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Shelter Forest Character Reference Guide

I saw some comments about people being confused as to who all the people were in the stories, so I made a handy-dandy reference guide from asks I got on tumblr. If there are any other things you'd like to know about the people in Shelter Forest, please don't hesitate to send me an ask!

Can I ask how many children Declan has? If possible with names and species? I think you already answer this question so if you don't want to write everything again can you links us the answer?

As of Thandur’s fic, Declan has ten who identify as his children (I.E. they think of him as their father) and three who identify as his wards (I.E. under his protection but they don’t see him as their parent), so thirteen altogether. They are as follows:

As of Thandur’s fic:

Declan - 68 (Male Bat Monster; Ryel’s Mate; Straight)

Ryel - 50 (Female Human; Declan’s Mate; Straight)

Feera (Gnoll) - 28 (Joined Family at age 7; Straight)

Kurra (Gnoll) - 28 (Joined Family at age 7; Gay)

Reed - 26 (Male Cervitaur Ward; Yala’s Husband; Joined Family at age 15; Bisexual)

Soraya - 25 (Female Bat; Caeli’s Mate; Joined Family at age 13 Mo.; Lesbian)

Yala - 23 (Female Human; Reed’s Wife; Joined Family at age 4; Bisexual)

Caeli - 21 (Fem-Intersex Human Ward; Recently Married Soraya; Pansexual)

Birch - 21 (Male Centaur; Joined Family at age 12 with Yew; Straight)

Cetzu - 19 (Male Reptilian Changling; Joined Family at age 3 Weeks; Pansexual)

Lymera - 18 (Female Faun; Joined Family at age 5; Straight)

Toklo - 17 (Masc-Intersex Adlet; Joined Family at age 4; Asexual)

Yew - 13 (Male Centaur; Joined Family at age 4 with Birch; Gay)

Sayo - 12 (Female Owl-Harpy Ward; Just Joined as of Rantha’s Fic; Lesbian)

Asahi - 5 (Male Kitsune; Joined Family at age 8 Mo.)

Declan also has a three month old granddaughter named Teya, whose parents are Reed and Yala. Yala is pregnant with their second child. Also, Rantha is 36 and his as yet unnamed wife is 22. They’re son, Ranji, is 6 month old.

For Declan’s clan, what everybody’s little fear?

Declan hates the dark. He always has a candle burning.

Ryel is afraid of spiders. She knows it’s silly, living in the forest, but she can’t help it.

Feera is scared of crowds.

Kurra hates cats.

Reed is terrified of bears.

Soraya is pretty fearless. The only thing she’s scared of is humans, specifically hunters.

Yala is a bit superstitious, and hates the number 13.

Caeli doesn’t like crows.

Birch gets spooked by rabbits pretty easily. He’s not necessarily scared of them, he’s just always startled by them.

Cetzu is afraid of faeries. He worries they’ll try to take him back to the otherworld.

Lymera is claustrophobic.

Toklo is afraid of heights.

Worms or other creepy crawlies squick Yew out.

Sayo is uncomfortable around males. She grew up in an all-female community. She gets over it as she gets older, though.

Asahi hates thunder. He is five, after all.

What’s their guilty pleasure?

Declan: He eats bugs. A LOT. Just cause it makes his wife’s face scrunch up. Also he likes how they taste.

Ryel: Ryel likes to take really long baths. Like, proper baths in a tub. She’d spend all day in one if she got her way.

Feera: There’s a place in the forest that catches light in such a way that it’s perfect for naps. Feera disappears for a few hours and naps there. He doesn’t tell anyone about it because he doesn’t want to share.

Kurra: Kurra just likes to eat. All day every day. He’s strictly a meat eater, but if he can get his hands on it, he’ll eat it.

Reed likes to dance. He doesn’t do it often, because he’s self conscious, but every once in a while, when he and Yala are alone, they dance together.

You already know Soraya’s, She goes to the beach and collects shells. Only Caeli knows about it.

Yala goes swimming naked in the middle of the night. Reed stands guard.

Caeli loves to climb trees. No reason, she just likes being up high. She and Soraya will race sometimes.

Birch likes to play pranks. Usually their harmless, but he’s not allowed to bring animals into the main house anymore.

Cetzu is a bit of a romantic. He fantasizes about getting married and carves wedding rings for potential spouses. He has a small collection of rings he’s made that he’s never showed anyone.

Lymera is a holy woman in training, but she’s also a faun and likes to cause mischief. She’s let the ceremonial temple birds free in the temple more than once.

Toklo has never been into a town before, but he has gone to the edges of some that border the forest and watched the people going about their day. He thinks the habits of normal people going about their normal lives is fascinating.

