What makes him so distrustful of others? Is it just how he is, or did something happen that made him that way?
"Wears gloves to avoid questions about his hands" Well now I have to ask. What's the story there?
This is a bit of a weird question, based on the wiki for the "Speckled Band." Which snake, in your mind, is the canon one your Sherlock faced up against?
I understand why his animal motif would be bloodhounds, but why shoebills?
Two of the NPCs referenced on her profile are involved in that first story. Director Pine - Corentine's former professor and now boss at the Dwellas Academy library - and Kaszu - fellow graduate researcher. Kaszu had a theory that the "Elder Race" mentioned in many of the world creation myths were real. That despite no bones, no homes or bodies, and despite them having no consistent physical description, they were real and walked the world. And that in fact, they were the likely basis for 'demon' mythology. But Kaszu couldn't read Hadozee. So he asked for Director Pine's help. And Professor Pine called in Corentine! She'd studied dead languages as her minor, and had kept up her skills with the occasional read-through of things.
She found two books, translated as: “The Legacy of the Elder Race” and “Meditations on the End of Days.” Here's a direct quote from the notes I keep on the campaign:
"According to this book the Hadozee did not originate on this world directly, but were - the translation is a little shaky - brought here or created here by some type of more powerful, older race of beings. These entities are variously described as being beautiful and terrifying. But they disappeared at some point. The legend - which obviously encompasses 100s if not 1000s of years - says these beings worked with the Hadozee to create great cities, masterful art and incredible magic. But at some point they left. The text is not clear on whether they disappeared or abandoned us, but the author of the book seems rather upset about it. But supposedly this elder race is fated to return at some point. The word most closely translates to “unshackled” or “released.” They will restore their glory to the world."
And the second book: "From the visual characteristics of it the book appears to have been made around the same time. Though it is not the same author, and it refers to points in the future after the elder race has returned. // This tells a story of great destruction. A terrible evil will rise out from the waters between the many islands of the world. And with it will come tsunamis and other storms that will consume the land. The ocean will rise up, and at the moment that all seems lost the Elder Race will return and take us back to their homeworld, where we will be safe."
Corrie gave that info to Kaszu and Professor Pine, which was a literal transcription of the book that took several hours to make. Kaszu then showed up at her house a few days later, insisting they were on the brink of greatness. He was right, he just knows it, but he's missing something. Maybe something to do with the phrase" unshackled," he keeps coming back to that word. They talked for a bit and he left, but he'd convinced Corentine to go back. Corentine was looking for any way to summon a demon. Even if she didn't believe it was possible, she was going to try. She found an old Naush story(another dead language) about "a horned fellow with red skin and short of stature. He liked to tell tall tales and play pranks, but he knew more about ship building than anyone else on the crew. The myth goes that one night the crew was caught up in a terrible storm. Visibility went to zero. And the little imp jumped into the ocean, picked up the boat, and carried it safely to shore." She did try to make a storm (Tempest Cleric) but nothing happened, she just got rained on. So she looked for specifically summoning magic
She decided to go through the deepest section of the library - the Hall of the Damned. Where the oldest, most powerful books reside....as well as a bunch of cursed books. She finds an old unfinished spellbook and starts going through that. "She flips through it idly, looking for something to catch her attention. And eventually her gaze rests on a page she can best translate as saying “recall.” It’s a word she can scarcely pronounce that transports the caster as well as their companions to a sanctuary outside of time and space, and can also return them to said location. This book appears to have been written in by its former owner. It’s very difficult to see, but when the candlelight catches the pages in the right way she can see notes on the pages. “A place where no harm can come to us, or to our wards? Seems promising. Will test tomorrow.”"
Because there were no notes after this she wondered if she should try to 'recall' this person from that place. It was her day off, but she couldn't get it out of her head so she went back to the woods to make another storm - because she'd definitely made the connection between demons and storms. But this time she performed the spell. "She heads back to the clearing she performed the storm at, and conjures up another storm, but this time she performs the recall spell in the midst of the storm. She speaks the word in an unfamiliar language, and then out of the swirling storm there emerges lightning, which is not something she can cast. It slowly snakes its way to the ground, moving in a liquid viscous manner unlike any way she’s seen lightning magic move before. And when it makes contact with the ground it shatters into tiny glittery sparks that take the form of a man. But not a man like any of which she’s seen before."
And boom! Kel'grokon! She's freaking out because she was expecting to just get rained on and go home, and he's just staring at the sky in confusion. Because he's been gone 10k years, and none of the stars are in the right place. He had to use a translation spell to even understand her, as he remembers Hadozee which is a dead language. She has to sneak him to the library - which used to be his research lab, apparently, and get him a disguise spell. Then she has to tell Kaszu, and Professor Pine. Because she has a demon now, what does she do with him? They decide to keep his discovery secret and she gives Kel a handmade book for him to write down the details he needs to remember about modern society. Because while he's alone now, she wants to think his people will come back, and they'll need that info to reintegrate into the world.
So that's that!
~
Something unforgivable to her is harming people she cares about. The cult was formerly seen as 'misguided individuals,' and she was hoping they could all turn around and come back to normal. Hedgehog did! And while he'd only been a member of them for a couple of weeks, she still had hope for the other members too. After they attack the library and terrorize the researchers and royals gathered for the conference, they crossed the line for her.
Kidnapping her didn't hurt others, and they didn't try to hurt her either. Just wanted to get Kel's attention. But then coming and 1. Interrupting her work and research, and 2. Kidnapping people just there to hear about magical discoveries really upset her. They're no longer at a point where she thinks they can be fixed, and instead she just wants them gone. If that means they're killed by the royals, so be it. She only stopped Kel from killing the leader of the library attack so he could be interrogated.