* HOME / FORSAKEN .

𝗂 𝖽𝗈𝗇'𝗍 𝗌𝗉𝖾𝖺𝗄 𝗁𝗎𝗆𝖺𝗇 / 𝖼𝖺𝗇'𝗍 𝗎𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝖽 𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗋𝖾 𝗌𝖺𝗒𝗂𝗇𝗀 .

[darrigant]

( i am sorry my sisters ) #DARRIGANT is a roleplaying blog for an original character of the non-human variety with their own worldbuilding : the last of a species whose forests burned to ash and now travels the stars as a merchant. they favour scifi and fantasy settings, but are otherwise highly versatile ! ( for carrying the knife )

an exploration of : being the last of your kind & the guilt that follows; death as a kindness; words and their meanings; nature versus nurture; good intentions & the damage they cause; when the village is scared of change.

KASZ ( she / they. 25+ ) | CARRD. PROMPTS. PROMO. | REVAMPED 6 / 25

[darrigant]

the fun and thus far underutilized fact that banshee, if communicating with a projected voice, can talk unhindered while eating. the visual of her casually having a conversation as if she isn't actively cracking open a fruit with her teeth means a lot to me.

[darrigant]

pondering about banshee's people and recreation - music in particular - and I'm thinking they fall inbetween the sort of animal with a simple forage, eat, sleep rhythm and those who, like ravens and dolphins, enjoy play for the sake of it. they were definitely more animal than human in the sense that they did not need nearly as much mental stimulation or purpose to be content. boredom is not something they experienced. most of their time was spent sleeping and tending to the massive trees they lived atop, much like a symbiotic relationship. the most common skills were woodcarving and ropework, repurposing old bark and vines; whatever was shed from the trees. beyond the creativity of it, these skills were used to make traversing their home easier, and foraging from the forest floor a little safer. I'm still undecided regarding their music, but they were very much familiar with the concept, even if not as consciously. there definitely were sounds they replicated for their enjoyment, and I am playing with the idea that they used their elk-like bugle + projected emotions to create very intricate soundscapes for various occasions. whether those are considered music is a matter of perspective.

[darrigant]

I think I've mentioned this on the multi before, but Banshee's species can and do eat almost anything on a certain occasion, including tougher things like rocks / crystals. only thing they have to watch out for are things that are inherently poisonous to them.

[darrigant]

re: this particular tidbit

the offspring's appearance is based on the carrier's diet.

yes, this does mean their carnivorous brethren take on distinct traits of their prey! of course, it can also backfire. gobbles up lots of avians? kid might have hollow / brittle bones. but with fish? potentially some gills. it's basically a speed run of evolution and those surviving on the ground are predisposed to aim for useful traits where appearance is a byproduct, while Banshee's caste went for more superficial looks. which, in the end, was another reason why they were unequipped to repel the uprising. they were just chillin' in their paradise while those they cast out continued to study the blade evolve as predators.

[darrigant]

not sure yet how / whether to put it on her verse page, but I'm thinking in the He//llaverse, Banshee's people were a heavenborn species that caused its own extinction and she fell to Hell in the fallout.

[darrigant]

update: they were one of Lucifer's many creations, prior to his fall. as peaceful as any other heavenly creature, until free will got thrown in the mix and their society began dividing and fighting amongst itself. after Lucifer fell, Heaven judged them as imperfect and violent, purging what little remained of them from their realm. Banshee's survival was pure chance, or cosmic intervention, depending on who you ask. I'm thinking her mutation is the result of Hell's influence - similar to how human souls manifest as their deeper selves. Banshee herself does not know any of this. her caste in particular believed their conflict (read: the outcasts' uprising) angered nature and were thus burned out like a wound, but they knew nothing of Heaven. it is a bit of a conundrum for her that everyone speaks of this as an afterlife while she herself does not remember ever having died (because she didn't). she has no frame of reference for angels, demons or other figures / practices of faith. her understanding of the world is that Hell must be what happens when a great forest is burned to ash.

