C.D.

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   **This article contains spoilers. Reader discretion is advised.***A survivor in the "Hopeless" series, C.D. is a former sentry at a spice processing facility who now keeps watch for a tribe as a means of work. She's a playful soul (though quite obnoxious) and while not very strong, her kind excels in agility and stealth.* —In-game description.*C.D.

## History

### Pre-CME:

For the majority of her young adulthood, C.D. (as she prefers to go by) has worked part-time at a spice processing facility—more particularly, as a nighttime sentry. Along with a group of other similarly-skilled aliens, C.D. helped serve as part of the facility’s eyes and ears in the dark, watching out for smugglers and other unwanted guests.

Part of the facility’s code of conduct required all sentries to be equipped with an “Icy Band”—a non-combative item for subduing any unwanted guests if they should happen upon that. Fortunately, C.D. rarely, if not ever had to use this, but she secretly still kept the band as a means of self-defense in her everyday life (even though she was supposed to return it to the facility after clocking out). In fact, her role in the facility was quite tame. As an observant creature, C.D. preferred to watch the struggle unfold after altering the authorities, and if she was lucky, she would have a front-row seat from her post as some unlucky sap was caught trying to smuggle out spice.

It was night-in, day-out in a rather mediocre job, though she eventually saved up enough to quit and get her life down the road. At the time, a small pleasure cruise on Zanzooze-3 seemed like a great way to spend her vacation week with some of her former co-workers—including her friend, Tarna—as a "going away" celebration. With outlandish scenery, exotic seafood, and as a lover of the ocean, this was certainly appealing to her senses. Furthermore, the boat was just small enough to traverse the planet's more shallow waterways; it was the perfect atmosphere to jump start her new career. Now was the moment to just sit back, open up the computer, aaaand—!

*\*THUNK.\**

…One (supposed) CME later, and C.D. has found the ship (and herself by extent) floating stagnantly in the ocean. What's worse, her computer had also powered out! The situation was certainly alarming, yet not too bad… until the engineers discovered the source of the problem: their ship's electric motors had completely shut down. Although various theories were thrown around, not a soul could figure out the cause for this. An uneasy air began to settle on board as the minutes passed, and the passengers and crew alike couldn't get a trace of a signal from outside the planet's atmosphere. There was no calling for help.

*\*GROAN!\**

A deep, muffled moan resonated throughout the ship's hull. No one knew what it was, but one thing was for certain: it wasn't the engines. It turns out that, through a stroke of bad luck, they had smashed into the side of a cliff face due to the ocean's stormy temperament. With the electronics down and no hope of escape, all of the passengers (including C.D.) panicked. This did not help their situation.

An unsteady \*CRACK!\* sounded as the hull began to tear apart and a gush of water flooded into the halls, swooping up the passengers and busting down doors—a torrent of water had also shattered the window and greeted C.D.'s room. Being drenched made her fur quite heavy and unable to fly, so she had no choice but to propel herself out of the rapidly-engulfing waters and through the flooded window. Exhausted and on the verge of passing out, she clung onto a stray piece of driftwood for dear life and watched as the cruise ship split in half and sink beneath the waves, presumably dragging down unlucky inhabitants still trapped on board along with it.

Then… she blacked out.

### Post-CME:

The shore that C.D. awoke upon wasn't any better. Sheltered beneath a cove, the rocky expanse was littered with shells, gravel, and debris from the ship that had found its way there. The cove's seclusion offered a safe refuge, but made finding nearby vegetation—and therefore animals and any signs of life—rather difficult. Alone and unsure, it was there she decided to make her roost for the time being. After all, some of the debris may still be salvageable, and the cove would be a good source of obtaining her diet of seafood.

C.D. was left to wander the dark by herself, reduced to little more than a shadow trying to survive the night. Times were tough. As a survivor living on her own, she had neither company nor someone to rely on when things got bleak, and while she was quick enough to catch a stray flopping fish or two, there were still many times where she went unfed. Tired of playing the same old game, C.D. decided to broaden her options and venture out from underneath the cove.

While searching for a more hospitable environment to take roost, the sun eventually came back up and C.D. was forced to turn back. As she did so, she caught sight of something on the horizon: Luiwalkne tribesmen on the hunt. Curious, or perhaps alarmed, they rushed at her. There was nowhere to hide nor fly in the open expanse, so C.D. had no choice but to run—she didn't get far. The tribesmen quickly caught up to her, and seeing as how she was weak, underfed, and far too brittle to fend herself from their spears, took her back to camp. However, since C.D. hadn’t done anything perceived as “wrong”, it was decided they would let her go.

Instead, C.D. did not leave. After witnessing the Luiwalknes' hospitality and mercy, she begged them to let her stay, as she had little to go back to and saw opportunity for a better life. Some disagreements and discussion took place, but ultimately, a deal was made: she would be allowed to stay within tribal grounds, but like any other she would have to take responsibility. As a result, C.D. was "hired" in exchange for food and shelter to keep watch during the night, since the tribe had been suffering from mysterious robberies as of late…

For the first few weeks, C.D.’s acceptance in the tribe was limited. She had to be inside before the sun was up, there were certain areas were she could and could not go, and as a result she mostly stayed out of sight. Little by little, however, C.D. slowly gained the trust of her peers as well as access to certain privileges, and she even made a few small friendships with the Luiwalkne (though not everyone was open to her, of course, due to bad experiences with past survivors). By the end of the first month, seeing her stride throughout the camp was a fairly common sight.

