Rook

## About Them

Rook is a bug that’s foreign to the kingdom of Hallownest known as a Soldier Ant, hailing from a distant kingdom known as Pharloom and claiming to have been sent to the dilapidated place as part of a quest, the specifics of which she seems keen to keep to themselves, despite that, they don’t appear to be openly hostile. Many bugs have taken to watching the traveller closely, entranced by her beautiful bronze armour-like shell and strange, long weapon, not quite nail nor pin but exceptionally dangerous all the same.

## Background

While new to the land of Hallownest, it’s apparent that she’s been away from their homeland for some time now, often speaking to themselves about what they might do when they finally return, having ventured the empty lands above in search of something, though the bug never seems to say what that something is, she seems intent on seeing their quest through regardless of how long that will take. Before leaving Pharloom, they served a more senior ant referred to only as “The Master”, likening their position to that of a Nail Master and claiming that they had many disciples, who had given them their quest and sent them out to travel the various lands beyond the borders of their territory.

They claim to have visited many bug kingdoms before reaching Hallownest, finding their eventual fall into ruin either inevitable or to have already transpired, either having been stricken by some kind of calamity or simply becoming too large to be maintained and subsequently collapsing under their own weight, and during their travels have encountered many creatures of varying shapes, sizes, and dispositions, having assembled a handful of friends and enemies throughout her travels, their spear having been a gift from one of their aforementioned friends after her pin had broken in battle.

Rook learnt of Hallownest’s location from an abandoned kingdom far to the east, having searched the ruins for months in search of anything that might aid in their quest, finding stone tablets that seemed to have been brought to this place for study, bearing text written in high-speak, a language reserved for higher-beings that she had learned about, and, after retrieving what maps remained, set off to the strange kingdom, both to return the tablets and in hopes that the mysterious place might just possess whatever she seemed to be looking for, curious as to what mysteries and secrets may be uncovered.

## Present

Having arrived in the kingdom of Hallownest, they’ve wasted little time in investigating the strange and exciting place, at first disheartened to find the place to have fallen to the infection but finding some solace in the handful of bugs that’d taken refuge in the town of Dirtmouth, having spent some time in said town to assemble supplies and maps to aid in their journey before descending into the labyrinth below. Strangely enough, while some bugs are made uncomfortable by the presence of vessels, their empty nature coming across as discomforting to some, Rook greets them happily and wishes them well on their adventures, referring to those that were spawned of the Pale King as Pale-Kin, indicating that they hold some knowledge of their kind.

When offered a delicate flower, they will politely refuse to accept the gift, stating that such a beautiful thing should be kept or at the very least given to someone who would appreciate it more, suggesting either the Elderbug or one of the Pale-Kin they might encounter throughout the subterranean kingdom. However, once one of the dreamers has been released, and provided they have been offered the flower before, they will now accept the gift, at first insisting they give it to someone else before relenting and accepting the flower, in return providing the Squire’s Shell charm.

## Personality

Rook is a cheerful traveller that, despite their surprising progress in exploring the deepest depths of Hallownest, never appears to be in any king of hurry, making time to converse with friendly bugs and dedicating time to destroying husks and other infected creatures that might pose a threat to the handful of denizens that she’s encountered, making quick work of any attackers with her spear, possessing enough of a familiarity with the weapon to make use of their significant range advantage over her smaller opponents. Despite her skill, she doesn’t seem to actively be looking for fights, and therefore won’t engage in combat with any non-infected bugs or Pale-Kin they encounter during their travels.

She appears to be very task-orientated, spending all of her time in Hallownest searching for anything that might assist her in accomplishing her mission, not allowing herself to become side-tracked or be held up, refusing to accept challenges and participate in senseless battles, confident enough in her own abilities to not have to worry about proving them to anyone. While friendly enough, they don’t like accepting compliments or gifts, believing that she either doesn’t deserve them or wouldn’t appreciate them as much as she should, and therefore deserve to be given to someone more deserving.

## Appearance

Rook’s shell is noticeably armour-like, possessing a bronze-like colouration and being composed of a metallic-like material, reflecting light as polished metal would, the majority of their body is covered by this shell, the only parts that aren’t being their forearms, hands, midleg, and feet. The shell enclosed over their chest looks similar to that of a chest plate, accompanied by thick, round shoulder-plates, accompanied by more plates that protect their lower-body and upper-legs, their armoured appearance befitting a Soldier Ant.

The creatures mask is composed of the same material as the rest of their shell, possessing wide, arched, eyes, the right of which possessing three notches that serve an unknown purpose, possibly being used to denote rank or position, or perhaps simply being a simplistic decoration used to distinguish themselves from others of their kind. The rest of the shell is pretty plain, the only other item of note being the thin holes near the upper-center of the shell that allow their antennae to poke through.