[darrigant]

manifests out of nowhere. banshee can't swim. the deepest she ever stepped into any water was to her knees, and that was already Very Uncomfortable. she doesn't inherently have a problem with water and enjoys a cold stream, as long as it is somewhat clear and she can see the bottom. dark and murky water reminds her of the swamps back home, which were forbidden not just out of superstition (lots of crashed ships & other tech out there), but because of genuine danger. if the swamp itself doesn't get you, the more aggressive caste of her species will. her species also has a pretty good sense for whether a source of water is safe to drink. banshee does not use this skill as often anymore because plenty of planets she visits have filtered water (which usually tastes strange to her), but there are still those who do not, where she has to get acquainted with the environment a little before being confident in her judgement. she learned the hard way to inquire about a planet's hydration situation prior to travel.

[darrigant]

imagine a thousand strings, each playing its own range of notes, none louder than the others. each one builds harmony— a continuous thrum in the background of existence. I am now a lone string in search of familiar harmonies.

[darrigant]

tentative lil' starter call ! multis please specify.

[darrigant]

already posted this on the multi last week, but : her widdle fangs in the front. they mean everything to me. send tweet.

[edenmemes]

witcher: blood of elves starters

❝ it was just a dream. a bad dream. ❞ ❝ i’ve heard the rumor that you can’t stand me any more than the plague. ❞ ❝ you have to rest. we’ve still a long way ahead of us. ❞ ❝ mistakes are also important to me. i don’t cross them out of my life, or memory. ❞ ❝ i don’t remember what happened. only that i was frightened. ❞ ❝ that is my fate, my reason, my life. and it is not what i chose. it was chosen for me. ❞ ❝ remember, magic is chaos, art and science. it is a curse, a blessing and progress. ❞ ❝ it’s better to die than to live in the knowledge that you’ve done something that needs forgiveness. ❞ ❝ calmly, calmly, just don’t faint, i’m beside you. ❞ ❝ you are already dead. everything in you has already died. ❞ ❝ what the hell are you searching for? trouble? ❞ ❝ don’t you think that the time has come for more truthful confessions? ❞ ❝ difficult times are approaching. difficult and dangerous. ❞ ❝ look around you — there is crime and sin everywhere. ❞ ❝ this is no legend or fairy-tale. it is the truth. the sincere truth. ❞ ❝ it’s crap — all these princesses, sorceresses, destiny, love and fanciful tales. ❞ ❝ i lose a great deal of my charm when someone gets to know me better. ❞ ❝ he who fights by the sword dies by the sword. ❞ ❝ they say that it’s a bad sign…an omen. ❞ ❝ i will keep your secret. you have my word. ❞ ❝ let me remind you that spells are a serious matter. they are cast with grace and pride. ❞ ❝ did i wake you? sorry. ❞   ❝ you do not kill out of fear and hatred, but in order to save lives. ❞ ❝ are you going to leave me in suspense? that can’t be the end of your story. ❞ ❝ what have i done to deserve to be so high on your list? ❞ ❝ there, where mountains tower today, one day there will be seas; there where today seas surge, will one day be deserts. but stupidity will remain stupidity. ❞ ❝ i’ll carry on killing monsters in the ruins of this world until some monster kills me. ❞ ❝ when you know about something it stops being a nightmare. when you know how to fight something, it stops being so threatening. ❞ ❝ you forget that i know you, so don’t play the unfeeling mutant, devoid of heart. ❞ ❝ the less you know the better. ❞ ❝ you are not leaving here alone. i won’t let you be alone. not right now. ❞ ❝ who do you want to deceive? me? or maybe yourself? ❞ ❝ don’t play at being a hero. you have got yourself mixed up in a dangerous affair. ❞ ❝ i wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you. ❞ ❝ i owe you exactly as much as you owe me. no more and no less. ❞ ❝ we are