Otus

name;; Otus

name meaning;; keen of hearing

nicknames? none

age;; 73

occupation;; warrior/guard

birthday;; December 8th

- - - -

playlist

Feel free to listen to these while you read! It's going to be a long story so you might as well have some background music. All these pieces are instrumental and I feel like each one represents a part of Otus's personality.

- Mesos

This first song, to me, is the beginning of this story. Where everything is still in relative peace and Otus is still at home, protecting his kingdom.

- Advent Under Attack

The second song is when things start to go wrong. Things are getting more and more complicated, and perhaps he's getting himself into danger he's not ready to take on...

- Sky Pirates

The journey. The adventure is on, things may be dangerous but they're also still fun. He's ready to have an adventure.

- Dirk Battle

And then, as things always do... it goes horribly wrong. The great battle, and the escape.

- Otus at Home

Finally, settling down at the north side of the world to keep it all safe. There's, perhaps, some small peace for Otus at last. For now.

- - - -

It's on a cold, snowy day that you decide to finally make the trek to Fort Bravery.
. You take a sleigh there, pulled by two stoic moose who say almost nothing to you outside of annoyed grumbles. They whisper to each other the whole ride up about how 'humans can't even get through the North on their own'.
. But at last, after the long ride, you arrive at the imposing fortress, the last defense at the edge of the world, and are let inside by a large bear who frowns at you as he motions you up to the highest tower - the place where Otus himself resides. Where he keeps everyone safe.
. You've heard many stories about the old, gruff viscet... and you really do want to hear if any of them are true or not.
. So you head up the stairs, and knock on the door.

A few moments of silence, and then - "What do you want?" It's spoken by a gruff voice, and then the rough wooden door creaks open, and he's standing in front of you, in his full battle armor, quill pen in his claws. As you explain, you try to peek behind him and see a mess of a room, filled with maps and diagrams and ink-stained papers, as well as a rusted, well-worn sword leaning up against the wall. But then he speaks again, after a long sigh.

. "So you heard the rumors, and now you're here to see the legend for yourself. Well, I'm no legend, just a simple viscet hiding out in the middle of nowhere, preparing for a fight that might never come." He sighs again. "Come in, then, come in. I'll tell you a little bit about me."

- - - -

"Kid, I'm just so tired of this world. But I can't ever give up fighting, not while there's still something to fight for."

Otus is a fighter, a strategist, a viscet who only feels comfortable when he's sitting on the edge of danger. He's been a warrior his whole life - from the Moonrise guard to the journey past the skyedge to here, at Fort Bravery, he's always been trying to protect people, be it his friends or people he doesn't even know. He's had people ask him why he doesn't just retire, live a quiet life in some tiny town and have some peace at last. Oh, if only it were that easy.

. If he ever stopped doing what he was doing... all Otus knows it that he would feel lost. Without a purpose. When you live your life for others, it’s hard to take some time back for yourself.

. Now perhaps his fort is a bit strange, a bit confusing. Why build this mighty fortress for a threat that very easily could never arrive? He has a great many answers. The southern edge of the world has the lighthouse to keep travelers safe, but the North has nothing. Admittedly far fewer people would come out this was through the thick snowfall, but if anyone does come (and there have been a few stragglers, he says) the fort will be able to get them warm and safe again before sending it back home.

. Deep in his heart, however, he knows the real reason. He knows his fears are irrational, that the dragons will probably never return, but he’s still so scared. He still remembers that desperate fight, a thousand miles away from home.

. He still doesn’t forgive them for what they did to Willow.

. “Never again. That’s why I built this castle here. So it never happens again,” he tells you, and the silent fury in his eyes stops you from probing any further down that path.

- - - -

”Yeah, I’ll admit I can get a bit too stuck in my own head sometimes. But just look around. All my late night scribbling has come to this. A well of ideas.”
If you were to peek in on Otus while he was alone, you would find quite the strange scene. He seems like such a down-to-earth, serious fellow when you talk to him. A quiet thinker. But then, on his own, he comes alive. Pacing through the room, muttering a string of thoughts out loud to himself, pausing every so often to write something down in barely legible text or scratch out a surprisingly decent drawing.
. It's as if Otus's mind never truly stops - he spends most nights in his room on top of the tower, writing down his ideas till well past midnight. Then he wakes up with the sunrise, back to his well-mannered, poised self. How he gets by on so little sleep is a question no one has been able to answer, but the near-permanent dark bags under his eyes show that he might just be hiding it. You question him about it and he gives a nonchalant shrug. "It's worth it."
. You ask what all these pages are for. He moves a stack of papers, pulls out one, and shows it to you. It's a diagram of an island. You can't read the notes. He goes on to explain how he's always thinking about possible threats and how to counteract them, or ways to become smarter, or better. "Nightingale might be the tinkerer, but I'm the brainstormer. This fort wouldn't get anywhere without me. So I can't stop dreaming up new things." For a moment you think you see him stifle a yawn, but then the moment passes. Perhaps you were just imagining it.

"Do you really have to keep asking me things?"
He's a very private viscet, not really wanting others to know everything there is about him. He finds it very awkward to talk about himself for any extended period of time, preferring instead to bring the conversation back to some other topic, like his friends or his drawings. After such an extended conversation, you find that you probably won't get much more out of him - despite his calm demeanor, his twitching tail gives away his nervousness.
. You decide to ask him about something else.

- - - -

items

the armor
Silvery-grey, it still has a decent shine to it. Out of all his objects, it's clear that this is the one he takes care of the most. After a polish once a week, it looks just as new as it did 20 years ago. It's his third ever set.

the cape
It's a sturdy piece of blue fabric, old and grass-stained. It would be so simple to just get a new one, but he's had his cape since he was just a child - a memory of his father. He'll never be willing to give it up.
. He always forgets to wash it. But that's fine - it's magic infused, and permanently smells like pine needles.

the jewelry
A ropes of old, frayed string, with tiny sapphires tied to it, and a ring made of the same material. He smiles when you ask about them, and says something about an old friend making them for him. They both hum with some manner of magic, but you can't figure out exactly what kind.

the sword
Rusted. It's obviously seen many a battle, and while he's replaced his armor, this sword has stayed with him his whole life. He has others for backup, of course, in case anything goes wrong... but Otus is a creature of habit, and the old blade with the blue gem laid in the hilt is like an old friend to him.