#butterflies are a very small 'kingdom' that are a part of Hallownest but live away from the city of tears and are technically their own

[nonuggetshere]

Nah, Hollow gave his job to his sister Marissa, which is one hell of a career shift but in Hollow's defence they were desperate to not fall out of favour of butterfly monarchy and they don't know many people personally.

He'd care in that he's still shell-shocked and somewhat offended that they made an example out of him, but after he calms down a little he comes to the conclusion that he wouldn't want to work under them anyway

[fly-sky-high-bug-games]

Trapper Mugo

Species: moth

Design based on (kind of): Brindled green moth

Birthed at Highgrove but moved to Hallownest when fairly young, Mugo started taking interest in critters that lived there. Some time as a teen, he met the Hunter and the two talked about the journal. Mugo gave the hunters journal a try but quickly realized he has no thrill in killing the critters he encounters. Instead, he wanted to study them eventually started making traps and such to capture them instead, finding the cunning of the hunt to be more interesting than killing. Likewise, he liked exploring the flora and fauna of Hallownest. It use to be a lot more exciting before it all got infected...

As a young adult, Mugo found himself at the Colosseum of Fools during one of his travels. There, he met his future boss, Boss, a mechanic that works on the stage setup during the battles. She recognized his skills and understanding of critters so she hired him to capture and bring them for the coli fights She also build and provided mechanics for the traps needed. It was a learning experience but Mugo eventually grew to enjoy his job.

During one of the busy days at the Colosseum, he learned it was visited by the group of nobles called Magnolia family who stayed at the City of Tears at the time. He was curious about them as they come from the same kingdom where he use to live but has barely any memories of. Alyssum, a butterfly from the family, noticed him and the two started chatting when other nobles weren’t around. The two were completely different worlds so they just clicked in the conversations. Mugo was head over heals in love with Alyssum and she warmed up to him as well during the Magnolia family’s long stay at the city.

The two dated, meeting mostly at night and deep within the city on their own, just being in love. As the time went by, Alyssum started to try convince Mugo to come with her, become part of the Magnolia rule and family and live as a noble by her side at Highgrove. However, over time of the two dating, Mugo learned the family was rotten business and trouble so he kept refusing her offer, countering it with his that she should stay with him instead. Alyssum also refused, losing her patience, demanding for him to join her side, showing that she had no intentions in losing her status in a ruling family of another kingdom, claiming that her wishes should be final. This hurt Mugo but made it clear they will stick to their own viewpoints that gave more strains on their relationship that slowly started to fall apart.

Argument after the other, the two broke up on bad terms in a fight, Alyssum scaring his face with her magic as he tried to escape from her possessive act. Heartbroken and injured, Mugo retreated to lake of Unn for some time to be alone. They haven’t heard from one another in quite some time after that until Alyssum sent him a letter to meet her at the Crossroads as one last attempt of “mending” the relationship. Mugo never showed up. As things became hectic within Hallownest, Alyssum eventually left and Mugo hasn’t seen her since and many years passed...

Mugo fully focused on his hunting business, changing tactics, trapping and alike as things within the kingdom changed as well, filling his journal and notes with useful info about every beast and critter, their tricks, weaknesses and strengths and how to deal with them. He worked alone and did everything as a lone wolf unless the task requested a group work.

After meeting Rham and Yonna on the way back to Colosseum one day, he learned he missed companionship and friends, growing rather close to both, feeling welcome and happy for the first time in a long while.

---

Characteristics:

+: Adaptable, intuitive, strong willed, helpful -: Withdrawn, vengeful, clings to the past, somewhat harsh n: cunning, fair, righteous 

Inventory:

Spendable/Consumable: 

Sweet root: A root equivalent of a sweet snack or an energy drink, depending on how much you eat it. It’s not very favorable but it’s VERY juicy and sweet! It’s like sugared water. Mugo LOVES these. Often replaces them for actual food which isn’t healthy.

Lifeblood gel: Made out of herbal roots, hot spring water and lifeblood seeds. It’s for external use ONLY and heals wounds faster~ Can’t mend any internal injuries though. Too much application might worsen the healing, especially if wounds aren’t properly cleaned first.