no more than toys in the hands of gods. ❞ ❝ you are important to me, and always will be. ❞ ❝ don’t talk to me about emotions. i’ve had enough of all this talk about emotions. ❞ ❝ the anger and vengeance of the gods hangs over you. ❞ ❝ mind your tongue, and who you’re speaking to. ❞ ❝ is it possible you don’t believe me? ❞   ❝ i am the one who ought to be asking for forgiveness. ❞ ❝ for you, it’s an adventure. for me, it’s a game in which the stakes are survival. ❞ ❝ you don’t have to kill your feelings. it’s enough to kill hatred within yourself. ❞ ❝ to be neutral does not mean to be indifferent or insensitive. ❞ ❝ there’s no such thing as a fair fight. you have to make use of every advantage and every opportunity you get. ❞ ❝ from what i’ve heard about you, i have no doubt you would manage. ❞ ❝ it’s your own fault and your own problem. ❞ ❝ stay with me tonight. ❞ ❝ you’ve mistaken the stars reflected on the surface of the lake at night for the heavens. ❞ ❝ you look almost thirty, think you’re just over twenty and act as though you’re barely ten. ❞ ❝ it all depends on who uses magic, how they use it, and to what purpose. ❞ ❝ you want to run from me? no one has escaped me yet. ❞ ❝ intolerance and superstition has always been the domain of the more stupid amongst the common folk. ❞ ❝ you like me? you have been good at concealing it up until now. ❞ ❝ why have you gone so red, crimson as a poppy? ❞ ❝ do you have to spoil everything you touch? ❞   ❝ i warrant that it is better to count yourself amongst those few than amongst everyone. ❞ ❝ magic is everywhere. all around us. easily accessible. ❞ ❝ you are interested in strange matters. you ask strange questions. ❞ ❝ life is a priceless gift and should be protected. ❞ ❝ you are not so remarkable as to make me fall on my knees and raise my eyes to the heavens. ❞ ❝ something tells me you are not the person i took you to be. ❞ ❝ this had to happen at some point. this had to happen. ❞ ❝ that’s everything? you haven’t lied about anything? haven’t forgotten anything? ❞ ❝ you runt. you scum. you arrogant nobody. ❞ ❝ thank you for rescuing me. ❞ ❝ if you’re afraid, turn back. ❞ ❝ you’ve no heart. you really have no heart.. ❞ ❝ i’d be proud and happy to fight at your side. ❞ ❝ i see you have applied yourself to fulfilling the demands of fate and destiny. ❞ ❝ the sun is still high, even if it is obscured. you can still train. ❞ ❝ come into the light. don’t lurk in the dark. ❞ ❝ your fears are unfounded. entirely ungrounded. ❞ ❝ loyalty is devilishly difficult to manage. ❞ ❝ you shouldn’t have said that. ❞ ❝ your wound has to be dressed and we’ve got to get out of here. ❞ ❝ you won’t understand and you don’t have to understand. i did what i had to do. ❞ ❝ you aren’t afraid of anything? answer truthfully. ❞ ❝ war is constantly hovering over us like a vulture. ❞ ❝ i’m afraid of death, just like everyone else, but i grew used to the idea of it a very long time ago. ❞ ❝ the world is falling to ruins. we can watch it happen and do nothing. or we can counteract it. ❞ ❝ what’s the matter with you? are you going to be sick? ❞ ❝ you are cunning but not careful enough. ❞ ❝ i don’t want to hurt you, but if you come near me… ❞ ❝ have you calmed down sufficiently for me to safely approach and take a look at you? ❞ ❝ i want to talk to you. i don’t need an audience. ❞ ❝ i’m not in the habit of poking my nose into other people’s secrets. ❞ ❝ you’ve got a tongue as sharp as a wasp. ❞ ❝ have you been taught anything other than making holes with a sword? ❞ ❝ what the hell is this? who beat you like this? ❞ ❝ before you said that, you still had a chance to live. now you don’t. ❞ ❝ i help you sometimes but i do so out of my own free will. ❞   ❝ everyone comes across someone who will better them someday. ❞ ❝ murder is always murder, regardless of motive or circumstance. ❞ ❝ it’s all lies. just a poetic invention to make the story prettier and more touching. ❞ ❝ take this and put it to your nose or you will be covered with blood! ❞ ❝ your valuable friendship is