#wyrmswood ranger

[xanican-exile]

Though he probably wouldn't have said it aloud, when Venix was still in the Wyrmswood he viewed himself as something of a hero. Leading a band of talented warriors through the wilderness, leaping from the treetops to slay monsters and bandits, keeping the regular folk safe. Whether its from his mother or a natural inclination, he's had a desire to help people from a young age* and becoming a ranger seemed like the perfect way to do just that.

*he's also been a fighter from a young age but that's another topic entirely, and one we've covered a bit before.

This is very much no longer the case. Far from home, his pack gone, the people he was protecting turning on him and other rangers. The things he's done and the mistakes he's made have all but driven that heroic tendency out of him. Leaving him lost and wandering aimlessly, his failures proof that he doesn't measure up to the person he thought he was.

... Of course, he was able to bond with Garmr, and merely desparing of his life wouldn't have been enough to gain the sword's attention. The Anathema Weapon must see something in him that Venix doesn't yet see in himelf.

[lawain-dimensional-heroes]

xanican-exile replied to your post “I should learn how to resist the spell of a elf’s beauty…“ “Cause...”

"Having trouble Maroon?" Smug ranger time

“Venix...Please. Try seeing an elf in the Mythical Forest and you’ll see they’ll get you under a spell that tugs your heartstrings like that.“

[xanican-exile]

Wolfboy!Venix au is basically the same as regular Venix except that he was more affected by the Wyrmswood than regular Ven. So ears and tails and bigger canines. Increased mutation sometimes happens to rangers as they grow up, not all of them as minor or stable as this.

Have a happy wolfy instead of a depressed wolfy for now.

Possibly considering giving him the ability to shift to a more wild form but I'm still up in the air on that.

[xanican-exile]

You know in a lot of ways Venix really shouldn't be here.

He should have died back in Xanica, he was never supposed to get Garmr, he was never supposed to get involved in the events he did.

If things went as they were suppose to he would have had an eventful, unsung life in the Wyrmswood with his pack. Probably dying fairly young like most rangers do

Instead he's out in the world with an ancient, sentient magic sword, pulling his hood whenever he hears people talking about the goings on in his homeland.

He thinks about this a lot.

[xanican-exile]

Do Rangers like Venix practice magic? Can they practice magic? Is it a taboo among Rangers to do magic?

Rangers that are found to have magic talent are almost always taken aside for separate training to become Druids.

Druids are the lorekeepers and pseudo spiritual advisors of the rangers (pseudo because they don't have an organized religion) along with being their mages. They form special connections with the Wyrmswood (indeed, some way with the Great Wyrm himself) to commune with and manipulate the plants and animals of the great forest.

Non druid magic users among the rangers are incredibly rare.

[xanican-exile]

Not a question, but more of a thought. Xanica has an army of mutated, highly dangerous, highly trained individuals who are growing restless with whatever is happening in Xanica. Just imagine if the Rangers revolt, split off and form their own bands. I'm thinking Mercenaries, Raiders, perhaps even Policemen. Can you imagine? How would the world react to these above-human Men and Women spreading into the globe. The sheer chaos of it all.

so quick clarification not because it really affects your answer but because it gives me a neat opportunity to expand on it. The rangers are not Xanica's army. They are an autonomous warrrior culture descended from an amalgamation of various tribes of hunters and warriors who lived in the wyrmswood of pre-modern Xanica with special rights and privileges. The modern rangers were formed somewhere between 200 and 300 years ago as an attempt to consolidate the various disparate warrior groups and put them under some semblance of control while still maintaining the crucial service they provided in combating the dangers of the Wyrmswood. The distinction is likely not very important to foreigners but it does provide a lot of insight into how the rangers view themselves and in turn how the rest of Xanica views them.

