Cypress/Synopsis

Overview ⬩ Gallery ⬩ Relationships ⬩ **Synopsis**

## **Prior To Rule of Claw**

### **Early Life**

As far as Cypress can remember, he spent his entire life in the monastery. Born and raised, his entire time in the temple was simple and quiet. Mass prayer, cleaning, studying, and general maintenance took up his time, but sometimes the temple sheltered in times of crisis. During these times, he would be taken away and hidden to not bring any attention. Many of the brothers thought people who would see Cypress would want to take him away, or possibly worse. No one has seen an Aarakocra before he'd shown up. There are holes in his memory, but he doesn't seem to mind as long as his brothers are safe.

### **St. Cielo’s Respite Temple**

As mentioned before, the temple maintenance was left to Cypress since he can fly and move around quickly. He was shown that assisting others was always a good deed that wouldn't go unnoticed. For 5 years, he'd do his absolute best on his studies and on his daily chores. Prayer time was always something sacred and special to him. Along with his tasks, he also dabbled in other responsibilities meant for other brothers, like helping with obtaining monthly supplies from traders, sorting the library, and leading prayers. After a raid in the temple, he begged to learn how to fight. Eventually, Father Dominic caved and allowed Cypress to train under the Guardian Monks. He learned how to use martial weapons and hand to hand techniques.

Cy asked once and once only about who his parents were and why they'd leave him instead of raising him. Unknown to him, that's about the time Brother Lynde began to act suspicious. He'd never want to hang around Cypress outside of prayer time or during training. The only answer ever given to him from Lynde was, "I'm sorry, little one. I only found you outside the gate one day." That was that, and his life continued unaltered for another year. During one of his hikes to the top of the mountain, Saracen and Markos had shown up with brimming eagerness to see the temple. Some time after the visit, the temple got raided once more from an unknown attacker, but didn't seem interested in anything but the brothers, at least what Cypress thought. He knew no one else could find them but himself, and he could show what the 5 years of being at the temple would prove. With a temporary goodbye, the remaining brothers bid Cypress good luck as he headed out to the last known location of the assailants.

## **Dream**

Flying, you feel lost. Unstable. From the ground below you can see the temple, the path leading up to it. As you circle back, what looks like a sea serpent or dragon eating its own tail, surrounding the temple in a tight coil. You fly in to stop it, but you are caught in a web. Thin silk ropes, stronger than steel trap you, as a gigantic, fanged spider bares down upon you.

“August 29th. Subject C-12.” Says the spider, crawling closer and rising up, legs curling in on itself to change its form. “My notes say that this subject managed to remain unaffected by initial experimentation. However as in past cases with similar C-subjects, internal augmentations occurred slowly.”

Glancing around, you are in a room. Clean, dark mostly but with areas that are spot-lit. Other people are close to you, sleeping as they are naked and strapped down to tables, animals too. Several humans, an elf, a dragonborn, possibly a changeling too, further along you cannot see what it is but you can hear pained breathing. A body beside you, an Aaracokra, lifeless and cut apart. You cant see what is inside, but it smells burnt. Metallic.

The spider stabs something into your arms, a disgusting feeling of blood being drawn out. You try to cry out to make the spider stop. Looking down at yourself, you cant see your own body, it keeps changing, shifting between shapes. Feathers, scales, large as a mountain, tiny as a mouse, yet contained and held down by the silk.

“Subject C-12 is alert and awake.” Says the spider into a shiny silver matchbox he carries. “High levels of morphine have been administered, and so they will not be aware of the vivisection.” Something shiny and sharp flashes above you, a scalpel, and as the spider makes the first incision, you scream.