Masoud was born under the most life-changing star of all: the star of fortune. It became his name, his promise, and eventually, his curse. For as long as he walked this earth, he would live an auspicious and interesting life.

A yearling Masoud learned the weight of his curse when his small, close-knit colony of starmappers was ravaged by a latent disease eventually known as the Rose Fever, leaving only him, a cruel testament to his own luck. He would wander for some years, watching as the world soured around him, watching as guilt and fear soured his heart.

He has let no cat near him in months, but hostility and rage will never stop the dozens of 'angels' that follow doggedly at his heel. His entourage of Silent Watchers is a sight to see, and has garnered him a reputation, but he only sees the way they taunt him, the way they shield him from the end he deserves. For only when the sickness has lain him to rest will the world be at peace.

Primary

More will be added here when Masoud's soul class is known.

Secondary

More will be added here when Masoud's soul class is known.

Tertiary?

More will be added here when Masoud's soul class is known.

Alignments

More will be added here when Masoud's soul class and starting level are known.

Height 13 in.

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Weight 11 lbs.

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Eyes Grey

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Fur Color Rufous grey

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Markings Classic tabby

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Fur Type Long and matted

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Build Sturdy

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Notes

• His banner is held on his left side only.
• Always has a dot of red in his eyes.
• Integer interdum urna ac dui sollicitudin sollicitudin.
• In feugiat posuere nulla, eget lobortis ante.

Masoud is a pale gray cat with a lighter undercoat and dark tabby stripes that give his fur a very rufous appearance, with his dark stripes tending to look rusty red in any light. He is a longhair with clumpy, unkempt fur which tends to mat around his elbows and hindquarters, a long plumy tail, and tufted ears. He has a thick patch of dark fur on his head and neck, and four almost-brown paws. His eyes are steely grey with a small, severe shape.

While it is immediately obvious Masoud is not thin under his fur, he's not exactly a powerhouse either. His build is sturdy but not altogether muscular, and while he is clumsy on his paws and has trouble with gracile movement, he can still hold his own in a fight and is hard to push down thanks to his size.

Generally attributed to the star he was born under, Masoud has never succumbed to severe sickness, nor does he have any significant impairments. The only sign of wear to his body is the thick scar across the bridge of his nose. Regardless of this, Masoud's health is generally poor as he actively does not look after himself, and at any given time he is probably suffering with something like a cold or fleas.

Tied around Masoud's waist is a tasselled red banner embroidered with a golden moon and stars pattern. It is completely tattered from wear and lack of upkeep, and hangs at his left side.

Empathetic • Guileless • Independent • Fickle • Blunt • Secretive • Superstitious • Solitary • Impulsive • Hostile • Self-loathing

The Masoud of the past is long gone, in its place a twisted, broken thing that wanders the scarred land waiting for divine retribution to take him away for good. Once a good-natured, honest, and selfless cat, his past has soured him into a hostile lone wolf who keeps everyone at arm's length... because only ruin ever awaits those who are close to him. Conversation with him can be difficult. Erratic and asocial by choice, he is prone to fits of random rage and neuroticism, and abides by few social norms. He holds no one in high regard, tells no one his story, and leaves on a dime.

He is a credulous soul, but it is hard to be anything else when a dozen angels follow your every step. Or when a birthright of fortune demands such great misery in return. He believes in the stars all cats are born under, he believes in his auspicious curse, and most of all he believes spirits in the stars have descended to pay him retribution for all the harm his birth has caused, for why else would they be here for him? It betrays that at his very core, Masoud's survivor's guilt has hollowed him out into someone waiting only for death. For the only good deed he can do this world.

The vestiges of Masoud's old life that still cling to him only make it worse. Acutely attuned to the emotions of others, leaving everyone he meets behind is never a good thing, only the right thing, and every farewell makes the pit in his heart swell and swell; even in sparing others from himself, he is causing harm. Because when you peel the layers back, Masoud is not a angry cat, he is not an evil cat. He does not lie, cheat or premeditate wrongdoing. It is not difficult to care for him, if you know him well. This is his trap, the way he sees it. His paws are soft, but his lucky stars will see you suffer.