ANYWAY

Yes. If rangers revolted, got restless, or otherwise left is actually exactly the situation that is going on right now in Venix's world. A lot of political unrest has broken out across Xanica after the death of their last king Olrim III and his two sons began vying for the throne. Despite being supposedly apart from politics (their loyalty being to the land and people in it, not necessarily to the crown) the rangers ended up getting involved through little fault of their own in events that Venix may or may not have played a direct, if unwitting, role in. Many have taken this as 'proof' that rangers were never to truly be trusted and have began to move against them in (in some place) very violent ways, causing the already decentralized rangers to splinter into various camps, with some packs deciding to try their best to continue their duty, retreating further into the wyrmswood away from civilization. Others deciding that since they are already being accused of joining one side or the other in the now boiling over civil war they may as well pick a side, and others deciding to screw all of this and leave to do their own thing. Its still far too early to gauge what long term effects this will have on the world, but ranger mercenaries and raiders have become a sight in the Northlands where they previously weren't, and nobody knows it this will extend further south.

[xanican-exile]

Are there more Rangers or is Venix the last one? If there are Rangers still alive, how would they feel about Venix not being in Xanica?

There are more rangers, in fact across the whole of the Wyrmswood there was roughly somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 of them. Which isn't as many as you might think given how large of an area they have to guard.

It used to be very rare for rangers to leave Xanica, and most of them would assume he has abandoned his duty which of course he has, but given the recent happenings in Xanica- which I know I have not given many details on because I like to reveal things through interactions but suppose I should at some point just talk all about it- he's likely not the only one who has left, and few would blame him under current circumstances.

[lawain-dimensional-heroes]

“Old Grumpy man Venix doesn’t want to admit that he’s happy that people are happy to see him again~“

[lawain-dimensional-heroes]

xanican-exile replied to your post “Maroon before meeting an elf: “Damn it. I’m not going to let the elves...”

siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimp

“Said the fucking simp for big tits, Ventit!“

[xanican-exile]

Interview the Muse

Do all of them

Long post under the cut

- What is your Full name? Include any maiden names, aliases, or nicknames.

”Venix Savreux. My last name is Mornese, I guess that must be where my mother was from. Its a country a bit to the east of Xanica.” - When is your birthday? Do you know where you were born and at what time?

”I’m actually not sure. I know that my birthday is a few weeks before the first snowfalls, but rangers didn’t really have calendars out in the Wyrmswood.”

- What is your star sign? Do you know your Chinese Zodiac too?

“I don’t know what that means.”

- What is your earliest memory that you can remember?

“My... Mother wiping a bloody scrape on my cheek. I’m really young, can’t be more than 4 or 5? It hurts a lot but I won’t let myself cry. Babies cry, but I won’t. She’s chiding me for getting in a fight, especially with two boys that are bigger than me. But I think a little part of her is proud. They were making fun of me for being a whore’s son.”

- Where was your childhood home? Was it more urban or rural?

“I was born in docks quarter of Esklay, one of the big port cities in Xanica.”

- How was your childhood in general? Did your parents treat you well? Did you have a lot of friends?

“My mother and I didn’t have much. She was a whore, no idea who my dad was, and I wasn’t exactly around there long enough to make friends.”

“Things got a lot better when I joined the rangers though.”

- How was/is school? What is your favorite and least favorite subjects? What were your grades on average?

“I didn’t go to school, but I was trained to be a ranger from the time I was... 8, 9? Something like that. I know I was ranked pretty high among the cadets, I was the top in sword skills, but everyone else that would join my pack was better than me in at least one thing.”

- Did you have a best friend growing up? What was their name? Are you still in touch?

“No, no I’m not in contact with any of them. Vex, Rand, Mako, Velite, Ilia. They.. They aren’t around anymore.”

- Were you in any cliques?

“We were encouraged to become close to small groups, they would become our pack once our training was finished.”

- Best childhood memory you can recall?

“The day my pack became full rangers.”

- Worst childhood memory you can recall?

“... My mom dying.”

- Name an event in your childhood that has shaped you into the person you are today

“Probably the day I was found by the rangers. After my mom died I ran from home, didn’t know where I was going, too young to think beyond getting away. I think it was a few weeks of being on my own, barely surviving on scraps. I guess I was going north, because I eventually ended up in the Wyrmswood. I don’t know how, it’s hundreds of miles from where Esklay is on the coast, must have ended up in one of its southernmost reaches. I.. I ended up passing out around a ranger campfire, barely noticing the people watching me. A lot of lost kids, orphans, bastards, and street rats end up as rangers, but I’ve never heard of any others stumbling on them like I did. Its probably happened, Xanica is pretty big, but I’ve never heard of it. Anyway, when I woke up they fed me, tended to my wounds, and teased my story out of me. I remember one of them asking me if I would like to be strong enough to never let something like this happen again. I took his offer without a second thought.”

