Amphis'baena

(( The info here tends to change a lot; mostly tying up loose ends, abolishing inconsistencies, and adding new little details to fill it out more. If you find an inconsistency or grammatical error, please let me know! Or feel free to correct spelling/grammar mistakes as you see them. ~C. <3))

Full Name
Ace-Ranger Amphis'baena Benu, Scout of the Farstriders. However, his full title is merely a formality and he refuses to be known by it, greatly preferring to be simply called 'Phi' or 'Amphi'. Also referred to as 'Old Man' by those in his close circle -- even by himself at times -- due to his tendency to act much older than he actually is.

Description
The first noticable trait about this short, hard-faced ranger is that he is absolutely covered in various scars, ranging from small scratches to large raw-looking monstrosities, thanks to living rough. His left arm is a wooden, enchanted manequin's arm which is kept covered with long sleeves and gloves at all times -- most people are never aware of its falseness, and that's the way he wants it to stay. His hair is immaculate, as always, and constantly remains tied loose in a half-assed pony-tail that is always draped loosely over his left shoulder. At six-foot-one, Phi is not impressive in stature for his kind, and his build is equally unremarkable; a wiry, sinewy frame developed from living in the harsh wilderness belies the hidden physical strength needed to survive in the untamed places of the world.

Clothing
His clothes were not made to be fashionable. Usefulness is always first and foremost on his mind when it comes to clothing; all of his casual suits and robes were made to stand the wear and tear of the wilderness.

Phi often disguises himself as a travelling mage-scholar whenever he enters cities or towns, due to his firm belief that users of the arcane arts in relation to his kind will blend into a crowd more readily than a roughed-up, gun-toting ranger.

Accessories

 * A long, thin deer-hide sinew, wrapped and tied around his neck. Often mistaken for dirt lines or a tattoo.
 * A bland, basic gold ring worn on his right thumb. Sentimental value only. Often goes for months without it visible at all.
 * An unusual tattoo on the back of his left shoulder. It is a bizarre symbol, appearing like a two-head snake with clawed legs and the wings of a rooster. It is highly stylised, more like a hieroglyph than anything else. Phi avoids any questions asked about it. Those who are not well-versed in symbols or glyphs may simply see it as odd shapes, or perhaps a scar of sorts.
 * A very thick leather neck-brace, with an inlay of fine mail. It's covered in holes and scratches -- its meaning is clear when he's seen dealing with dangerous animals, preventing them from clawing or biting at his throat. It is obviously the reason why his neck is curiously scar-free. He is not seen wearing this if in casual clothing.
 * A reddish-hued feather that hangs around his neck on a piece of really nice string. It seems to be a gift of some sort.

Pets
Almost never seen without a massive, tail-less Springpaw at his side, which appears aged and doted upon. The mother of four previous litters (of which all her cubs survived to adulthood -- their condition now is unknown), Serenity seems to have accepted Phi as her newest, largest and most irritating 'kitten'. She is often short-tempered with him, swiping at him with her massive paws and dragging him around by his false arm to 'discipline' him. It is partially thanks to her that Phi has essentially lost his childish vanity, temper and outward snobbishness. He is devoted to her, as she is to him, and he can usually be found referring to her as 'my love' or 'dearest', causing much confusion to eavesdroppers.

Few other creatures will put up with Phi's occasional mood swings and pig-headedness, though some indeed have chosen to walk alongside him, apart from Serenity. Squish is another commonly seen partner of his; the under-sized, scrawny, and exceptionally lazy warp stalker crossed paths with Amphis'baena during the ranger's stint off-world, whilst he was put into service with the Sha'tari Skyguard. The young male stalker, when in a fair mood and with plenty of energy to spare, will often amuse itself by chasing insects or other small animals (and very rarely people, if Phi allows his attentions to shift from the troublesome beast while in the company of others) by phasing. This habit has a tendancy to cause nearby practicers of the finer, more mystical side of life much unease and annoyance; Phi has learned from experience not to trust Squish in occupied areas, and instead leaves him to play in any nearby copses or forests.