Spare Lifeblood seeds (for now): Because who doesn’t want to have the marks of the heretics around, right? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Known to drive regular bugs a little… ditsy or delusional if eaten raw. Good for internal injuries but one won’t be able to get back to their feet easy for few hours.

Sleeping Pollen: Collected from a specific plant, causes drowsiness or sleep when eaten or inhaled. Too much of it can knock out a person for hours.

Numbroot: Extremely bitter but nothing subdues pain like few bites from it. Internal use only. Too many bites lead to full numbness for couple of hours. Some factions of other kingdoms use the extracted liquid from it for assassinations. Mugo takes bites of it to kill off his back pains…

Stinger ivy extract: A potion of a sort, made by the shamans. He isn’t sure what’s mixed in them but it helps recover from electric shocks and stings. Has one spare bottle just in case, as he avoid any charged lumaflies if he can. Didn’t seem to use it in recent shocking events but decided to walk it off instead…

Fog mushroom: A specific type of fungi that lets out a lot of smoke when placed near fire. It’s like a fungi fog machine if thrown in fire, easily covering a lot of space in thick, funky smelling fog. Mugo uses it for hunting belflies who rely on the sight. (he can see their glow but they can’t see him coming for them with the traps~)

Ember seeds: Plant seeds that pop and crack loudly when near heat or in fire. Good for scaring off large critters away or in specific directions (like where traps are set~)

Odor bomb: Kept in the palm sized round chestnut like shell, it’s a mix of collected, specific droppings that have a strong scent. To some critters, it’s a sign to get out of there and to some, it’s a wonderful bait to come close to…

Hive nectar: EXTREMELY RARE, a gift from someone, owns just a small pill size with him. It speeds up recovery and healing of any sort, even from the illnesses but only for less than a day which is often enough to pull someone out of a critical state. Carries it and keeps it with him at all times for most alert emergency.

Items:

Traps, nets and gadgets (only during hunting): Depending on the errand at the time, the types and sizes of them vary and he carries only essential ones for the job.

Two large nails the same size and look: The nails are long with short handles. Uses to both fend himself and to agitate critters when necessary or activate traps from the distance. Uses one for shield and other for striking but isn’t a very good fighter, only super fast on reactions and saving his husk.

Emblem of White Magnolia: a necklace with a pedant that’s always around his neck, gifted by Alyssum. Unlike the original Magnolia family symbol that has pink hues over the flower petals, the white one represents Alyssum’s faction of the family. Always keeps it around his neck, hidden by Mugo’s thick mane. 

Forsaken Dagger: Carries Taka’s ashen essence, named purely out of troublesome events it caused to the group. Have yet to be examined. After paying Sly 2000 Geo for it, having it be stolen minutes after, taken to the dream realm to cause problems to Taka and then taken back only to end up in Mugo’s hands again, he’s not too trilled to have it but has to.

[fly-sky-high-bug-games]

Zeeke of Highgrove

Species: beetle

Design based of (but might be adjusted): Atlas beetle

Growing up in Highgrove and part of the rich family, he had everything served to him on a silver plate. Even if his family was small, making of his older grandmother and younger sister Lotus only, they held the transport business in all of Highgrove. Being a kingdom with a lot of levels, platforms and climbs depending on traffic of flying bugs to carry the public and nobles where ever necessary, it is a very profitable business.

His family was also one of the few rich ones that supported and witnessed the overthrowing of king and queen, making a deal with rising Magnolia family to secure their position and offer full loyalty to the new rule of Lady Magnolia. While not officially part of their faction but stayed as their own strong and influencing family, Zeeke’s grandmother still kept good connections with Magnolia until her passing. With Zeeke taking over, he knew how to benefit from the fact that their business was crucial for functionality of Highgrove and managed to secure even more money for him and his sister but the connection with Magnolia family was lightly shaken. Now they are only keeping things mutual on business level and no other.

