Roseus' Champion

Name: Nyko (Pronounced Nye - Ko)
Design: Above!
Appearance: Nyko is normal compared to some of the strange and exotic colors that could be seen on wolves for generations. His base colors are very simple - dark chocolate brown, the purest color of white that rivals that of snow, and a rather diluted russet. Dark brown covers the upper portion of his face covering the backs of his ears. It curves around both sides of his face before the white takes over his cheeks, his muzzle, and lastly coming to a point on the upper portion of his snout. Russet then lines up perfectly past that and follows his cranium all the way towards the back of his head before ending in a point. Darker stripes permeate the russet, the same color as the base color of his fur, and horizontally mark against his face along the russet dorsal stripe. Russet also corners both his eyes, much like winged eyeliner, and also follows the curvature of his ears. The insides of his ears lack a lot of fur fur so his skin tone is very noticeable.

Much like his face, dark brown covers the upper portions of his body. The back of his neck, his back, the meaty portions of all his legs, and the top half of his tail follow this same pattern. Russet stripes vary across his back and spine and dark stripes curve around his ankles. Ivory colors make up the rest of him. Of course none of his colors are overly special, nor his patterns, as stripes are quite common among his tribe, but it's not the markings that make him special.

His size is enough to be intimidating - he stands at a hefty (inches here, he's gonna be tall though) in height and yet his build is light enough to find him less intimidating than others his size. His fur is coarse and yet well taken care of - it's rather short in most areas and doesn't often provide much in colder months. Despite the fact he's rather light as far as weight is concerned, his muscle mass is nothing to scoff at. At first appearance he seems much like a healer and, while it's not a lie, it's the biggest disguise he prides himself on. Deception lies underneath his appearance - while he has mastered the art of healing a fighter lies underneath his exterior. Lean and hardened muscles barely manage to hide underneath his short pelt, but other things help distract the eye from the fact that he's obviously battle hardened.

The most noticeable thing about this male is the various jewelry that covers him from head to toe. The biggest piece, and his most favorite, is the coat of feathers fashioned in the form of a cloak. It's not much and doesn't even provide protection as all the feathers are connects cords of leather. It's not the only bit of jewelry the male has either. Carious studs and piercings cover his right ear while another stud is forever embedded in the right side of his muzzle. A dream catcher on a simple leather cord also hangs from his neck with a single red ruby in the center.

Personality: Nyko is unlike most who walk the lands of Ardent or Boreas. He comes from a far off land with strange customs, rituals, and even beliefs. His personality is just as outlandish as his tribe, but where he comes from it's perfectly normal. The biggest part of his personality stems from the environment that he grew up in. Even before birth it was believed that he was destined for something great. While most would have grown up arrogant with the ego the size of the moon, Nyko was forced to be humbled. He was torn away from his mother after he was weaned to immediately be taken under the tribe's shaman's care to learn the ways of his predetermined future. He never learned to question things or wonder why things couldn't be different.

The very core of his personality ties in with the fact that he's a healer at heart with a fighter's blood. While he was the largest of his litter, it was the pack's shaman that had chosen his destiny. So he grew up under the careful guide of his mentor. First and foremost, Nyko believes himself to be the voice of the gods. Rituals only completely by the shaman could share the word of the divine beings to share with the tribe's leader. With the previous shaman passed on to the afterlife he still believes himself to be the voice of their gods despite not living with his tribe any longer. Of course he doesn't view himself as divine - simply a vessel for them to speak through so he can do their bidding.

He is defensive of those he cares about - while living with his tribe everyone worked together as a unit it and it is something he carries with himself to the grave. He believes that to be unified is to have true strength and it shows when tasked to do something. His loyalty doesn't just carry over to his tribe - any of those who have earned his love get the same amount of devotion and care just as he would have had they lived in his tribe at the time. This is mostly seen with Roseus as he travels with his companion. Where he'd be protective of anyone he loves with her his emotions are heightened by tenfold. He believes her to be divine - sent from the heavens themselves to be a beacon of light to be a divine example to the souls left on the earth and it's his duty to be her sworn protector until his dying days.