A recent acquisition, the vicious-looking, pitch-black mongrel Phi refers to as Shuck dotes after his carer like a good-natured and altogether annoyingly silly pup. In truth, the great beast is young and foolish and spends more time drooling over Phi's incomplete false arm or snoozing rather than attempting to learn tracking from his current master. A fellow member of the Silver Phoenix -- whose uselessness with animals causes her great difficulties with the group -- bribed Phi with several months' worth of high-grade thistle, if only he would train the dog in her stead. He naturally agreed without argument, though now is questioning his commitment; according to him, the dog is about as useful 'as mammary glands on a bullock'. Nonetheless, Phi's devotion to the beast is blatant when the dog scarpers for one reason or another - more than one sleepless night has been spent searching and whining pathetically in worry.

Mounts
(( All of Phi's mounts are female IC. ))

His first trained mount was a large, lazy female Hawkstrider known simply as Wicker. Phi's been through a lot with her, and the strain of his travels eventually forced him to put her to pasture in Eversong, where she still bears him for strictly ceremonial purposes, around Quel'thalas. She is accompanied by Manic, a small and very fleet-footed bird which Phi trained specifically for hunting. In her prime, she was able to move through forest with her master without a sound, and stay perfectly motionless for hours on end while Phi tracked his prey. Manic was not built for roving long distances, but her skill with bursts of speed to chase down deer is second-to-none. However, even she grew too frail for this, and she now resides as a constant companion to Wicker.

Eventually his situation and jobs forced him to purchase a trained wyvern for forays into the sky on the remnants of Draenor. Naming her Manic as well, he quickly grew to admire the feisty green wind-rider's skill in the air and, in an unexpected fit of confidence, signed himself up with the Sha'tari Skyguards, where he quickly flourished and rose in rank. He became known for his gentle handling and skill in the air, and was approached one day by a harried-looking transhipper bearing a large crate containing a tiny, albino drakeling (sent by somebody called 'Mei Francis', who Phi had never heard of before). At first trepidatious about having to raise a baby dragon -- they have a tendancy, as one knows, to grow into large and oft dangerous creatures -- but soon afterwards he was sold by her devotion and 'cuteness'. Serenity seamlessly took her under her wing as well, 'adopting' the drake and single-handedly teaching her the comings and goings of the life of a large predator. Phi named her Orca after seeing her first hunt, in tribute to her tenacity and beauty.

Currently, Orca travels with Phi wherever he goes. She has never been large; only bulky enough to carry Phi, Serenity, and perhaps a small number of provisions in flight. She is very attached to Cloudwing, a great nervous red Dragonhawk, who Phi is currently struggling to train as a personal mount.



Personal Background
Little is known about Phi's contributions to history -- in even the slightest sense -- over the past century; he seems to have tried extremely elaborately to avoid the major events of his life.

What is known, however, is that he once served in the Farstriders, answering to an underling of Sylvanas Windrunner -- not because he was a Ranger of standing, but simply because of his absurd stubborness and oft refusal to answer to a higher-up that he has decided he has no patience for. Phi was considered a severe nuisance for this childish behaviour, despite the fact it went on rather strenuously for a short time, as his knowledge of the woods of Quel'thalas and skills with tracking and scouting were second-to-none.

More recently in his life, it seems that Phi took a disliking to needing to work with other elves in the Farstriders; it is unknown whether he left in a huff, or was discharged due to his snottish behaviour. He worked indepently in Outland for a short time afterwards, clearly finding himself while doing so. He quickly rose in the ranks of the Sha'tari Skyguard thanks to his ability to handle the nether-rays with deft care, and after a respectable amount of time scouting for them, he returned to Azeroth a changed man.

Phi wandered aimlessly for a time after returning; trading records show he popped up all over Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, never staying in one place for long, selling cured leathers and handstitched robes along the way. It seems he crossed paths with a small group of Farstriders during his travels; something about them must've impressed him, as it was known he joined them not long after meeting them. Known (unofficially) as the Silver Phoenix, they specialize in scouting vast areas and being able to communicate at the drop of a hat using trained falcons.

They were ordered to work seperately in Northrend when the Lich King once again posed a serious threat to the Horde; taking this news gracefully, they disbanded until further notice and went their seperate ways, yet all kept in contact with each other. Phi's service in the frozen north was far less outstanding then his performance in Outland -- he never did anything more profound than odd jobs here and there, working as a mercenary and scout. The years passed quietly and easily for him.