…Except for during the mating season, of course. C.D. learned pretty quickly through a brief, yet unpleasant sexual encounter that she should steer clear during that time.

Life wasn’t perfect, but it was better than how it was when she was on her own. In the tribe, C.D. was protected, fed, and even had a shady post to rest at after a long night. Although her loyalty is somewhat questionable at times (as she tends to bend the rules and still yearns to return home), she continues to serve her skills in the best way she knows how: by watching over the night.

Whether or not some of the cruise ship's other inhabitants remain alive is still unbeknownst to her.

## Hopeless

Sharples, Florian, Vanuex, and Soren found C.D in the Kankdernan camp. After some conversation, it is revealed that her cruise ship crashed; she then worked for the Luiwalkne for awhile, but moved on after discovering the survivors' plane crash. The survivors offered to let her stay with them as they might have a chance of returning home, and after bidding farewell to the Kankdernan chieftain, C.D left with them.

Shortly after arriving at the survivors' camp, it became known that they had past interactions with the Luiwalkne, who were still pursuing them. What's more, their chieftain (later named Dantius) had been captured by Nassanda. During a group meeting, C.D voted to take the chieftain to the Kankdernan village, but it was ultimately decided that the group would negotiate with the Luiwalkne instead.

C.D went with Sharples, Flowerfox, Reblon, and Nassanda to survey the area when they happened upon a new camp and a survivor called Starlet, who was invited over for a boxing match with Nassanda.

The negotiation failed due to Corvus (who turns out to still be alive) and Starlet's aggressive actions, and the survivors fled (taking with them Dantius) to the Kankdernan tribe. After helping the survivors become adjusted to the new village, C.D went with Nassanda to search for Reblon, Vanuex, and Soren, who stayed behind when the negotiation failed. There, they confronted Corvus—who had a rather "risque" encounter wit Nassanda—and, after teasing her a bit about it, C.D returned with them to the Kankdernan village.

## Personality

(+) Calm and easygoing — she is difficult to offend and doesn't care for arguments. "Bard" philosophy.

(+) Gets things done quickly — she doesn’t wait to get work done and takes pleasure in helping.

(+) Playfully snarky/sarcastic — she enjoys screwing around with others in a harmless, teasing manner.

(+) Understanding and patient with others — she is considerate of her peers and can wait tolerantly.

(-) Cranky when hungry/woken up too early — she becomes snappy and agitated while in this state.

(-) Forgetful and lets things slip — she struggles with her memory and has a loose tongue. Whoops.

(-) Loyalty can waver and may seem aloof — she is neutrally-driven and amuses in seeing others' reactions.

(-) Tends to observe rather than take action — she waits and lets events take their course, good OR bad.

## Strengths & Weaknesses

(+) Chiropteran agility/stealth — she can scale structures quickly and silently with little effort.

(+) Has knowledge of the land and tribe culture — she has an easier time with diplomacy among tribes.

(+) "Icy Band" gear — she uses this to immobilize attackers and escape, good for support in combat.

(+) Keen observer/listener — she is more likely to detect someone before they are to detect her.

(-) Bad eyesight — she has difficulty seeing (even with her glasses) and mostly relies on hearing.

(-) Brittle and physically weak — she can’t hold her own in fights and is prone to injury and stamina loss.

(-) Often passive and/or submissive in confrontations — she will either flee or hide when conflict breaks out.

(-) Unable to fly when wet — she is physically disabled when drenched (though she can still swim).

## Trivia

* As her illegitimate possession of the "Icy Band" suggests, C.D. is not above breaking a few rules.
* C.D. is based on a microbat, more specifically the fish-eating *Myotis vivesi*.
* Her favourite swear word is "damn" and variations of the like. She's also quite fond of "flipping the bird".
* Her watch has since stopped working due to being waterlogged, but she wears it anyways because it gives her comfort.
* Her wings make up approximately 20% of her body's mass.
* *Myostis* Chiropterans can't digest land meat and most plant matter.
* *Myostis* Chiropterans have evolved the ability to survive by drinking seawater.
* Seafood (especially fish and hard-shelled morsels) is her preferred diet. Arthropods work as a secondary option, and algae aids in digestion.
* She doesn't swear often—mostly for comedic effect and emphasization.
* She identifies as a "Neutral Good" character on the alignment spectrum.
* She keeps a feather behind her right ear as part of the tribe's culture. It was taken from a bird that represents illusions and wisdom.

* She often has trouble grasping larger things with her thumbs, so most labor is done with her opposable feet.
* She prefers to rest on elevated areas, such as trees and posts. Sticking to the ground too long may cause her to become anxious.
* She used to wear a bodysuit to shield herself from rain and humidity, though has since worn it out while on the island.
* There is supposed to be a crack in her left glasses lens.