Zeeke now has his own unit of guards and people to lead his business. Lolo is constantly left on the side to live the life of luxury and hidden loneliness. While Zeeke cares about her well being, he always failed to learn about her and get too close to his own sister, always being more focused on finances, benefits, business, money... He is certain he is giving her the best life he can.

Years ago, sometime when members of Magnolia and other nobles from Highgrove visited Hallownest, he stumbled upon a small, wandering vessel. Through their stay in the kingdom, learning about the Hollow Knight and digging out more information, he learned what vessels were originally meant for. Zeeke hid them and taken them back to Highgrove, knowing that the discarded treasure of a king was rare and precious and that he could use it himself. If the vessels were built to serve with no will, mind or voice, then he would give this one a purpose to serve him...

Eventually named Trail by Lolo, Zeeke payed and provided for what ever was necessary for the vessel to grow strong and skilled while also making sure it stayed loyal, perfectly obedient and reactive to any of his commands. He thought Trail that, as a vessel discarded by their father and king for being impure, they should still have a use and serve those who still find themselves bellow the kings and queens like them. While seeming with good intentions to Trail at first, they cling onto this purpose, later learning fear that they might be discarded once again. This put pressure on Trail to never act out of line or fail at tasks given by their master Zeeke.

With Trail, Zeeke happily spent earnings on travels to other kingdoms, finding what could be different treasures, items and alike to put in good use. It helped Trail grow into a very skillful fighter as well, spending time training with different masters but also fighting in rings and such, which Zeeke found amusing and productive. He could do anything with money.

Returning to Hallownest for the Trial of Fools where Trail lost to God Tamer, he learned that there are more vessels seen around the kingdom. Not liking the idea of someone else potentially having something as strong as Trail, he set himself a new mission to either take in small ones he finds to train if cooperative and if not to just have them killed.

An encounter with Yonna and Pilgrim the vessel at the Colosseum ended up in a dispute, causing a problem that alarmed even God Tamer who chased Zeeke and his guards away from the place. Zeeke lost an eye to Yonna while Trail, for the first time ever, disobeyed their master by refusing to kill Pim, playing it off as too busy saving their bleeding master before fleeing the scene...

After locating the troublesome group at the crystal mines, Zeeke ordered an assassination on them while using Trail to draw out Pim and Trav. While others barely escaped death and dying in flames after the place was set on fire, Trav suffered injury from both Zeeke and Trail and Pim was kidnapped. Zeeke’s plan was to train and introduce Pim to Lolo, who visited Hallownest shortly after. He planned them as a gift, a pet or a useful companion for Lolo so she would leave Trail be when training, not considering the friendship the two built.

Soon, they were located within the city by Yonna, Silva, Trav and Mugo and Lolo was held hostage by the moth. Zeeke was furious but also terrified for his beloved sister. Trail could only surrender and beg to follow along as the group used Lolo as a way to escape with Pim. Lolo was reunited with Zeeke later, but not before learning the truth about her brother... she confronted him, demanding he stopped the nonsense with the vessels and hurting people. While frustrated, Zeeke loves Lolo too much to lose her. He is afraid of loneliness. He complied, and the two returned to Highgrove without Trail...

Zeeke as also arranged a meeting with the leader of White Magnolia, having an information to spare about a certain moth the dragontail butterfly might be interested in...

---

Characteristics:

Zeeke: +: Smart, strong, organized, leadership skills -: Obsessive, vulnerable, emotionally detached, arrogant n: Stubborn, wealthy, influencing

Inventory:

Zeeke:

A lot of money: either from his home currency or the local one

A weapon: (TBA, due to current events, possibly the pictured charged lumafly nail)

The Training Whistle (currently to be replaced as the original is in Pim’s possession atm): Certain blows mean different commands that only Trail knows and responds to with amazing speed and accuracy.

Whispering Dread Charm (installed on left eye): Awakes fear and doubt within enemies if looked at, intimidating the enemies.

“They are just tools!”

Zeeke uses ‘it’ instead of “they/them” to refer to vessels. It’s rude and it objectifies them, discarding their capability to hold personality or emotion.  

A BIT MORE ON ZEEKE