It was only while facing the threat of the Twilight's Hammer and, consequently, the Shattering, did the Silver Phoenix fall back together. Garrosh Hellscream would demand nothing less from his Horde.

Family/Relations
Lenara Benu -- Mother (deceased)

Mosaethus Benu -- Father (deceased)

Deagaia Benu -- Younger sister (unknown)

Amphis'baena never speaks of his family to people he is not very close to, and even then, never without much prompting and bloodthistle.

Background
The Benus have never been known for anything spectacular in their time, despite being an old, noble bloodline. It is unknown if they existed before the War of the Ancients; the earliest records of the name appearing were with the exile of the Highborne and the march of Dath'Remar Sunstrider. They never seemed to have made a strong name for themselves; not even amongst the users of the arcane, which they have practiced for as long as they've been in records. It seems that despite being lesser nobles, they were never powerful enough with arcana to stand out, a trait which could be seen even with Lenara and Mosaethus, before their deaths.

Another prominent trait of the Benu bloodline is lack of self-control; inner weakness, if you will. Diaries and papers kept by the family show a distinct, stubborn lack of acceptance of their addictions to the Sunwell -- while mana-tapping and channeling of course would have been a common-place activity for them, the Benus always loathed their utter dependancy, and simply acted as if they were doing nothing at all. In nearly all journals found in relation to the bloodline, the extreme and nearly zealot-like claims that their blood 'was strong and didn't need the Sunwell like lesser elves' merely shows that quite the opposite is, and has always been, the case.

Other unfortunate traits that show up often are cowardice, mental instability, shortness of stature, and never more than a luke-warm grasp on magic.

Lenara and Mosaethus were no different from their ancestors; borne as lesser nobility, mental weakness and above all, a voracious and insatiable addiction to magicks. They were never particularly popular, never wrote any major papers on arcana, and never stood out from the crowd. Amphis'baena was born during a lasp in Lenara's studies; his arrival was formal and unannounced, nothing more than another statistic in the records. Following tradition and in accordance with his parents' wishes, he attended many seminars and schools in order to learn the ways of the arcane. Lenara went back to her own studies as soon as Phi was out the door, so to speak.

Forty years passed before Deagaia, Phi's younger sister, was born. Particularly unstable from the get-go, Dea showed no aptitude for magic whatsoever, and proved to be an unruly and troublesome youngster. Lenara and Mosaethus simply let her drift out of their lives, focusing on Phi instead, who showed much promise with the control of arcana (yet, of course, still possessed the Benu lack of power). Although Phi had never particularly wanted to study magic -- the work and duty of the Farstriders fascinated and enthralled him to no end, for as long as he's ever remembered -- his cowardice and fear of contradicting his parents prevented him from acting out in accordance with his own wishes for most of his childhood. It wasn't until he was in the human equivalent of his teens did he finally stand up for himself, simply disappearing into the woods one day and not returning to his parents for a number of years.

In all actuality, it was only the threat of the destruction of the Sunwell that drew Phi back home. His sister, also, had returned before he had; although the Quel'dorei fought viciously to defend the Well, the hordes of Scourge were essentially unstoppable. Yet, against all odds, his family had survived. The tragic event uncomfortably kept the two wanderers in the shattered remains of Silvermoon with their parents for some time; the four were helpless to their lust for magic, and like others, began to tap great amounts of arcane energy from whatever they could get their hands on for some time. The loss of the Well drove both Lenara and Mosaethus over the edge of instability; their grief, terror and inherent cowardice confused and maddened them, and eventually they began to see themselves as the purest of Quel'dorei trapped within the minds and bodies of the newly-'born' Sin'dorei. Their obsessive, manic gorging on arcane energies did nothing to sway their beliefs ("We have no choice," they claimed one day when Phi began to question them, "we have no choice. Your jealousy of our purity will kill us if we don't.")

Driven hopelessly mad by their own weakness, they eventually dragged their meek children away from Quel'thalas, desperate to find more 'pure' Quel'dorei that would 'take them back'. A number of months passed before they luckily happened to find a rare Quel'dorei lodge; they, of course, wanted nothing to do with the ragged, wandering Sin'dorei family, and repeatedly chased them from their grounds. Lenara and Mosaethus spend most of their waking hours shrieking their pleas to the hidden Quel'dorei rangers; Phi and Dea, for the first time in their lives, spent time with each other, planning their escape from their magic-sodden, moonfaced parents.

