Squirrel Rustle

**Squirrel Rustle** is a kenku assassin PC in the Shattered Lands DnD Campaign.

### Appearance

Squirrel Rustle is a Kenku that stands at 4'4" with a slightly-hunched stature. He has black feathers and black eyes. A scar stretches from the right side of his beak to the rear of his head. A sheath with a dagger can be found on his side at all times, and sometimes one may catch a glimpse of a bottle with an unknown liquid hidden underneath his cloak. On most of his fingers he bears multiple rings that he has stolen. His left index finger has the most rings at a count of three.

### Abilities

Being a kenku, Squirrel Rustle does not possess his own voice. In place, however, is the ability of mimicry. Mimicry allows Squirrel Rustle to communicate and reproduce any noise he has heard in the past. This means he cannot create his own new sentences, but can rather piece together different phrases and words he has heard to formulate a sentence. This causes variances in his voice in regard to pitch. Additionally, he is able to recreate sounds such as wind blowing, thunder booming, and the sound of a waterfall.

Squirrel Rustle has the innate ability to duplicate the handwriting and craftwork of other creatures. This can be used to produce perfect copies of documents or to forge a letter to gain access to restricted locations.

### Allies

* Alyson - A masked woman that offered Squirrel Rustle bread in the Cat's Paw. Since then, Squirrel Rustle has taken an odd liking to her.
* Blacksmith - A random traveler that spoke a lot of his adventures. Though he never shared his name, Squirrel Rustle loved hearing his stories and wishes to reunite with him. This is the person that gave Squirrel Rustle his deep voice.
* B.O.B. - Squirrel Rustle found an odd fascination with this ancient warforged bartender. Though he cannot read, his ignorance humors Squirrel Rustle tremendously.
* Cain - Though Squirrel Rustle does not know who exactly Cain is, he loves his legendary beard. After being helped out several times at the Cat's Paw, Squirrel Rustle realized that Cain was a reliable ally.
* Odlid - A wandering alchemist Squirrel Rustle met that taught him many new phrases and words. Also gave Squirrel Rustle his love for alchemy. If you find Squirrel Rustle's usual voice annoying, thank Odlid.
* That One Guard - This guard saved Squirrel Rustle from two other guards that were chasing him during a drunken stupor. Though he does not know his name, he is thankful for the kind act "That One Guard" performed.

### Behavior

Squirrel Rustle is an extroverted and bubbly kenku that enjoys the presence of others. He wants to constantly learn more, specifically in regard to alchemy, so anytime he meets new people he wants to get acquainted with them to gain their knowledge. If he sees new liquids and plants, he wants to know as much as possible about them.

Squirrel Rustle tends to use short quips such as "BA CAWK" or "Caw Caw" before and after speaking. This is not something every kenku does and is instead something he does as a sort of odd joke. He also enjoys mocking others by immediately repeating new phrases he learns from them. Primarily, he does this to learn the phrase, but has found strange humor in the reactions of those he has conversations with.

"Hello, I am B.O.B." ~ B.O.B.

"Hello, I am B.O.B., BA CAWK" ~ Squirrel Rustle

Squirrel Rustle also has an affinity for alchemy due to the teachings of Odlid, a friend he met while wandering. Though he does not know much, he knows he likes the tiny explosions and reactions that alchemy can produce. One particular knack he has is for poisons of all sorts. He dreams of concocting wide varieties of poisons to use on others and wants to reunite with Odlid to show him what he has learned. As a result of this affinity, one may find Squirrel Rustle picking at random plants and staring at potions in shops.

## Back Story

A lone kenku wandered Zoltaria. After being exiled from his clan due to the accusation of being the bearer of a curse, the unnamed creature had nowhere to go. At first, the kenku couldn’t speak and knew no phrases or words. To get food, he would imitate soothing noises he heard to travelers. For years after, the nomad scavenged food and stole from wanderers by using basic phrases and words to persuade others. He would also steal anything seemingly shiny like rings, utensils, and, his personal favorite item, daggers. One group the creature refused to get involved with was the Mortuary Cult, though he has unknowingly been helped out by them various times. Over time, he collected more phrases to mimic. Managing to coax his way onto a ship heading to Exarea, he heard new noises he never heard before in the open desert areas. The folding of ocean waves, rustles of a squirrel, cries of deer, and even the thundering of a waterfall.

Being in the south-eastern part of Exarea, the creature had no idea where to go. With only two daggers and several stolen rings, he embarked on a journey of hatred against his clan. His ambition is to go back to the clan that betrayed him and kill them all, but he could not do so in his current state. He needed to become stronger first. The kenku practiced stabbing and cutting against inanimate objects in the forest and also learned to blend in with his surroundings. He knew his ability to hide was adequate whenever other animals would not scurry off in fear by hearing or seeing him. Once his skills with the dagger and hiding were proficient, he sought to be quicker. The faster he moved, the less time a victim could react. His dexterity increased as he learned to swiftly traverse the difficult terrains within Exarea. Though his dexterity was daunting, his insatiable desire for more swiftness will never be fulfilled.