Even a mock threat against her life would be enough to set him on edge - you'd find teeth to your throat for any minor infraction. He's possessive of her as he plays the role of body guard and best friend. While he believes her to be divine, their time together proved that he views her as more than just a godly being. Coming to care for the female only heightens his need to protect her and follow her around like a lost puppy. Where Roseus goes Nyko is sure to follow like her ever silent shadow.

Where he loosens his personality to others he seems rather cold and distant to strangers. He's stoic, reserved, can even come off as rather royal. He carries himself with pride due to where he came from, but it isn't arrogance that drives him to act that way, but the need to project an air of maturity. He feels the need to set an example despite the fact that his tribe is miles away. Even separated from them he absolutely has to make a good impression.

Despite the fact that he doesn't open up immediately to most others, he has a kind soul. It's what led him to come to care for Roseus. He can't abandon those in need and he finds himself drawn to those who can't defend themselves. Whether its a broken and bloodied animal to patch up or a wolf who needs to be defended in a fight then he'll willingly put himself in harms way to protect those weaker than himself. It's an archaic way of thinking but he wouldn't have it any other way.


History: Nyko's life was decided for him while he was but barely conceived. His tribe had been around for as long as anyone could remember, far longer than any of the elders could recall. Their pack's Shaman was aging, nearing the last two years of his life, and so he approached the one of the pregnant female's of the pack. It was no random choosing - a special ritual had decided that among this litter carried the pack's next voice of the gods. When he was born it had been assumed he'd be a great warrior as the largest of his litter, but the Shaman had other plans. "That one - he will be my legacy." It was the only words that had been spoken to his parents and that was the only sentence that was needed to decide his fate. By the time he was weaned he was handed over to the aging male and it was the only parent he ever knew.

Such customs were not strange to their clan though - they took no last names and all children were raised equally by all the adults. Leaders were only ascended by the Shaman's choice and other rules, that might have seemed strange to others, were common among them. They didn't question the decisions and laws set by so many before them. It was a system that worked and any who dared try to revolt were either banished or killed on sight, but those events were few and far between.

So Nyko grew up under the careful tutoring of the Shaman and took to his studies well. When he wasn't learning the craft of healing he took up studying with the warriors of the pack. His life was that of a normal apprentice. The Shaman's death came swiftly after his first year - by the time he was a yearling he had an early ascension into adulthood just in time to take on the role as the pack's new Shaman. While still rather young for such an important role, he'd been attentive with his training and took to the new position well. His first ceremony he led was the burial of his mentor.

It was 6 months after his promotion that he met Roseus. He found her broken, bloodied, abused, and missing a leg. He hadn't thought much of her though the fact that a stranger wasn't but a days march from their home had been concerning. Even her swirls wasn't enough to convince him of anything godly about her, but that didn't come until later. The way he first viewed her was a broken and beaten girl with a bit of her soul ripped from her by those who only sought to do her harm. One of her legs was nothing but a bloody stump and her other wounds were enough to make him sick to his stomach. He felt compelled to help her, it was the healer side of him that told him to cure her various wounds, and it was also the part that quenched the fires of his warrior blood. The dire need of his attention to her wounds was the only thing that stopped him from hunting down the monsters that had broken her.

He set to hauling her out of the canyon, his words seemingly going in one ear and out the other, and he devoted himself to her. It was the beginning of their friendship that fateful night. He stayed with her, day in and day out, barely sleeping as he waited patiently for her to recover. Eventually a scout came to track their Shaman down and were surprised with the fair amount of coldness he greeted the other man with once he got too close. Upon hearing the situation though the tribe decided to let it pass and instead offered their aid where they could, but mostly left the pair alone as Nyko sat by Roseus' side.