While it would be clichéd to say the upcoming attack happened on the eve of their planned escape, that was not the case. A meagre handful of days passed before a seperate, unknown third party loosed arrows upon both the Benu family and the Quel'dorei rangers, in the open once again to frighten away the two mad mages, killing Phi's companion (Russet, a Springpaw cub), his parents and fatally wounding his sister. Only the shock of losing his partner saved his life; curling in a prone fetal position on the ground, unconscious with grief and fear, lent him the appearance of a slain ranger.

Days passed before he was able to pull himself together, in which time Dea had managed to patch herself up to a point where she would potentially survive, falling into a deep unconsciousness near him. Despite his lack of affection for the girl, Phi tended to her enough for her to awaken and, having lost her memory (possibly from a head-wound, or extreme stress), she showed her thanks by attacking him and making a break for it while he was down. With nowhere else to go, Phi returned to Eversong woods, working with the Farstriders for a time before being 'honourably discharged', thanks to his behavioural issues. It was during this 'break' that he met Serenity, and his current life finally began.

Criminal Record
Nothing more than a number of arrests for brawling in various locations over the world. It should be noted that while he may have provoked many (or all, knowing him) of the fights, he essentially never came out the victor -- fisticuffs have never and will never be his 'preferred' method of fighting.

Personal Notes

 * Amphis'baena is a heavy bloodthistle addict, either imbibing it in the form of strong tea, or smoking it with his most expensive luxury, a kiseru. He has little self-control with it, often sneaking off at inappropriate times to smoke.
 * Rarely, if ever, seen without a companion (( whether it's a mini-pet, mount, or hunter-pet ))
 * Although born into nobility and having attended a university for the study of arcana in his younger years, Phi speaks very crudely for a Sin'dorei, using short, blunt sentences, often laced with curses. Oddly enough, his writing is passable for someone more refined in mind and life; his cursive is delicate and appealing to the eye, framing words a budding poet might embrace.
 * Suffers from social anxiety disorder, and is technophobic.
 * Phi never interacted much with humans during their temporary alliance, therefore his grasp on Common is rather pitiful. He can only say a handful of 'travel-book' phrases; his most thrilling phrase to date, when spoken correctly in Common, is "What time it, where is dog here? Hitch me for stabling post."
 * Phi has an unusual tendency, while he is alone in the middle of some forgotten forest, to slip in and out of lucidity during the night. He can very occassionally be spotted with his arms to the stars, dancing and singing in the language of the beasts, often with little -- or nothing -- in the way of clothing. Whether this is a form of sleepwalking or drug-induced isn't clear.

Characters
Wizard Howl, of Howl's Moving Castle.

Rincewind, of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.

Thomas Covenant of Stephen Donaldson's Thomas Covenant: Unbeliever Chronicles.

Shrek, of....well.

Songs
Thoughts of a Dying Atheist by Muse

Pork and Beans by Weezer

Animal by Pearl Jam

Of Wolf and Man/ Wherever I May Roam by Metallica

Other
Amphis'baena was created long before I read the Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb, but FitzChivalry's relationships with his Wit-partners, and the way he interacts with them, closely mirrors the way I always portrayed Phi with his creatures.

Player's Notes (OOC)
Although not the first character I rolled on SWC for the intentions of seeing a RP server first-hand, Amphis'baena was the first toon that really got me into roleplaying. He was also the first character I fell into playing seriously, with the intent of reaching end-game content. I picked a druid over a hunter initially because of their versatility, but once I got into playing one, hunters became my new everything. I was nerdily in love with being able to tame a cool pet (which is much more personal than any other 'pet' class in the game), being able to shoot the hell out of anything I wanted with some sweet bow, and being able to Feign Death (because it is <3).

Initially my intention with Phi was to roleplay some vain, immature snob that hated getting his hands dirty, hence having a big-ass pet that would just act as a bodyguard. Things never worked out that way, and as I played more and levelled him, his current story simply seemed to pull itself together from thin air, creating what he is today -- kind of, sort of, maybe a far-cry from some snotty metrosexual ranger. Maybe.