One day while the creature playfully imitated the sound of a squirrel rummaging, two young and inexperienced elvish hunters wandered into his vicinity hoping to find their next thrill. Seeing random humanoids with weapons scared the creature, causing him to instinctively assassinate a hunter before they even made contact with him. The other hunter, screaming and in a panic, shot an arrow randomly which scathed the cheek of the kenku. The kenku ran and managed to break free. The only words he heard prior to his murdering were, “Squirrel Rustle. Shh…”

Squirrel Rustle's heart pounded after his first humanoid kill, and the thrill served as a new high he never before experienced. He wanted to kill more people, but he also wanted to be liked. Using the maximum potential of a bird's brain, he decided that he would only kill those that were oppressive, very disliked, or (if he ever pledged loyalty to anyone) a target chosen for him. He needed a new, safer way to kill, however. Being too close to an enemy was dangerous, even with his skills. He learned that certain plants and mushrooms were naturally poisonous after watching young animals attempting to eat them and shortly after dying. This caused him to start to collect them. Since his clan betrayed him, he found humorous comfort in the possibility of betraying others by spiking their food.

Squirrel Rustle began to get braver with his newfound abilities and natural poisons. He started nearing villages, introducing himself to the villagers as his first victim’s last words. The kenku learned to hold back his killer's instinct and to control his emotions to avoid unnecessary killing and a bad reputation. After all, he did need a reliable source of resources. Over time, several villages came to have a liking for Squirrel Rustle, and they showed their love for him by giving him food and an occasional wash for his clothes. They also taught him how to properly cook. Squirrel Rustle made a vow to himself to protect these villages despite his initial intent to leech from them.

Even though Squirrel Rustle is still well-liked in his communities, his years as a nomad gave him a liking for travel. He began heading west and often roamed the roads looking for new travelers to learn from, though he is usually met with hostility. When met with hostility, Squirrel Rustle usually flees or cowers to pretend he is scared of his oppressors. He has developed a preference for the element of surprise when it came to hunting animals for food, but does not mind the occasional up-front-and-center fight with creatures he knows he can take on fairly or advantageously. He also developed an ingestible poison that can be used on solid foods or in beverages. This was not a finely made poison, of course. He simply thought grinding down the poisonous flora into a dust made it look cooler and easier to hide. With his poison, he tries to trick those who treat him poorly into having a "make up" meal to make amends. Once his oppressors chat with him and realize he is not so bad, they immediately begin feeling sick halfway through their meal. By this point, it is much too late for them, and they live their final moments in horror and betrayal.

During the spring, Squirrel Rustle encountered a traveling alchemist collecting ingredients for his concoctions. At first, the alchemist was worried that the kenku would try something nefarious, but soon came to realize that he truly had a desire to learn and interact with another person. The alchemist, named Odlid, shared the names and effects of the different ingredients and potions he made and displayed their potential. Squirrel Rustle was in awe and wanted to learn more, specifically about poisons. Odlid taught what he could about poisons and even showed Squirrel Rustle how to liquify the powder he had learned to create from the flora. After a few hours, Odlid had to leave due to the sun setting. Before splitting up, Squirrel Rustle implored Odlid to listen to his short story about his adventures. Odlid, being hesitant at first, gave in and decided to spend an extra hour to hear him out. Squirrel Rustle told of his exile and the people he killed, even going so far as to mimic the last words of each oppressor he murdered. This caused discomfort in Odlid, and they sat in contemplative silence for a few minutes before Odlid dismissed himself. Squirrel Rustle cawed and waved him goodbye. Though they are yet to reunite and their encounter only lasted several hours, Squirrel Rustle had a new desire to find Odlid and impress him with more alchemy he hopes to learn on his travels. There was a balance in Squirrel Rustle's heart now. It was a mixture of hatred for his clan and a love for people that treat him well.

The last city Squirrel Rustle ended up in was the Port of Ulock, where he is still relatively new and desiring to learn about the people.

*"There's something about Squirrel Rustle that's unsettling. His seemingly nonchalant carelessness when interacting with others makes him out to be extroverted and friendly, but his mimicking of the curses and cries of those he has killed tells me otherwise. I'm thankful he sees me as a true friend, or at least I hope." ~* Odlid

"*DAMN BIRD! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY FOOD? AGHHH, SOMEBODY HELP! IT HURTS, IT HURTS, it.. \*violent, bloody coughing\* hurts..." ~* Squirrel Rustle mocking the last words of an oppressor

### Trivia

- Most of the phrases and words Squirrel Rustle knows came from two people: Odlid and an unknown wandering blacksmith. Odlid quickly found out how Squirrel rustle learns how to “speak” and began teaching him many phrases and terminologies, though had a high-pitched voice. The blacksmith had a deep voice and spoke a lot, telling of his adventures to Squirrel Rustle. Though he didn’t intend to teach much, the blacksmith had a profound impact on Squirrel Rustle.

- Squirrel Rustle has a fascination with any and all things that are shiny, but he is meticulous in his approach to obtain shiny things unless he does not feel like it is necessary to be careful.

- Squirrel Rustle's scar came from an arrow that was shot at him after he performed his first murder.

- Squirrel Rustle's favorite sound to reproduce is the sound of a waterfall. He usually does this to destress or calm others.

- Squirrel Rustle's favorite type of poison is consumables. He finds hilarity in the joy people feel while eating up until they realize something is wrong.

- After getting drunk for the first time at the Cat's Paw inn, Squirrel Rustle believes alcohol has the properties of poison without the ability to kill. Finding stronger alcohols is one of his smaller goals.

- Squirrel Rustle loves nature and wants to learn how to draw. This is his first drawing which depicts a deer wandering through the woods: