SHEPERDSON, MERLE

[rubyfatale]

Merle Shepherdson, the Starcaller .

FULL NAME . Merle Star Caller Shepherdson NICK NAMES . "oh talos is that a shrunken goat head?!' AGE & BIRTHDAY . 23, 18th of Morning Star SPECIES . Breton -- He's half Nord, though. Scandalous! OCCUPATION . Shaman, wanderer STORMCLOAK, IMPERIAL OR NEUTRAL? He pretty much hates everyone equally. GUILDS (IF APPLICABLE). None WITCH, VAMPIRE OR WEREWOLF? Lycanthrope -- Follower of Hircine. Mountain Lion SEXUAL ORIENTATION . Homosexual CANON (IF APPLICABLE) . OC

[atrb=border,0,true] Appearance Merle Shepherdson is not imposing. Not in the least. Even though he is six feet tall, he is skinny and thin as a rail. What little muscle tone he has is barely visible, especially since he wears fairly conservative clothing most of the time. His skin is decently pale for his hobbies, and smooth to the touch. He isn't especially hairy and can often be heard complaining about how he can't grow a beard at all! He barely weighs 150 pounds and you can certainly see his ribs when he breathes. He isn't malnourished, by any means. He eats well, when he does. He just can't seem to gain any meaningful weight. His lankiness is often hidden by the amount of clothes he wears and their usual dark color -- usually a mixture of simple tailored clothes with various hides as armor. His eyes are almond shaped and his irises are a dark emerald color. He has dark brunette hair that is quite fine and reaches his neck. He runs his hands through it throughout the day to fend off tangles, but sometimes it doesn't work, leading to him muttering curse words as he pulls tangles out. He has a confident gait and when he is in a good mood, there's a distinct spring in his step. If he's angry, normally his head will bow downwards to watch the path he's walking. He tends to walk a bit faster and with more purpose when angry. Physical: Merle is not particularly muscled, and is more suited to long-distance traveling than he is to fighting. That isn't to say he couldn't hold his own in a battle. What he lacks in strength, he makes up for in agility. Proficiencies: He is most experienced in the use of spears and staves, and is rarely ever found without a walking stick. He carries a Forsworn Bow with a mixture of arrows in a quiver for hunting. He has a flaying knife that he keeps on him at all times, which is also particularly good at injuring others. He also has the ability to shapeshift into a Mountain Lion, a gift granted to him by his chosen patron Hircine. General Personality: Introspective - He's an introspective type. Even if he's not talking, he's always thinking about something. He's the kind of person that you'll be talking to and they're staring off into the distance and it looks like they're not paying attention, but he is. He is quite capable of listening and thinking at the same time. People say he's quiet a lot, but he does answer when questioned. But god forbid you ask him about something he enjoys talking about -- he might never shut up. Rational - Merle finds rational explanations to be worth far more than ones not based on evidence. While this gives him an unusually steady head and heart for his age, it has also made it quite difficult for him to really face his very real emotions. He tends to try and logic them away instead of facing the underlying issue. Stubborn - They say it runs in the family. His maternal grandmother was quite stubborn, but his father was also stubborn as well, so he got a double dose of it. He hates doing group projects because he feels the need to do all the work or else someone will screw it up; and you know, it's his way or the high way. Once he's got something in his head where he thinks he's right, it's nearly impossible to talk him out of it. Unless of course, you have good evidence. But even then he won't be too happy about it. Loyal - Merle is fiercely loyal. Once you've gained his trust, you've got it for life. He's not one to leave someone hanging, either, and can be counted on to help someone out of a bind. Though he does feel jealous sometimes, he tends to push those feelings aside. His childhood taught him family is everything, and he has extended this to his friends, especially now that he is so far from home. Friendly - While he can come off as stubborn and a bit arrogant at times, Merle never turns down an offer of new friendship in this harsh world -- so long as they're not obviously a Stormcloak or an Imperial. Strengths: Medicine - Having learned just about everything from his grandmother, Merle was on his way to being an accomplished medicine man, had he remained in the tribe. He knows just about every plant that grows in Skyrim and their medicinal uses Tracking - He is decent at tracking; be it animal or human. Flaying - While he isn't that great at tanning, he has an intimate knowledge of the anatomy of most animals, making flaying a piece of cake for him. Weaknesses: Emotionally distant - Merle does not often let people get close to him emotionally. He can come off as cynical and uncaring, often dooming relationships (both platonic and romantic) before they even have a chance to form. Guilt Complex - He has a pretty deep seated