- What is the dumbest thing you have ever done to impress someone? Were they impressed or was it all for naught?

“I guess there was a couple times when I was still training that I tried to go off on my own, hunt things I wasn’t ready to to impress our masters. Only took a couple beatings before I stopped doing that though.”

- Did you ever have any sweethearts or lovers? Do you have a boy/girlfriend?

“Not really. I’m on the road a lot, going from place to place. I don’t get time to get close to a girl like that. There is this one bard I seem to keep running into though..”

- Are you a virgin?

“No.”

- Do you ever plan on getting married in your life? Do you want kids?

“I’ve.. never really thought about that. I guess no. Having a family or getting married doesn’t sound like something I can do.”

- Would you rather have your own kids or adopt? How many kids would you want?

“I don’t really have a preference, its hard for my to imagine doing either.”

- Do you think you'd be a protective parent or a relaxed parent?

“I don’t think I’d be a very good one.”

- How would you prefer to pass away? Surrounded by loved ones and at peace, or while doing something heroic?

“Definitely fighting. I want whatever takes me down to remember how much of a struggle it was to kill me.”“

- Generally, how healthy are you? Do you get sick or injured easily or are you fit?

“I do everything I can to stay in peak physical condition. Doing otherwise would mean I end up dead in my line of work.”

- Have you ever been badly injured before?

“Several times. You don’t fight monsters for over a decade without collecting a fair share of scars.”

- What is the worst injury you have ever gotten? What was it and how did it happen? Were you ever close to death?

“This one right here. Those three slashes across my chest? Those are from a Wyrmling. Its like a wyvern but flightless and with four legs. I had to hunt one on my own once. Those claws destroyed my armor, but I would have been turned to paste if I hadn’t been wearing it.”

- How many times have you been to the hospital/doctor's?

“I haven’t been to many hospitals. Those are for sick people, but I’ve had to visit a lot of surgeons and healers over the years to get stitched up or have other wounds treated. I’ve never tried counting how many times I’ve been to those.”

- Have you ever had a concussion or brain injury? Have you ever had amnesia?

“I’ve had more than a few concussions, but I don’t think I’ve ever had amnesia or a serious brain injury, thankfully.”

“...I should really get a helmet.”

- What was the worst illness you ever contacted? Do you know what it was? How long were you sick?

“I don’t know what it was, but there was one time that I was stuck in bed for over a week as a child. It happens sometimes to cadets, they weren’t sure I’d survive, but I proved stronger than they expected.”

- Ever had any extended hospital stays? What for?

“Didn’t I already answer this?”

- Have you ever had to give yourself or someone else emergency first aid? What happened?

“Multiple times. Sometimes they lived, sometimes they didn’t.”

- Are you employed? Where do you work and who do you work for? What do you do?

“I guess you could call me a mercenary. Since leaving Xanica I’ve made my living going from place to place dealing with bandits, poachers, and monsters. Once or twice I’ve been hired to stay on a noble’s estates for a season to keep it guarded. Those jobs are boring, but pay best.”

- Are you happy with your current job?

“...No. Most of it is just busywork. I do it because its what I know, because its closest to what I used to do. But I wish I had something more meaningful to use my skills for.”

- Did you have any previous jobs? What were they and what did you do?

“I was raised to be a ranger. Its what I did until leaving Xanica about 2 years ago.”

- Most dangerous thing you have ever done?

“That’s hard to say. I’ve been involved in a lot of dangerous things. The expedition into the Divide might be at the top though.”

- Do you consider yourself a more active person or a more relaxed person?

“Definitely more active. I’m not good at sitting around doing nothing for than a day or so.”

- What is your dream come true? How about your worst nightmare?

“My... My nightmare already happened. My dream would be for my pack to be alive.”

- What is the biggest and most important goal you have set for yourself?

“To never let what happened to the rangers happen to someone else.”

