Personality

‣ Sundance is a very private individual who is slow to allow anyone else to get close to him. He's stoic at best, mean at worst, and averages out as just plain prickly. He doesn't like anyone getting involved in his business at all.
‣ He is prone to bouts of melancholy and depression, as he is currently getting over the unexpected loss of a beloved master. Sundance was exceptionally close to Ludwig, who was his master for over 60 years. He is not handling the loss well and sometimes lashes out in his still-fresh grief. He's at a sort of a loss and doesn't really know what to do with himself, other than to try to complete his late master's unfinished work to give himself closure.
‣ Since he has been in the same world for many years, Sundance is very knowledgeable of his current world. While he knows a lot about the other worlds he has visited during previous contracts, he never spent as long there as he has on this one. It sometimes takes him a while to remember that things are different elsewhere. He spends very little time in the eelum homeworld and currently doesn't even have a residence that he claims there.

Story

‣ Before settling on his present world, Sundance went through many different contracts and experiences. He formed a pact with young Ludwig and helped in the research of various magics. The two of them went on many adventures together, developing such a close friendship that they were more like equal partners than master and servant. Over time, their pact changed to reflect that as well. Even though Sundance still preferred to refer to Ludwig as his master, their pact set them on equal footing.
‣ They eventually heard rumor of a warlord who was engaging in forbidden magics that threatened to upset the balance of their world. Sundance and Ludwig traced the stories until they began to change from playful gossip to fearful truths. They found a country that was locked away from the rest of the world, with a barrier that allowed entry, but no exit. When there was nothing else they could learn on the outside, they found a way inside. The presence of Sundance immediately drew attention from the warlord, and he and Ludwig were chased into hiding. Unable to escape the country and determined to put things to right, they had to operate quietly. Ludwig managed to learn of a youth who held the potential to break the barrier and it took him some years before he located Lucien. He and Sundance taught the boy everything they could about various magics; they discovered that he held an affinity for summoning magic and arranged a ritual for Lucien to summon his oen eelum companion.
‣ Sundance expected an experienced fighter like himself, but was instead tasked with training the young eelum Morning Star, who was far more enthusiastic and rambunctious than he could reasonably deal with. He found that the only way to make her focus was to keep her under constant supervision. Not only did she complain and occasionally rebel against the training, but Sundance found himself increasingly vexed with her behavior and inexperience.
‣ As their enemies drew nearer and Morning Star became more insistent on action, Sundance and Ludwig finally decided to make their move against the warlord. Much of the plan relied on the younger pair that they had been training, but Ludwig decided to place his trust in them. Sundance wasn't fully confident in the plan, but he never expected that it would go so badly that Ludwig was fatally injured. Although the barrier was broken and the warlord forced to retreat, Sundance found himself helpless to save Ludwig and could do nothing but watch over him as his life faded out.
‣ Even though the warlord was temporarily gone, Sundance knew it was only a matter of time before he recovered and returned. He refused to allow that, especially since it had cost Ludwig his life, and vowed to himself that he would see Ludwig's task come to completion. That meant becoming the sole mentor to both Lucien and Morning Star, even though he didn't feel especially fond of them.
‣ Sundance is currently driven by his desire to see the warlord defeated by Lucien. He puts all of his effort towards training the pair because it's what Ludwig would have wanted, and he feels that there's no other way to recover from the death of his master. He is very gruff towards both of them and can't bring himself to admit that he might actually care about their well-being. He keeps trying to push Lucien to make other friends and allies during their travels, but quietly harbors a fear that Lucien and Morning Star won't need him someday.

Abilities

‣ Very very powerful. Sundance isn't truly considered "old" by eelum standards, but he is very much mature and has had a great deal of time to hone his skills. (Except social skills; he's very unsociable and rather mean to strangers.)
‣ He is perpetually sure-footed and graceful; Sundance can navigate complicated terrain more easily because of assistance provided by his wings for balance and lift. His wings don't allow true flight, as most winged eelum are similarly incapable of, but they do allow him to jump higher and to glide across greater distances than the average eelum.
‣ His senses are extraordinarily sharp, especially his hearing. Sundance can detect the direction and source of sounds within a great distance. He has a hard time in crowded or very noisy areas because of that and sometimes has to wear a hat or other accessories to protect his sensitive hearing.
‣ Sundance learned from his late master how to use a number of different weapons. He's not very fond of using them and would rather resort to claws or magic to attack, but he is experienced in how to disarm an enemy and use their own weapons against them.

Trivia

‣ His paper talismans are decorated with the Japanese kanji for flower (hana 花 ), split in half between the two.
‣ He hasn't realized that he may have interest in forming a pact with Morning Star's master, mostly because Lucien isn't really come into his full potential yet. Sundance really wants to see him learn and grow, especially in the areas that Ludwig had been teaching about. He may someday offer a contract, when Sundance sees him less as a boy and more as an equal.
‣ Sundance gets stressed by his own worrying over Morning Star and Lucien, so he makes a point of taking breaks from them. He usually returns to Taozen for a few days at a time, and is able to find his way back only because of the age and strength of the bond with his previous master.
‣ Backstory inspiration from "Summoning 101" by Mili.
‣ The underside of his wing and tail feathers are green with bright pink edges. The topside of those feathers appear as a very pale pink.
‣ His coloration is inspired by Major Mitchell's cockatoo.
‣ Earned from completing all days of Promptober 2020 event.