Eventually, he seemed to pull away from others entirely, becoming the haggard, hostile roaming dog of a cat that others know him as today. It's better. When everything is quiet it is peaceful, and the breathless decaylands are almost comforting to him. But it will never be enough, not until it's over, his price is paid, and the world finds peace without him in it.

DETAILED HISTORY COMING SOON

Masoud was born to a small colony of starcharters in the depths of a new growth fir forest they called Observatory. His mothers Safaa and Wardah had delivered him beneath the open sky, so they could identify the star that would be his birthright. Their sole kitten was born under Masoud, the star-of-interesting-times, and this was to be the name he carried for the rest of his life, for good or bad. But the world was only getting better, wasn't it?

Growing up, Masoud led a relaxed and comfortable life. Learning to read the stars, the generous and good-natured cat was cherished for his honesty and emotional intelligence. Though his parents amicably split in his youth, Masoud remained close to both of them, especially his ummi Safaa, for whom he would go out into the forest and collect flowers for her to decorate her fur. He also became exceedingly close to the only other young cat in the colony, the rowdy little kitten Asif whom Wardah had adopted with her new partner.

But for all their love and knowledge, the stargazers of Observatory were unable to chart a path that would keep them from the Decay, as the forest curled and blistered around them. Masoud's star had promised him interesting times, but fortune invites only volatility. One day, Safaa fell sick with fever, and it did not pass with treatment or time, so Masoud left to seek out a healer to treat her. By the time they returned, Safaa's sickness had advanced to something else - her soft tortoiseshell fur devoured by gray. The healer suggested treatments and left healing herbs behind, but the futility of the situation was disquieting to both of them, and the healer eventually left, summoned by an aria of similar calls.

A few fitful days later, Masoud woke to see his ummi standing over him. From her skull sprouted a red flower. Behind her, snarls and hisses filled the night air, the voices of those who had been complaining of head pain and sore throats spread by Safaa for weeks. Masoud didn't have the time to make sense of what was going on, but when his mother tried to kill him, the mad scuffle for his life made him realize one fundamental thing. That this was his fault. It was his fault for being born under the star of auspice.

Even Masoud doesn't remember how he managed to get away, but every day after he prayed for the wound across his nose to putrefy and pull the red from his fur so he could join his wretched family, his ummi, his mama, little Asif. And with every day that end never came, the more his heart twisted in on itself. For the sake of survival, Masoud became a drifter, flitting from colony to volatile colony as the world crumbled and the situation became more and more fraught. Countless times would he have to flee from an encroachment of the Fever, or another dictatorial uprising. Eventually he started to flee for fleeing's sake, because nothing would ever be calm with him around, no one would ever be safe.

One night, he finally decided to completely surrender his body to the sick animals that had hounded him for days. He lay on the dead ground and waited for them to come. Instead, he caught a glow on the horizon. A score of faceless, glowing cats - angels - had descended, and for a moment he felt hope. Would they take him away from this deceased earth? But no. He soon learned they were here to protect him, to keep him on this earth, and for that, he hated them.

But that doesn't mean he didn't hold some hope that the end would come yet. That doesn't mean he didn't listen when they opened their impossible mouths and told him to run.

Timezone

My timezone is GMT (UTC+0) in the winter, and BST (UTC+1) in the summer. Currently it is BST.

Relationship Tracker

This will contain a link to an IC relationship tracker, specifically for player characters. This will be added if Masoud is accepted into the group.

NPC Document

This contains a link to a detailed list of NPCs from Masoud's history and their roles in his life, and also contain somes notes on GM exclusions.

Writing Sample

This contains a link to a document of writing samples. The sample contained at the top of the doc will be the most relevant one.