too important to me to disappoint you. ❞ ❝ i was worried you were going to ask me another one of your unequal grand questions. ❞ ❝ you look but have no eyes. you listen but have deaf ears. ❞ ❝ answer my questions. please. ❞ ❝ i don’t have to comply with your instructions and orders. ❞   ❝ you really do believe we are in some danger? ❞ ❝ couldn’t you, just once in your life, do something right? ❞   ❝ what i intend is my business. don’t get mixed up in this or there’ll be an incident. ❞   ❝ was someone asking about me? ❞   ❝ all this is going to start concerning you — and sooner than you think. ❞ ❝ i knew you wouldn’t understand. ❞ ❝ listen. what’s done is done. ❞   ❝ war is war. you whack the enemy in the backside, and they whack you back. ❞   ❝ destiny cannot be avoided. ❞ ❝ we’re tempting fate. we’re tempting fate too much. ❞ ❝ fighting doesn’t bother me, and a bit of blood’s nothing new. ❞ ❝ it’s not nice to eavesdrop. ❞ ❝ whose side are we on? whose side are we against? who’s our friend and who’s our enemy? ❞ ❝ both sides despite those who sit on the bench. ❞ ❝ what’s your name, if it’s no secret? ❞ ❝ don’t be in such a hurry to tug the lion’s whiskers, because this lion is not dead yet. ❞   ❝ i’m too old for this sort of thing. too old. ❞   ❝ i know you. you’re ruthless, you’re cruel. ❞ ❝ i know how to draw a bow too. ❞ ❝ you betrayed my trust. ❞ ❝ your chances of me forgiving and forgetting are non-existent. ❞ ❝ what’s got into you? there’s not a grain of sense in your prattling. ❞ ❝ life is an endless train of surprises. ❞   ❝ have you lost your mind? ❞   ❝ such matters should not be left to chance. ❞ ❝ we can’t afford to make a blunder or a mistake now. ❞   ❝ careful, or your arrogance will be the end of you. ❞   ❝ let’s throw formalities aside. ❞   ❝ we don’t have much time. it would be a sin to waste it. ❞ ❝ don’t fool yourself that it’s different this time. it’s never different. ❞ ❝ why are you looking at me like that? ❞ ❝ sincerity works both ways. you ask me any question and i will answer. sincerely. ❞ ❝ being kind-hearted…that might be a problem because it is widely believed i don’t possess any such organ. ❞ ❝ i’ve already seen a war. i don’t want to see another. ❞ ❝ i rarely laugh. i really need to have a good reason to laugh. ❞ ❝ you talk so beautifully, i can listen to you for hours. ❞ ❝ you think you know it all, but you don’t. ❞ ❝ furious as a cat. sparks in your eyes; just wait and you’ll hiss. ❞ ❝ poetry is eternal and immortal. it knows no beginning, it knows no end. ❞ ❝ i see that you don’t know me at all. ❞ ❝ let’s not talk about it. let’s not worry too soon. ❞ ❝ don’t play the child because you’re not one anymore. ❞ ❝ have a safe journey. i’ll be thinking of you. ❞ ❝ i haven’t got anybody anymore and i am someone else. ❞ ❝ i’m afraid you still know too little. ❞   ❝ magic isn’t for show. magic is not some street market trick. ❞ ❝ violence breeds violence. ❞   ❝ there’s no returning to the past. there’s no one there for me anymore. ❞ ❝ for the time being, trust me and do as i ask. ❞ ❝ let me massage your hand and arm. ❞ ❝ magic, like a spiked arrow, is lodged in you. ❞ ❝ chaos is afraid of you. but it wants you to be the one who feels fear. ❞ ❝ there is chaos and order, good and evil in all of us. ❞ ❝ i don’t want to lose everything again. ❞ ❝ you’ve got yourself mixed up in destiny, far more than you’ve bargained for. ❞ ❝ first of all, let us have something to eat and drink. ❞ ❝ you still have time to turn back. it’s not too late. ❞ ❝ what are you staring at me like that for? ❞ ❝ in a minute you’re going to faint from loss of blood. ❞ ❝ go to sleep, you’re barely on your feet. ❞ ❝ are you angry with me? ❞ ❝ magic, is in some people’s opinion, the embodiment of chaos. ❞ ❝ well. are you going to tell me or not? ❞ ❝ i get angry just as rarely as i laugh. ❞ ❝ i’m here. i’m at your side. don’t be afraid. ❞ ❝ hold your hands out so i can see them. ❞ ❝ you can’t stop a soldier from being frightened but you can give him motivation to overcome that fear. ❞