- How persistent would you say you are? How much does it take to get you to give up on a task?

“I’d like to say I don’t give up easy, but I guess I’ve already given in on the stuff that matters.”

- Would you surrender yourself to your enemies or fight to the very end?

“Fight. I won’t run again, not while there is something I can still do.”

- When do you usually do your shopping? What is currently on your shopping list?

“Usually between jobs, or right after I finish one. Right now I need to get myself some new rope, hardtack, my cloak stitched, and a pan for cooking.”

- Top three things on your wishlist?

“Wyvernhide leather cuirass, a pair of those new glyph inscribed boots that resist water, and a warm chocolate mint drink.”

- Currently, what is something you want but do not need?

“A warm chocolate mint drink “

- Do you like shopping? What is your favorite thing to shop for?

“I don’t know if I like shopping, but I don’t dislike it either, its just something I have to do.”

- What is the most expensive thing you have purchased? Was it worth it?

“My mail shirt. Absolutely worth it, saved my life more than once.”

- What would you do if you were suddenly given one billion dollars out of the blue?

“I’m not sure. I don’t really buy a lot of luxuries. Maybe I would purchase a keep or something? A place to winter at when the roads get snowed over.”

- What would you describe your style of clothing as?

“Practical.”

- Do you have any hobbies? Name all of them if you can.

“I can make simple woodcarvings, I play the flute, and I guess I’ve dabbled in falconry.”

- Do you like and appreciate art? What is your favorite piece of artwork?

- Do you like music? What is your favorite style of music?

- Have you ever seen any musicals? What is your favorite?

- What are your top three favorite animals? What would you say your "Patronus" or "Spirit Animal" is?

“Eagles, Hawks, and Bears. Most rangers would probably say our spirits are most like wolves.”

- What are your top three favorite colors?

“Red, white, and I guess yellow or amber, though that last one is really just with eye colors.”

- What is your favorite season? Do you prefer hotter or colder weather? Do you like snow at all?

“Spring. I can’t stand the snow, it makes it easier to be tracked, and the work always slows down during the winter.”

- What kind of flavors do you prefer: Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Spicy, Dry, or Umami (savory meat taste)?

“Savory is my favorite. I’m not really a fan of sweets aside from fruits. I like mint a lot as well, but I don’t know what that falls under.”

- Can you cook at all?

“Yes. Everyone in the pack took turns cooking. So we all got pretty good at it.”

- What is your favorite dish? Can you prepare it? Do you have the recipe handy?

“I don’t know if I have a favorite, but I do like going to new places and trying their foods.”

- What is your favorite fruit and vegetable?

“Strawberries and onions.”

- What is your favorite dessert? What is your favorite type of candy/treat?

“Choclate is just about the only sweet I enjoy.”

- What is the best thing you have ever had the opportunity to eat? What is the worst?

“Xanican haggis is always a treat.”

- Do you like to drink tea or coffee? Any favorite flavors?

“Both are good, as I said earlier I like mind a lot.”

- Describe your sense of humor.

“Sarcasm.”

- What is one thing you are justly proud of?

“My skill with a sword. I’ve always been good with a blade. The best of all the rangers in my age group.”

- Do you have any religious beliefs? If not, have you ever been to a church service?

“Everyone pays respect to the gods, but I wouldn’t say I’m really religious. I’ve had to go to a few services when going to priest or nun healers. They usually make that their payment.”

- What would you say is the worst thing someone has done to you? What is the meanest thing someone has ever said to you?

"Tricking my pack into helping stoke the fires of a civil war and then getting them all killed. Anything that’s been said to me doesn’t even come close to that.”

- What is the worst thing you have done to someone? What is the meanest thing you have said to anyone?

“I’m not really sure. I tend not to talk much unless I have something really worth saying, insults are usually not worth the effort.” “Worst thing I’ve ever done to someone is definitely kill them. I’ve had to kill quite a few people.”

- Share the latest entry in your diary/journal.

“I can’t write.”

- What is the most precious thing you own? Is it valuable at all?

“Garmr. My sword. Over a thousand years old. I’ve heard some people say that its worth a kingdom, I wouldn’t know, and I don’t plan to sell it.”

