Carnino Poe Wuutak

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## What He Looks Like

The person is best described as a crow person, a long black beak protruding from his face, instead of skin he has feathers darker than the moon when no light shines on it. He doesn't seem too old, maybe 20s, but it's hard to tell for a bird person. A bow is strung on his back, and has furs and such that hold together this items together, with a spider totem strapped to his belt. He is light on his feat, not making too much noise as he walks. At his side is a giant wolf spider, much wider and shorter than him, but is not sinister looking at all, appearing to be pretty docile.

## His Backstory

Carnino was with his family for his younger life, living in the Great Forests of Laikka. Because of the big forest that they trekked in, they always came across many different animals that he was always almost transfixed by. However, his family was always afraid of them and would always lecture him about the dangers of this forest and to stay away from any animal in there. But he didn’t see the fear that his parents saw in the wildlife.

His family always told the stories of his family and how they’ve been cursed to have to live in this forest. They don’t understand, all they were doing was defending themselves, or that’s how they view it. They say how they accidentally came across a strange spider’s den, and they thought it was empty to they tried to spend the night there, but were met with a large spider, an awakened spider that developed strange arcane powers. They viewed her as evil because of her appearance. They thought they could kill her, but she was too powerful. She isn’t evil, but she knew she had to teach them a lesson somehow. So she placed a curse on the family. This curse prevented them from ever leaving the forest again, unless “they learn”.

And of course the family tried to leave. But when faced with trying to exit the forest, it just seemed there was some invisible force field keeping them in, and no amount of running or hitting broke through it. Even digging under it was a fruitless effort. A family member apparently even went mad from being trapped, ran off into the forest and was never seen again. No one knows if he survived. Albeit, it’s a large forest. But for kenku, the they tend to have the world to live in. It wasn’t for many generations, only about 2 before Carnino came along.

He spent a lot of time thinking on this. Is there a way to break this curse? They didn’t really understand the whole “unless they learn” part. But he saw significance in it. Even though it was only his uncle that went mad to a point he ran off screaming, it seems his whole family was starting to adopt that feeling. So, in the dead of night, he left. He decided to trek closer to where the spiders frequented, where he was sure the spider witch lived. Not long after entering an area that had more signs of spider life, he accidentally stumbled near a giant wolf spider’s web. Immediately he was met with the wolf spider himself. He wasn’t scared. Actually, he was fascinated, but knew he had to respect his territory, so he backed away, wonder in his eyes. He kept coming back after that. Watching from afar, studying the way the spider acts, what it eats. Sometimes not seeing it as it is probably away on hunt. Sitting closer and closer, studying it more. Trying to gain its trust.

Weeks later, after trial and error, and almost getting caught in the web himself, he was able to sit near the web. One day, the spider came up to him with a large dead rat and dropped it in front of him, all 8 eyes expectantly on him. He picked it up, and the spider closed its eyes and got closer. Carnino reached his hand out, and touched his head. It was this moment that he felt something strange. Like, like something disconnection. Being severed. A weight lifted off his shoulders. Somehow, he knew he figured out how to break the curse. However, he felt a more tender bond form between him and the spider. Not of malevolence, but of friendship. Love.

So there he stayed in the forest, meditating the land with the wolf spider at his side, an unbreakable connection between them. One day, he had a strange revelation. Something.... Dangerous. A threat to the wildlife. The part of the Great Forest controlled by the undead scourge of vampires. The Darkwoods. The Mad king rules over this portion of the forest and is threatening the Great Forest because of the threat of expansion. What could he do? Was there anything he could do? He was just one kenku and a spider. But he can’t lose help…

Then, one day he got a message, in the form of a bird. A raven, more specifically. Animal Messenger was cast on it, and the offer was to join a certain guild. It has a scroll of a bunch of paperwork, but that’s not the point. They apparently have kept an eye on him, and they saw potential in Carnino, and knew he couldn’t fight the threats alone. With his spider at his side, he trekked onto where he was told to go, and for the first time in his life, left the forest that he pledged to protect.

## The Mentor's Story

Her history would lie in an experiment from one of the Mad King’s subordinates. They have a plan to weaponize the local wildlife for their own expansion, and are capturing strong beasts to bend to their will. The unarmed giant spider was captured with the rest of her kin, which were all experimented on for different effects and mutations. She was a bit differently selected than her kin, as she was awakened by one of the mages. Because of this, her sentience made her violent, these emotions welling up that made no sense to her, these people hurting her. They taught her, tried to conditioned her that she works for them. But she had a strong will, and despite everything, for some reason knew they were wrong. She could feel nature calling her back. So she bided her time, learning about the arcane so her spellcasting can be used for their purposes. One day, she saw her opening, being led back to her cage, an opening to the outside world she hadn’t see in years. With her strength and her newfound powers, she broke free and fled to the forest. She managed to get away, and found a cave to hide in, where she would live there after.

A while later, that is when the Wuutak family came across her with hostility. She was still conflicted and angry because of what the vampires did, so she acted angrily to them, going as far as to curse them. Maybe it was too harsh, but she didn’t care. They were to stay in this forest until they learned.

It was a surprise, however, when the trees talked about a Kenku with hidden desires. One who rebelled against the nature of his kin. One who wanted freedom. So she sent forth one who she would call a friend. When the Kenku befriended him, she knew that the lesson is starting to sink in for at least one. She lifted the curse on him.

She became sort of a mentor for him, while he wasn’t too versed in the realm of magic, she did what she could from afar. These lessons consisted mostly of her using a spell she learned while being with the vampire, sending, along with sending more creatures for the various lessons.

One day, when she felt he was ready, she told him of the Mad King. Only that he was a threat to the forest and needed to be stopped. It wasn’t long after she couldn’t feel the presence of him in the forest. So now she waits for him.

## Other Information

Kenku names are a bit more of a kind of mash of other things and ideas, as per kenku’s history, so normally their names are pretty strange if you think about it, and they tend to mix a lot of other names, like orcs or elves. Because kenku’s aren’t really a social kind of race, mostly keeping to small bands of families, I wouldn’t see that his name really has any effect on him. It’s just something you are called. However, the Poe part is something I thought of myself because he actually is a bit of a poet. Not the greatest, just more of a hobby. It hasn’t thought to really go by another name, as it doesn’t hold that high of value as it would to most people. And he didn’t have a nickname. And considering his family are kenkus, they of course are just nobodies, Wuutak is just an empty name.

Carnino's alignment is kind of different depending on who is looking at him. I list him as lawful good, but that’s because he is lawful and good towards the wild. For people? Definitely would be viewed as somewhere around chaotic neutral. Because answering the first question, if an animal’s life was on the line, then he would sure as hell open the gates to hell to protect the life from the people who misunderstand the life of these beings. He would be more accepting of people that share the same views of him of course. He does of course have boundaries, like he isn’t an all out horrible person that will kill an ignorant person for hurting an animal, he recognizes that even though they are ignorant, they don’t deserve to die. There is a fine line though between exploitation and cruelty in contrast to ignorance however. And he still realizes the food cycle, so that’s not something to worry about.

His family are just the kind of people he isn’t fond of. Hating creatures that you don’t understand is just wrong in his eyes. While he didn’t like them, they are the reason he developed his own goals. He hasn’t been in contact with them in a while, but it isn’t like he doesn’t think of them. It’s hard to let go of your family, even if they don’t share your beliefs.