”Der ain't no use sitting down on yer ass when der be gnawers 'ou need 'our 'elp. Git out dere!“
Name: Myrtle Bannermaid/Of the Banner, Myrtle of Burrowhill, Myrtle the Armless
Rank: Watchguard. Some people want to drop her down to a Greenband thanks to her injury, but she doesn’t give a shit about them. As long as she can still fight and lead her fellows, she’ll do it.
Appearance: For a watchguardsman, Myrtle looks surprisingly good for wear. Her ears are still full and round, rather than torn and ruined, her fur is as clean as she can get it, and her tail is full and pristine. She has an auburn colouration- a little more red than brown, and extremely long whiskers, although these aren’t really her most noticeable features.
No, that would be the fact that her left arm has been amputated at the elbow. She wears a peasant’s shirt, and keeps the sleeve tightly knotted around it to make sure that nobody sees the stump, although it’s very obvious. The shirt is far too big for her, althought the other sleeve has been cut to size, but the length allows it to partially cover her waist and legs like a dress.
Other than her shirt, she also wears a bright red cloak, two ear slits cut into the hood of it. She carries into battle a banner- around one and a half times her height, and with the banner of the Watch on it.
Personality:
Myrtle would do anything to help another mouse. Nevermind that she’s missing an arm- she
can still fight, and dammit that means that she
will fight. It’s said that the Watch are the 1% of mice who are brave enough to stand face to face with predators, and by that logic, Myrtle is the 1% of the 1%. There is no length she won’t run, or hoop she won’t jump through, if her countrymen can be saved. In fact, this is to the point where some mice consider her slightly unstable and reckless, although when they end up relying on her, they start singing a different tune.
She’s extremely zealous, even if nobody can understand her thanks to her accent, and she has absolutely no qualms with screaming orders like a proper drill mouse if she thinks people aren’t doing what they need to do. She takes to the training grounds with the same zeal she shows against flesh-and-blood opponents, and she genuinely believes that no matter what, the Watch are the greatest force of good in Gnaw.
She does have a soft side however, and this is probably seen best in how she acts around, and treats, her niece. Anyone she's friends with will also see this side come out, especially in non-violent social situations- although those that aren't friend with her aren't excluded from seeing this side either.
STR: 7. Myrtle is slightly below average strength-wise.
CON: 12. Formic acid is nasty- and the fact that there was a chance to save her arm at all is quite a feat.
DEX: 8. Nothing special here.
CHA: 20. A leader- a rallyer. A woman who has a tongue so silver that it glimmers when she speaks. Even with the accent.
INT: 13. She enjoys good conversation.
LUC: 5. Being mobbed by ants is not generally seen as good luck.
Equipment:
Watchbanner: A very well made, sturdy pole with a metal point at one end and a polished iron sphere at the other. It proudly carries the banner of A-88 and the Watch in general into battle. It’s maintained well, and even the cloth is good quality.
Traits:
+ Rallying Cry: Mice within earshot of Myrtle, or able to see the watchbanner, gain a +2 buff to condition, strength and dexterity within battle. Note that being able to both see the watchbanner and hear Myrtle does not stack the benefits. Myrtle also benefits from this.
+/- Icon: Myrtle is one of the most visibly disabled watchguards. Not only is she somewhat of an inspiration to some, but she's also a laughing stock to others. She's dealt with just as many taunts as she has approvals. When dealing with someone who views her as a positive icon, Myrtle gains a +2 charisma bonus to convince, charm and deception rolls. When dealing with someone who views her as a negative icon, the opposite is true.
+/- Zealous: If a mouse is in danger, Myrtle must help if she physically can. If she is restrained, injured, unaware or cannot reach the mouse, Zealous does not trigger. However, if a mouse is in danger and she can help them, she must, with a +2 bonus to condition, dexterity and strength.
- Crippled: Myrtle is missing a fucking arm. This shouldn’t need to be explained here. Auto fails climbing, archery and two-handed rolls.
- Trade: Myrtle’s family is a farming and blacksmithing family, but she was never really good at either. She probably would have ended up as a merchant or negotiator.
Friend: Blake of Hillwillow. On her first mission as a fully fledged watcher, Myrtle saved the life of a rather rich noblemouse, without realising it. Since then, she has received small amounts of money from a mysterious sponsor, and Blake keeps an eye on her exploits from afar.
Enemy: Moor Burrowhill. A childhood enemy, Willow and Moor have fought one another constantly. Moor is also in the watch, but thankfully is in a completely different nest, and they rarely meet one another. When they do clash however, they do so in style.
History: Born to an extended family of more than fifteen in Burrowhill, Myrtle’s silver tongue was noted at an early age, and has served her well since. She left her small town to see the big city as soon as she could, although without a plan she ended up on the streets pretty quickly. From there, it was a short trip to the watch.