guilt complex regarding the death of his grandmother. In general, he tends to blame himself far more than anyone else, regardless of whether it was his own fault or not. This guilt eats away at his insides and is horrifically distracting. History Merle was born to Kareina Sunwalker Shepherdson Sian-Rotam on the plains, not too far from Markarth where his father lived. His father was a tailor by trade and had his own sheepfarm outside the city to provide wool. He spent most of his early childhood with his mother and father in Markarth. When he was three, his mother took him back to the tribe to continue her previous way of life, promising that they would visit as often as they could. His mother also taught him to read, though she couldn't carry too many books at a time, making for frequent trips back to Markarth to visit his father and change out books -- always a bit dangerous for both his mother and father, since her tribe already didn't like that she had procreated with a Nord... The trips had to be in secret. While his mother was out hunting, his grandmother Aspen watched over him and taught him basic survival skills as well as all of their tribe's stories and myths. From her he learned their creation story as well as just about every other legend and god that they had. Merle, like many of his family, was sent off into the wilderness alone and without supplies (save for a flaying knife) on his eleventh birthday. Wandering into the closest forest, he became lost. Weary in his travels, he stopped at a stream to drink. As he lowered his hands into the water to scoop some out, he came face to face with a magnificent creature -- a mountain lion. It stared at him directly in the eye without fear or aggression. He wasn't sure how long the beast was there, but he had a moment of clarity as the cat prowled off into the darkness. For a moment, he could still see her eyes glinting as the sun peeked over the horizon behind him. Turning around, he saw the sun beginning to rise, and the edge of the forest. Eating some berries he found on the way out, he made it back to the plains. Dehydrated and exhausted, he wandered the plains until he found his way back to where the tribe was staying. Finally able to get some good water, he drank nearly three canteens before speaking about what he saw to his grandmother. He told her of what the animal he had encountered in the forest had done, and his grandmother explained to him the meaning of his true name. Later that night, a spectral mountain lion appeared in his dream and challenged him to grow in power, and that they would meet again when the time was right. Upon discussing the dream with the tribal elders, it was agreed that it must have been Hircine coming to him through dreams. His training in medicine and hunting became even more rigorous, in spite of his mixed blood heritage. After all, it wasn't often that Daedric Princes spoke to the tribe, right? Years later, while his mother was out on a hunt, his grandmother fell very ill and it was apparent that she was going to die soon. Knowing full well what lay ahead of her, she sent Merle into the forest with a purpose this time -- to find a certain root to cure her of her illness. However, she had used ancient word that, rather than "cure" meant, "end." Understanding the implications, Merle argued with her for a bit before she finally ordered him to do this for her, because she did not have the strength to do it herself. Aching with grief at what he knew he was about to do, he left for the forests once more. Thankfully, he did not have to spend too much time searching for the plant. As he pulled it from the ground and stared at it, he had an epiphany of sorts: what kind of god would do this sort of thing? To make some horrific disease and then instead of curing the disease, making a plant that would simply end their life? He left the forest and returned, doing as his grandmother instructed. Mixing the crushed root paste with water, he held the cup in his hands. His grandmother took it from him and explained to him that good medicine was not just something that cured someone, it was an act that made someone a better person and that sometimes practicing good medicine meant doing things that were uncomfortable, but were for the best. With that, she consumed the panacea and fell asleep, passing away soon after. While the Forsworn had several burial rites, Ghostwish had always wanted a funeral pyre. His mother returned from the hunt the day before the pyre was set to be lit, and the two of them together lit it ablaze. It was there, standing in front of the fire, that Merle told his mother that he was leaving. Confused, she asked him what exactly he meant. He told her that he had to leave -- he didn't really understand why, but he just knew he had to. While she did not completely understand his reasoning (and she certainly wasn't aware of what he had done -- no one knew), she set him off with a new set of armor and a new flaying knife. Forsaking all gods but Hircine, he has set out on a journey across all of Skyrim -- he searches for meaning, mostly.

ALIAS . Ruby

AGE . 24

YEARS ROLEPLAYING . 13

HOW YOU FOUND US . The interbutt