Finally the female's fever broke and what happened next was an event he decided he would never forget as long as he lived. Her eyes opened and Nyko immediately backed up to give her space as she flew into a wild panic. It had been expected of course after the ordeal she'd went through, but that was not the abnormal event that would forever be burned into his memory. No, it was the glowing that suddenly radiated from her in her fit of heightened emotions. Those markings that originally hadn't seemed so special were now more than something extraordinary. He'd never seen anything like it in his life, but surely she was a gift from the heavens? And from that day on he believed her to be a god descended upon the earth in a mortal form.

Leaving his tribe was never going to be something that would have ever been a thought, but now it was of no consequence to him. He was to serve a divine being and be her protector for as long as he lived. That was his new goal in life - he stuck around only to choose the pack's next shaman before he set off with Roseus to a new land.

Other: More so I can remember but - needs large accessory x4 and other species markings
RP Sample: It wasn't often that the man wandered very far away from his tribe, but occasionally the shaman felt the itch to explore the lands outside of their territory. It was customary for him to typically take someone with him if he was going past the tribe's borders, but the day found him shaking his escort and heading out alone. There were times when he needed time to himself to think and today was one of those days.

Deft paws carried him towards the canyon and he stood at the top of it as he peered across towards the horizon. The sun had just started to peak over the cliffs and it was slowly bathing the earth in its golden glow. His eyes closed softly as he inhaled the crisp morning air before letting it out in a long sigh. He stood like that for a long moment before his eyes flashed open and then rested towards the bottom of the canyon. His eyes squinted as he tried to make sense of what he saw, but he couldn't get a good look at it from so high up. There was definitely something down there though.

It took him some time, but he managed to scale to the bottom of the canyon through a hidden trail in the rocks. And that was when he saw her. It was obvious it was a wolf and the recent scents upon her pelt put him on edge as he inched closer. Once he was sure there was no one around he closed the distance and inspected the woman. It didn't take a genius to realize what had happened to her. Adept eyes scanned over her various wounds before resting on the bloodied stump that used to be her leg. That was the most concerning wound that he'd seen yet. He glanced around him briefly before spotting a vine. Grabbing it between his teeth he padded back to the female before wrapping it tightly around her wound. She'd lost a lot of blood already and he wasn't sure she would make it, but he was going to try.

Turning on his paws he left her there temporarily as he headed back towards his den to find the things he needed. Herbs, various pastes, and the deer hide that had been stretched over two sticks to make a litter. Had she been a larger wolf he would have requested the help of his family, but he wasted no time in trying to explain the situation to anyone. With only the herbs in his pouch and the litter dragging behind him he made it all the way down to the canyon floor. Moving her was the hard part - it took a lot of careful sliding and pushing so he didn't harm her more. Finally she was on the litter and then he started his slow trek to the top of the canyon.

It took a better portion of the morning until they made it and he wasted no time dragging her to the nearest cave and from there he set to work to treating her. She was generally unresponsive as he sedated her and then bathed her wounds clean and wrapped them with various pastes and then covered them with leaves. He tried talking to her occasionally, but in the end he gave up. She was in shock and he was beginning to wonder if the blood loss wouldn't kill her. He sat with her for days and only left to bring her water. At one point one of his tribe members tracked him down, but Nyko was quick to send him away. From there on out he left the den less and less and instead used the male to bring him the things he needed.

It wasn't until days after he'd brought her to the cave that her fever finally broke. Relief flooded through him, but it didn't last for long as she began to panic at the sight of him. "Hey, it's alright. I'm here to he..." He started off in a soothing voice, but the sight of something strange interrupted him. Vermilion gaze rested on her body as she struggled to her feet, but that wasn't the strange thing. No it was the swirls that he hadn't originally though much of - they became luminescent. For the first time in his life he was rendered speechless. Already his mind was jumping to conclusions. The gods had sent one of their own down to test him and he could only assume he'd passed.

And thus their journey started.