"You'll hear the island before you see it. A dissonant cacophony of ten thousand voices..."
Many Barks
"...and we ignored all of them and the warnings they told us. I saw that scathing gaze peering down at us from the cliff top, but I kept my mouth shut. 'Why' is still something I'm asking myself too. We knew enough, but we stepped foot on shore anyways. We have no excuse. It's our own fault that we're all here now. Permanent residents of the place we wanted to know about so badly that we were driven to so heinously trespass."
form
abnormal, social, seaside cliff, modest original form: cliff side roost pronouns: she/her/hers
name A small piece of information that took an enormously large amount of time to arrive upon. Previously as a stooped piece of rock, hunched against wind and waves, she did not need a name, and she believed as such even after she'd been granted a new form. When asked what her name was, she'd respond, puzzled, in the many vocalizations of the colonies she'd been a home to. An awkward melody of whistles and growls that was not a name. With time, and many other awkward starts, she settled on the series of barks from the Crested Auklets, themain populationof the colony she once supported. At first, it was just the sounds, a blurred series of their hallmark chihuahua barks predominantlyused in socialization, but as she stumbled over language, eventually, the words "Many Barks" coalesced and she settled into this suitable title.
build Many Barks is a surprisingly compatible combination of sturdy nimbleness. Her physical form is quite dense; a quality developed from eras of standing against the blustery gales and storms of her boundary. When traveling outside of her home, she does not shift phase, or change her form in any way. It is very important to her that she maintains a complete, solid sense of herself, as it keeps her rooted of her previous existence. Essentially, she's a solid brick house at all times, but that being said, she can also hop between narrow ledges and nooks on her cliff-face boundary. Her favorite activity is to check on all of her feathered neighbors, see their newly hatched eggs, and investigate any new nests. She has an incredibly watchful eye that does not miss much. Many Barks has two coats; a white winter coat with wavy fur that's of medium length, and she also has a black summer coat of shorter fur. There is also a hint of russet brown that can be seen on her back during the summer months. In both spring and fall, she aggressively sheds, and she can be depicted in any state between these two coats, however her head always remains coal black.
enchantment Aethia cristatella, Crested Auklets, are truly a fun and funky crew. They are the only known bird species that use smell to communicate with each other. Their feathers have a very strong, citrus-like aroma, and Many Barks is no different. The purpose of this odor is not known, and it's speculated that it used as form of socialization, lice deterrent, or, perhaps, a combination of both. Colonies of auklets, which can be around 100,00 strong, have a seasonal occurrence of the citrus scent, but Many Barks' perfume is permanently present. Crested Auklets also display a signature ruff sniff that is hypothesized to socialize with others, a citrus assessment if you will, and Many Barks does the same. However, a few haphazard encounters where this was not well received has taught her this maneuver should not be used as an initial greeting. Instead, she will ruff sniff esks that she considers friends and are comfortable with it.
boundary and elemental Many Barks' boundary is hard to find, and that's not by accident. Geographically, her island* is among the last few islands in the string of Aleutian Islands off of the Alaskan coast. This area is naturally extremely foggy, but her particular crag is often cloaked in dense cloud cover even on mild days. In more temperamental times, her overcast skies turn dark, and sea waves become feral mountains slamming against the cliff. Often it's human presence that elicits such a reaction, but other times, such storms are unprompted. Regardless, physical travel to her boundary is dangerous and not recommended. Let her met you elsewhere.
familiars and nature features If you decide to risk an appearance, the arctic terns will find you first. They're known for three major things; being loud, aggressive, and well-traveled. Acting as alarms, they are the first to notify Many Barks of any newcomers to her boundary. Though their rowdy calls may not be understood by guests, they relay a plethora of details to their ghostly guardian. Mimicking the behavior of their living counterparts, Many Barks' arctic terns will nest along coastal beaches and spend long hours hovering over water. Their vigilance is extensive and hard to escape. Many Barks' island is home to several, hard to find species and endangered species and is protective of her home for good reason;red legged kittiwakes, arctic terns, and puffins are all experiencing major population declines. Furthermore, her Aleutian shield fern,Polystichum aleuticum, is one of the most rare plants in North America. It was originally discovered by W.J. Ayerdam on Atka Island in 1932, and since then, there are have been 2 other populations discovered on Mt. Reed for a total of 117 specimens existing as of 1999. Searches on other islands in the Aleutian Island chain have not yielded populations in other locations. It might go without saying, but the Aleutian shield fern is listed as endangered and current populations face threats that have been either been introduced or exacerbated by human development. Natural factors that limit the growth of the Aleutian shield fern are not currently known. *Many Barks' island is a fictional location and does not exist. The geographic location is restricted to the particular area described due to non-fictional rarity of her nature feature
relationships
Many Barks treats her boundary as a place of purposeful solitude. When she leaves, it's with the pointed decision to socialize, and despite Many Barks' mixed feeling about humans, she is actually very friendly towards other esks. She can be a bit awkward to socialize with, especially during fast paced, verbal, conversation-- it's understandable when you used to be a rock rooted in the ocean. However, communication via sounds, body language, and action are more natural and comfortable to her. Any awkward silences or blunders do not hinder her, as she appreciative for the interaction all the same.
Thuja
Pingo
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Snipped from the same cloth, Thuja and Many Barks get along like two peas in a pod. Both are natural sea-born spirits even if they're from different roots spread across two different seas. Thuja's chorus of yips and whistles is easily met with Many Barks' enthusiastic cacophony of, well, barks. Stemming from similar origins, Many Barks feels like Thuja intuitively understands Many Barks' intention and meaning, thus, Many Barks will often seek out Thuja's opinion and guidance, even if it's a chirp and playbow, on a variety of matters.