[hider=Willow]
"Just ‘ause we’re ‘oung doesn’t make us any worse at proteting dem people den you!
Name: Willow of Burrowhill
Rank: Greenband
Appearance: For a mouse, and especially a female mouse, Willow is exceptional. She’s taller and wider than average, and uses an equipment set that most mice would struggle to wear, let alone sprint in. With a Warhammer as tall as she is, a heavy metal ‘bucket’ helm, a thick gambeson and splinted greaves, as well as a buckler shield, she’s no small force on the battlefield, although her little green band sort of removes her intimidation factor.
Without her armour, she’s actually very pretty. Her fur is bordering on copper, with a black patch of fur splotched over her chest, where her heart lies. This is considered a rather auspicious marking by most mice- showing that she is destined to die a violent death, something that she has taken to heart.
Personality: It’s hard to be a relative to Myrtle without some of her burning fire rubbing off onto you. Willow, a lot of her formative years having been shaped by her aunt, has a little more than ‘some’ of that fire. If her aunt’ll run through a burning building to save someone however, Willow will stare down a fox in order to let a group of gnawers run for it. Her choice of weaponry and armour is endemic of this, although it is not the only thing that shows off this part of her personality.
Her ‘birthmark’ has affected her a lot. Being told practically from birth, often sadly, that she was going to die violently. Instead of thinking she was doomed however, she has interpreted this to believe that she will die in battle, and has internalised a fatalistic, but not overly negative, view of things. Running contrary to common gnawer belief, she hopes that by dying doing something noble or honourable, she’ll end up an afterlife with other warriors. This has been taken from truly ancient mythology, and she kinda has to keep it a secret so she isn’t
completely reviled.
Lastly, Willow is a self-sufficient individual most of the time. She can tend to her armour herself, and because of a lonely childhood, feels just as comfortable around herself as she does others. Her Burrowhill accent does not help matters, it must be said.
STR: 16: She’s strong enough to wear a
lot of armour and still bring down most of what the world throws at her. Never skips leg day.
CON: 12. She can take a hit without going down, although she lets her armour take the hits.
DEX: 5. It’s ah… Not her strong point.
CHA: 8. It’s not really her strong suite, but her fur and face are more important in social interactions than her raw force of character
INT: 10. She’s as clever as the next mouse out there.
LUC: 9. One could consider the fact that she’s destined to die a violent death pretty unlucky, but in life, she’s managed just fine.
Equipment:
- Warhammer: This is a well-made hammer, produced by her father to her as a gift on her nameday. It’s got some minor detailing to it, but is otherwise a simple-yet-sturdy oak shaft, with bands of steel around it to prevent splinters, and a large hammer head. Effective in Willow’s hands. (Four points.)
- Gambeson: A simple gambeson purchased in the Burrowhill market. It’ll stop an arrow- barely- but is hardly something you want to rely on to protect you in the long term. At least it’s something though. (Two points.)
Traits:
+ Beautiful: Willow instantly passes charisma rolls against any mouse with sexual interest in her.
+/- Fighting Fury: The effects of poison and fire do not affect Willow until combat ends. Additionally, she does not fall unconscious when her health reaches zero, and she does not die until it reaches -4, instead of the usual -2. She can only activate this trait once per day.
+/- Death Seeker: Willow must enter any combat situation if she physically can. If she is restrained, injured, unaware or cannot reach the combat, Death Seeker does not trigger. However, if she can enter combat, she must. She gains a bonus to condition, dexterity and strength in any fight that Death Seeker drags her into- If she is ambushed or surprised, Death Seeker does not trigger. The exception to Death Seeker is when it cannot be counted as a ‘fight-‘ such as an encounter with a bear.
- Klutz: There’s no disguising it. Willow can trip over her own feet, and has done so more than once. -3 to running, sneaking and archery
Trade: Thanks to her mark, Willow has always known she was going to join the watch. Despite this, she’s picked up a number of useful skills from her father at the forge, and can maintain weapons and armour to a reasonable degree. If you need a blade sharpened or a dent sorted, come to Willow.
Friend: Merry Boulderest: One of the few people that didn’t tease her as a child- she was another mouse that was a little different. Merry is a sculptor now, and the two have maintained as much contact as she could.
Enemy: Algar of Redfield: A more ‘traditional’ member of the watch, and finds her both painfully ignorant and her death seeking tendencies as stupid. He’ll find any reason to get in another jab at her, and every time they slide right off he gets more pissed.
History: Willow remembers a lot about her childhood. She was teased a lot, or straight-up bullied in most cases, although as she got taller and stronger, these tended to fade. Hearing tales of her aunt in the Watch, she knew that she would rather earn a death in battle than wait for a snake to come and kill her, ad took up the mantle as soon as she was old enough.