Yew likes birds. He has some that he’s trained to follow him around. If you hear twittering and chirping coming from nowhere, Yew’s probably nearby.

Sayo plays hide and seek without telling anyone. She likes to hide for hours at a time. Once she was perched on top of the house for two days and no one was able to find her.

Asahi doesn’t have a guilty pleasure. He’s a toddler. Same goes for Teya.

For the women of the farm, are they good at cooking? Do they enjoy it? What do others think of their cooking?

Ryel is okay at cooking. It wasn’t as hard before when it was just her and Declan, but once the kids started arriving, she had to up her game. She certainly doesn’t enjoy it.

Yala is good at and really enjoys baking, and though she’s good at cooking other food, she prefers baking.

It’s a good thing Caeli came along. Not only does she love to cook, she’s amazing at it. Yala and Ryel happily left that chore to her.

And even though you didn’t ask, Asahi helps.

Then who is the best cooker and/or baker in the clan?

Ready for a shock? It’s Kurra, one of the Gnoll boys. He cooks every once in a while, but he prefers hunting to cooking. His venison stews are to die for, though.

After I read Rantha's story I fell in love with his sweet personality, but I had the feeling he alone in the woods for a reason right? What happened to his family?

Rantha’s family were ring fighters, similar to bulls in matador fights, except the object is for the human and the minotaur to fight to the death. The minotaurs are paid handsomely when they win, treated like kings, but Rantha hated it.

After his first fight when he was only 13, during which he killed his opponent, he left and never came back. He found Declan but decided not to join the family, instead making his own way in the forest. He and Declan have been friends for years. He was the one who found Toklo being sold at auction and brought him to the farm.

I'm curious; if Rantha came from a place where humans and minotaurs fight, then they do know other creatures exist. But the village where Ryel use to live everyone acts like they don't know about their existence. Were they isolated from other places or they just hate other creatures? Can monster roam around freely or just in certain places?

Alrighty, we’re about to get into some deep lore here.

Almost all of my stories are connected, from the modern to the medieval. In Tumble’s story, it’s mentioned that there are “Established” non-human races, i.e. creatures that humans have known about for centuries and accept into society at large. There were nine in total:

Orcs

Man-Beasts (like werewolves or werebears; basically any being who start as humans and become something else)

Beastmen (including minotaurs, tabaxi, gnolls, lizardfolk, etc.; basically any being that is more beast than man)

Giant-Kin (like trolls and ogres)

Goblin-Kin (including bugbears and hobgoblins)

Demon-Kin (such as vampires and teiflings, and demons, of course),

Cattle-Kin, (such as centaurs, satyrs, and/or fauns; any being with human-like faces and hooved feet.)

Halfling-Folk (Including gnomes and dwarves)

The Fair Folk, otherwise known as the Fae. Elves are included in this subcategory.

Besides these well-known races, there were others who, after centuries in seclusion, decided to reveal themselves to humans, like Tumble’s people. Despite this, there are still a few who have chosen to remain in hiding, such as driders, like Jin, and certain demons, like Blue.

Back during the Shelter Forest story arc, the “Established” races were well known, though there was heavy discrimination against them, especially in smaller villages. There were, of course, human-only towns and villages who were hostile to non-human peoples, as in the case with Ryel and Caeli’s village.

Typically, you’d find non-humans either in large cities, where humans and non-humans coexisted, places like where Rantha first came from, or in closed communities for non-human people that were far recessed from the human populations. Animal-like peoples, like the rakshasa and Tumble’s people, the leporids, lived in these communities. Non-human, non-established creatures who live outside of these communities were often hunted like animals, as Reed was.

As stated before, even though there were “Established” races, there were also races no one had ever seen or heard about, like Declan. Declan and Soraya are not native to the continent in which they reside and are very rare. In fact, there are only 22 other creatures like them on the continent. Their kind come from a continent in the south and are hunted by adventurers and brought back to the northern continent when they are babies as living trophies.

Conversely, there were races that people have heard about but have rarely seen, like nagas and dragons, who were openly hostile to humans as well and have little to do with them. Even during the modern times, nagas and dragons are reluctant to interact with humans, but they aren‘t hidden.

I already know this is canon but I MUST ask. Declan and Soraya, have any of you ever eat a moth out of nowhere in the night????

Declan says: “Once, about a year after she came to stay with me, I startled Ryel by taking a moth off of the wall one evening while we were talking and munching on it. I didn’t understand why her face went all scrunchy like that so I asked her what was wrong. ‘You just ate a bug,’ she said. I laughed for a long time after that.”

