of males his age and spent all his time with them roaming the woods and stirring up trouble. Barb heard many a complaint from the neighbors but did little to stop it. Her mother’s condition only worsened.

Just when things were seeming to calm down she received some bad news. Her father had been slain and would not be returning home. Barb could not bring herself to tell her mother for some time, knowing it may be the final straw. She could not keep it secret forever though, and wanting her mother to hear it from her. The news broke her, and she later died from a broken heart. Barb laid her mother to rest alongside her brother’s grave.

It took awhile for Barb to recover from her parents deaths, though she never fully healed. No one heard nor saw from her for about a year. Many assumed she was dead. During that year Barb was able to connect with herself more than she ever had before. She was able to let go of all the bitterness and sadness that had been festering and move on. She finished parts of her family home that had been left untouched for years. She carved a headstone for her father next to her mother and brother, even though his body had never been recovered.

When she did finally emerge from her isolation she was a changed avus. Barb found new ways to express herself through her creations, taking on a more ‘wild’ approach to her craft then her parents had. Her carvings were unique and eccentric. Barb’s love of color came through in the form of brightly colored toys, boxes, and puppets. The majority of her creations were made from wood, but some were made from wool, straw, and sometimes plants woven together.

Years passed and the war that claimed her father was finally over. With this new era of peace came more opportunities for her business. Avus’ were beginning to settle down and have families, which created a demand for toys, decore, and furnishings. Barb’s business was finally starting to thrive. Her now experienced hands were almost always at work whether she was carving blocks of wood, tending to her garden or caring for her animals. In her spare time she took up foraging, spending hours just wandering the forests around her home. She knows those lands like the back of her hand. Every tree has a name, every patch of moss has a story.

Likes

• Fruit
• Gardening
• Animals
• Personal Space

Dislikes

• Obnoxious avus
• Running
• Wearing armor

Trivia

• Takes care of wounded animals she finds
• Collects bones, plants, rocks, and anything she finds interesting

Themesong(s)

Voice Claim

• Ursula - Pat Carroll