[darrigant]

  the universe sings around this one; hums a silent melody of something familiar in the same way the stars are : never hers to understand, yet forever beckoning an unbridled curiosity. except this one, the beast's worldly senses inform, is tangible — within reach. a careful step forward and grand muzzle lowered, it tilts akin a curious pup, but halts 'pon their voice.

thus @tr1cked speaks : “ delusions , too , die hard with memory ”

  she knows this word — delusions — but has never quite grasped its meaning. most voices who speak it echo with an insult : mockery of those who believe in false truths, she thinks, and obsidian fur bristles at the thought of own kin being described as such. they do not— did not lie. after everything, amidst memories singed by fire, that is perhaps the only truth she is irrevocably convinced of. were her words understood as something else ? ( did she choose the wrong ones ? )

  ❛ and if they remain ? ❜ akin gentle breeze resonates a distracted voice. where a maw of sharp teeth fails to shift, hazel eyes speak volumes : a decidedly childish wonder nearly drowning out the melancholy it belies. ❛ they are no delusions, then ? ❜

˗ˋˏ * PROMPT / OPEN.

[darrigant]

added a bit more to the personality section & finished the rules. there's still plenty I want to add down the line, especially a section for her species / planet, but ! I think I got the essentials, so now I just gotta find people to throw this oversized alien at.

[constellatory]

hihi i love nash'nktora and i was curious how they'd feel finding another being with empath abilities akin to theirs after they've been separated from such for so long? ( i love lots of ur ocs and i hope you're having a neat day!! this funky creature is one of my favorites! )

aaahhh, heya !  late on this as per usual, but this was a lovely surprise to return to, thank you so much !  the tol alien pupper is still my most beloved scrunkly, and I’m very flattered you like these silly creations of mine ! <3 hope you have a lovely day / night as well !

Regarding your question !   In short: very excited ! 

At their core, Nash’nktora is an incredibly nostalgic and sentimental creature who is afraid of change and as such takes great comfort in the familiar, regardless in what form it presents itself.  On top of that, they quite easily have their senses overstimulated by the wealth of information presented by something as simple — to us — as a verbal conversation, and noise in general.  ( they usually tune out any of the market bustle beyond the immediate space around their own corner. )

There is so little going on at the surface, but if you dive into it, humans are constantly communicating with their entire body and have signals that are simply part of our nature and we ourselves do not notice.  A good example is that we tend to mimick people we take a liking to, be that their gestures or certain verbal phrases.  Even if we do not pick it up, our subconscious does and responds accordingly.  But not only is Nash’nktora a different species entirely, with different signals and means of communication, they are not even humanoid.  

The only true thing they have in common — on a broad scale — is the level of intelligence.  And even then, many people would consider Nash’nktora much closer to a creature of instinct than our definition of people, but such things are very much a topic of debate, especially in a setting where humans are not the only species.

This is not to say that their empath abilities are in any way simplistic or lacking depth.  There is just as much going on under the surface, things that non-empaths would never notice without proper practice, just as Nash’nktora has to practice to understand other species. 

It sounds simple, to directly communicate through emotions, but then you consider how complicated those can get even to ourselves, and you might understand how a lack of words does not necessarily make it any simpler of an endeavour to convey them.  It is different, and most empath species’ ( cultures, even ) have their own variants.

I haven’t delved into it yet, but I would like to think the language of empaths is one that many struggle to comprehend and as such is frequently miscategorized as universal by non-empaths, when it has quite a multitude of languages, mainly because of cultural context.  Most empaths use the same medium and emotions — the same “alphabet” — but they communicate it in a different manner.  ( saying most because when we are talking about the cosmos, I do not doubt that even emotions span beyond what we know. )

But I digress !   Nashn’ktora's very first experience with intelligent entities different from themselves was the lesson that their emotions can severely cripple and even kill others.  The crew that rescued them suffered severe losses by picking up a creature that was projecting its inconceivable agony across the entire ship.  

To this traumatized creature who has lost their planet and people both, who is trying to fit into an anxiety inducing environment where they have to constantly stifle their very being, it would truly be a blessing to be able to let their true self be heard again;  to meet someone who will not be hurt by that which was never meant to cause harm, to the point of becoming quite overbearing in the beginning. 