Soraya says: “I’m not particular to moths; too fuzzy. But I do like grasshoppers and beetle grubs. Grasshoppers are plentiful during the summer, and grubs pop up around springtime under tree bark. I typically go on bug hunts by myself and bring a handful back for Papa. It’s probably the one eating habit that’s exclusive to the two of us.”

I need to ask Declan and Soraya; What's your favorite fruit/meal. Do you only eat fresh fruit or do you eat some other things as well? I know you can't eat meat but what about some seeds, cereals, bread or dairy products? What about food that has fruit flavors on it like; orange flavored biscuits or passion fruit mousse? Also, what about Jam? which one it's your favorite if you liked them :) (Sorry if this is too much to answer :3)

Declan says: “I adore bananas, but they’re hard to come by where we live. It’s far too cold to grown them here, even in the summer, so I settle for my second favorite, mangos. I do love seeds and nuts. We have almond and walnut trees growing on the farm, and sunflowers and pumpkins, and we eat the seeds from those. Our stomachs don’t process dairy very well, so Soraya and I tend to stay away from it, though the rest of the family doesn’t have that problem. As far as jam, I love all kinds, but Ryel stops me from licking the jar. She says it’s not dignified. As if I’ve ever been dignified. :)”

Soraya says: “I love apricots and figs the most. I help Mama make preserves and jam and dried fruit for the wintertime, when the fruit trees aren’t producing. We also make fruitcakes and preserve them in whiskey, so they last a really long time. We grow oats, but not wheat, so we don’t eat much bread unless she brings it from market, and even then, I can’t eat a lot of it. We make nutbars and nectar flower biscuits that keep for months, though, and those sustain us through winter. Most of the rest of the family are omnivores or carnivores, so they hunt in the winter to keep themselves fed, but Papa and I have specific diets, so we have to make things that will last us the whole winter long or we’d starve. Mama is really good about making and saving, and she keeps us all warm and fed.”

For Cetzu: Do they have a good memory? Short term or long term? Are they good with names? Or faces? What is their sleeping pattern like? Do they snore? What do they like to sleep on? A soft or hard mattress? What do they find funny? Do they have a good sense of humour? Are they funny themselves? How do they act when they’re happy? Do they sing? Dance? Hum? Or do they hide their emotions?

Cetzu has a memory like a steel trap. It’s likely his fae heritage. He remembers just about everything. Cetzu, being cold blooded, likes to be warm, so he, the gnoll boys, and Asahi sleep in a pile in a room the family calls the “boy’s den.” He’s not all that funny, but he does like to laugh. He thinks throwing the gnolls into the river is hilarious. He’s a friendly person, but he does keep his negative feelings to himself. He doesn‘t like to bother people. But it’s the opposite when he’s happy. He likes everyone to know when he’s happy. He does try to sing, but he’s a touch tone deaf.

I want to know! How did Cetzu learn to make all the stuff he does? Did he read it somewhere or have someone teaching nearby?

I think it’s part of his fae heritage, since he’s a changeling, but he’s just naturally gifted at it. He started out making simple things when he was a small boy, though, and practiced until he could carve very intricate carvings. He’s got an expert eye now.

Since Cetzu is part fae, he can't touch iron? Or is offensive to him to tell him ''thank you'' or receiving presents?

The iron thing, definitely. The farm uses steel as much as possible, and if they have to use iron, it’s kept in a safe place where he can’t accidentally touch it, sort of like allergy prevention. He also has a hang up about being invited into places: you can’t just tell him to go somewhere he hasn’t been before, he has to be invited there or he simply won’t go. He doesn’t mind politeness but he sees receiving presents as a debt to repay. Even though he struggles with the fae part of himself, he’s still bound by some of their laws.

What about a tail? Does Cetzu has a tail too? Can it grow back is one cuts it? (not that I want that for him, no! Poor thing T.T)

He does have a tail, but unfortunately, it will not grow back if cut off.

I forgot to ask, what about wings? Since he's part fae, but also I've heard of some Lizardfolks (not dragons) with wings.

Cetzu doesn’t have wings, no. He’s more like a big, black alligator that stands like a man. He’s buff as hell too.

I want to know, how little Sayo reacted when she saw so many men in the farm. Or did she already knew what men where :?

Up to that point, Sayo lived in a woman-only community. She hadn’t met any kind of male before being dropped off at the farm. She was terrified of them for the first year.

Does Asahi like shiny stuff? I've heard that harpies also like them? Did they both have a chest/corner/place where they collect shiny stuff or they have on of their own? or they compete for who has the biggest mountain of shiny stuff?

That’s what got Sayo to come out of her shell a little. Asahi wanted to make friends with her, but she was always aggressive and snapped at him, until he showed her his hoard of treasures. The two of them became friends then, and Sayo slowly started to open up to the rest of the family.