- Talk about someone you know. It can be someone you either like or dislike.

“Rubio. He’s just a kid, got a lot of heart but a chip on his shoulder too. He’s had a rough start to his life, and I’m hoping to teach him a few things so he can make the rest of it better.”

[xanican-exile]

🗝　When your pack died.

Send 🗝 to force my muse to talk about a topic they never want to speak of 

Despite everything, Venix stayed silent for a long time, long enough that it almost seemed as though he would refuse to talk anyways. “....We couldn’t have known.” His voice was quiet, barely more than a whisper. “We were told we were going to be stopping a rebellion, that some lord was allying with bandit clans in the Wyrmswood, that he would be declaring independence now that the old king was dead. Even we’d eventually heard that old Olrim finally passed away, when a strong, long lived monarch finally dies is a risky time for any kingdom. At least that’s what we were told by the man who came to us for help.”

“We almost didn’t do it. It was too close to getting involved in politics, something rangers don’t do. Nobody could remember the last time anyone from court had come to ask the rangers for something like this. He said he was a trusted servant for one of the king’s sons, but with nobody declared king yet we weren’t sure if we should listen. In the end we decided we couldn’t say no. If a civil war broke out and we could have stopped it but did nothing that blood would be on our hands. So my pack and 2 others trekked to western Xanica to take out the rebels before they could become a threat.”

“...We were lied to. Didn’t find it out till after the blood of that count was on our blades. There was no rebellion. The man we killed was a neutral party in tensions that were growing between the old king’s sons over who would take the throne. Both sides blamed the other for hiring us for the hit. War broke out within a week, and my brothers and sisters were being hunted from one end of Xanica to the other.”

“My.. My pack didn’t make it out alive from that mission. We were surrounded, called traitors and monsters. Dozens of soldiers. I watched Neph and Rand go down, Mako take arrow after arrow to her chest, Vex, Ilia...” He caught his breath, holding back tears.

“I shouldn’t have run. I should have stayed to try and save them. They were my family, I was their leader they looked up to me, they trusted me and I ran away like a coward!”

[xanican-exile]

"Oh demon kids are stronger than you humans think. One kid could mop the floor with a dozen or so human warriors and still have enough energy to doodle on the walls with permanent marker and so on." Amelia explained. "They just dont know their own strength so if one of them tackles you in a game of Tag you, uh, might have one or two of your bones break by accident."

"I think you underestimate my strength, Amelia." Venix grinned. "Rangers have the magic of the Wyrmswood in their body, we're tougher than regular humans."

[xanican-exile]

"Ooooh I get it! Duh! You should have totally went with a blue Cape! Actually why bother with a cape at all? Wont it get stuck or grabbed or something?" Amelia asked, wanting to be nosy. "Or is it just a fashion statement?"

"All rangers have cloaks." Venix crossed his arms. "When I left Xanica I got myself a new one. Couldn't wear something this bold in the wyrmswood... wanted to have a bit of color."

[xanican-exile]

Soo Venix, what is your opinion on the sort of beings that could be classified as monsters? Those that are not even human at all in many ways despite trying to act like one and live among them?

“I’m a ranger, I’ve spent my whole life watching the Wyrmswood for anything that would seek to harm regular folk who can’t defend themselves. That doesn’t just mean bandits and foreign soldiers. Things that could be called monsters would kill the people we’re supposed to protect without a second thought. I’ve hunted down my fair share of them.”

“I might not be in Xanica anymore, but I still have the talent and the skill to keep people safe from creatures that would kill them.” He went quiet for a moment. “So, I guess it’s still my responsibility to hunt down those sorts of creatures when I’m able.”

[xanican-exile]

If I don’t get it tomorrow, then sometime this weekend I am going to put out a massive and in depth world building post about Venix’s home country of Xanica

Expect after that at some point for equally massive and in depth posts about the wyrmswoods and the rangers, to put both of those into more detail

[xanican-exile]

A fang? Venix, are you a vampire?

"I'm a ranger. We all have a few teeth that are a bit sharper. Its one of those things that living in the Wyrmswood does, along with the pointed ears and all of us having green eyes."