Even if their communication does not match entirely, Nash’nktora still takes an incredible comfort in being on the same wavelength, to have a foundation of familiarity.  Learning a language is much less daunting when it has the same alphabet.  It is much easier for them to recognize social blunders and is overall much less timid; more excited, more alive.  

There will always be a certain anxiety in social situations because they spent their life being the runt of the litter — a victim of superstitions and technicalities — but I do believe for at least a short, blissful moment they will forget about it all in their excitement.  In the end, Nash’nktora is driven by their emotions, which frequently manifests itself in a fear of reprimand and has them tread very carefully, but they can be completely taken by joy and excitement just the same. 

It is all about what is being nurtured by their surroundings, and the reason why they get attached very quickly to those who show even a fraction of kindness — for better or worse. 

[die-arydepressedprincess-blog]

[darrigant]

one of the most defining — or rather distinct — traits of banshee’s is that she will almost always take you at your word. if she knows it to be factually false, she will always assume genuine ignorance above intentional deceit. in turn, she herself is utterly truthful and her spoken word incredibly blunt. social decorum is a little lost on her; if she has a question, there is a good chance she will ask, no matter how personal. banshee is of a species that communicates by projecting their emotions and intentions around them. it is as natural as breathing. the very idea of deceit was largely foreign until some time before their civil war and the destruction of their planet. ( two utterly unrelated events, but the blessed interpreted the solarstorm as the outcast’s fault; that it is the direct result of them disturbing the peace. ) the ruling council of her caste, the blessed, had an inkling to some degree, but was largely convinced of their own good intentions and as such one might debate just how much of it was deception. their intentions and emotions were true, but fashioned with a larger plan in mind that would preserve the perfection they demanded of their society. the first to truly dabble in deception — in projecting false emotions and hiding malicious intent — were those cast from the blessed’s great trees because they did not fit that perfect image, be it their behaviour or the circumstances of their birth. it is how eventually the civil war starts : outcasts infiltrating the blessed and throwing them from their high and mighty perches. although banshee did have more interactions with the outcasts than your average blessed, having almost become one, she never did learn to weave her emotions into a lie. and now, surrounded by creatures who largely communicate through very specific sounds, where emotions are conveyed through tone and expression, banshee has to make a very conscious effort to understand them. for all intents and purposes, one might call her tone-deaf. she has since learned that these sounds — these words — can easily be false, but not only is she a very trusting creature to begin with( as was ingrained in her as a blessed ), it is difficult to listen for something you know not the sound of. on top of that, she suppresses her own field of emotions and intent because she has learned that most species are not only uncomfortable with it, but are as confused by it as she is with their communication — except hers has a bodycount. she witnessed her own torment cause another’s death, and she is unwilling to take that risk. some more adjacently relevant ramblings over here !

[darrigant]

assorted species trivia.

— a natural ability to detect most toxins with their noses. some are more difficult, others they need to first be familiar with. but as a whole, they are very difficult to poison.  — a lot of strength in their jaws to better hunt their prey, but banshee’s caste, the Blessed, have not made use of this potential for a long time as a result of their pacifistic / herbivore path. in addition, like snakes, their jaws can open shockingly wide ( for a reason ).  — they reproduce asexually and their offspring’s appearance is greatly influenced by the parent’s diet.  e.g. bioluminescent flora are prone to give the whelp lightly glowing eyes and crystal formations might cause a rare case of crystalline horns.  — ^ the newer generations of Blessed have mostly fur and hide, but the other castes, below the canopies and still hunting all sorts of prey, tend to have scales and spikes. crystalline features are also more common because the required diet can be found down in their territory.  — although not the fastest creature out there, reaching around 60km/h ( 37mph ) in a straight line ( highly subject to change ), what they lack in speed they make up for in maneuverability and adaptability. they had to content with all sorts of hindrances in the forest, from roots of all sizes to swampy areas that were not there the last time. 

[darrigant]

𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐄  /  ARTIST : Skollyson

NOT FOR PUBLIC USE.  Likes & reblogs allowed!  You are not authorized to repost, redistribute or use this artwork in any way without explicit permission of @darrigant.  Do not remove this caption. Do not tag as kin / me / faceclaim.