Both Asahi and Sayo collect shiny things, but while Asahi likes coins and bits of metal, Sayo prefers petrified amber and stones. Asahi buries his, and Sayo keeps her collection under her bed.

So to Asahi, Sayo is like his big sister? (I mean, obviously, they are Declan's and Ryel's children anyways) so he often follows her and she ''tries'' to keep him away of danger and getting dirty... again?

Yep. Sayo is actually the oldest of four daughters in her original clan, so she’s used to being responsible for younger children, but she’s never had a little brother before. Once she came along, she helped Ryel keep Asahi in line.

7 & 11 for Sayo please. Also, not in the ask but... which color are Sayo’s feathers?

Did they have lots of friends as a child? Did they keep any of their childhood friends into adulthood? Do they have any special diet requirements? Are they a vegetarian? Vegan? Have any allergies?

Sayo is based on a Barn Owl, so her feathers are gold and white. She’s a bird of prey, so definitely not vegan or vegetarian. She’s the only female on the farm that’s strictly meat and can’t eat vegetables or fruit. As far as childhood friends, she used to have a lot of them before her mom kicked her out of her coven. Now she not in contact with any of them.

I was thinking if Lymera uses Reed's antlers to make charms, could she use Sayo's feathers if they fall? Do harpies change their feathers from time to time? Maybe doing things like dream catchers???

Sayo does drop feathers and go through molts, but she finds the use of them in charms offensive to her culture.

Somehow I imagine Asahi wearing little bells for some reason, maybe on his tail or in his clothes? I just picture him with bells (like the ones in cat toys)

He has to have bells on. Ryel has to know where he is AT ALL TIMES. Otherwise he gets into everything.

I've always pictured Lymera wearing long and loose dresses for some reason. Maybe because I have this image of people working with talismans and stuff like that

Funnily enough, nudity isn’t taboo on the farm. Sayo, Soraya, and most of the boys never wear clothing. The humans do, but that’s conditioning. Lymera, being an acolyte priestess would typically wear robes and gowns of her station, but she does go nude from time to time.

Can Lymera play any instrument/sing?

Yes, she plays the harp, flute, and drum. She does sing as well. That’s actually where she was when Ryel found her; chained to a stage at an inn, singing for the patrons.

Since I'm a witch myself I want to ask Lymera what kind of stuff she does and what part of her studies to be a priestess she likes the most? Do you focus on healing magic or other types as well? What about divination like tarot card of a pendulum, do you work with crystals or herbs? Do you watch the stars or make amulets for protection? Sorry if this is too much I got a little excited! Hugs! 3 :D

Lymera says: “My primary focus is sacred ceremonies, like weddings, initiations, and funerals. When not doing those, I practice many types of divination and scrying, as well as some magical healing. Mother is a far better herbalist than me, though, and helps me with that subject. As an acolyte, I am required to study all aspects of the craft, but there are some that draw me more than others. When Reed’s antlers drop in the winter, Cetzu sculpts little amulets from them that I bless and give out as charms. Our family works together.”

Wow, I can’t wait to know more about Lymera. I’m just trying to imagine the whole “escape plan” to save her from that horrible place, sounds intriguing.

In Reed’s fic, I had explained it as Ryel seeing her and trying to buy her from the innkeeper, and when that didn’t work, she brought Declan back in the middle of the night to scare the bejeezus out of the innkeeper until she released Lymera. Declan’s a cuddly puppy most of the time, but he can be a big Papa Bear when he wants to be.

I think 11 would be an interesting one for Toklo, I mean we know he eats meat but, does he enjoys something else in the farm???

Toklo is definitely a meat eater, but he also eats onions whole and stares people down while he does it. He’s a weird kid.

Sorry if this is just me, but, what Toklo does in the farm? I believe there's always a lot of work in there so everyone must help somehow, right?

Toklo helps in the fields like everyone does. He’s also mostly a carnivore, so he also goes on weekly hunts with the other meat eaters of the family. Cleaning and gutting often falls to him. He’s learning currently how to tan leather from the hides.

Does Asker visit the farm alot and what does his wife usually do on the farm???

Asker doesn’t visit often. He’s very anti-social. He likes the family, but from a distance. His children visit more than he does, but that’s still sporadic. Laefa does carpentry work around the farm, building shelters and repairing the house and the barn, should there be damage.

Which character in the Declan Clan likes to knit????

Reed’s mate, Yala, knits a lot. She taught Caeli (Soraya’s mate) and both of the gnoll twins how to do it.

Are gnolls twins like fire and water? or they complement each other like PB and Jelly?

PB&J, honestly. They almost have that twin telepathy. But they do have marked differences in appearance and tastes.

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