Rowan (Alpha)

Two Unnamed Pups (NPCs)

Hexa (Sister)

Numerous Siblings (NPCs)

## Application Sheet

Rowan was a dark-furred male with rusty points and a thick, white beard on his throat. He was the mate of the former Chandor alpha, Aethelynda, and father to the current alpha Nadia, as well as three other pups: Mason, Reed, and Juniper. He left the Domain, and returned briefly, on his way to Chandor, when he encountered Vektren. Overhearing their plot to kill the alphas of Aryn, he tried to escape and warn them, but was killed by Monty. He was created and RP'd by Quailmix.

## Personality

* ***Mysterious and Hard to Know.*** On his own for a long period of his life, Rowan is somewhat of a lone strength. He only holds enough care for himself in his thoughts for the most part, and he couldn't say that there is anything wrong with that. His dry humor can come off as being in mean spirits, and it is possible that he intends it to. We may never know, because Rowan tends to keep himself under a veil of some kind of mystery. The one thing others do know about him is that he is not an open book, but that isn't all that helpful.
* ***Logical and Unemotional.*** While in his inner most conscious he may care for others, he tries not to let his feelings get in the way of his own existence. Rowan is not very trusting and unless you prove yourself worthy of a relationship with him, you are merely an acquaintance, no matter how long you have known him. This is not to say that he would not help somebody in desperate need of help (like a drowning pup or pregnant female in need of food), not because he cares, but because he feels it is the right thing to do.
* ***Calm, but Personable (when he chooses).*** You might expect Rowan to be a quiet, reserved, and shy being, but he is not. Of course, he does not personify the polar opposite of this either. He is very calm, known for his relaxed exterior and blank expressions. Rowan enjoys recreational conversation like any other semi-friendly wolf would, although he may be on the quiet end of it. While he is stand offish some of the time, he more often than not is quite outgoing and can hold his own in any type of social situation when he wants to. The thing is, he usually doesn't want to.
* ***Standoffish, but Loyal.*** He tends to keep things short and to the point if he can. He doesn't like sticking around one person or one place too long because despite being standoffish and apathetic to the world, if he does become attached to someone he is very, very loyal. While he may still be cold to them, when it counts he will show his allies that he belongs to them.
* ***Non-Confrontational, but Ready to Defend Himself.*** For the most part he is non-confrontational in nature, but does not hesitate to defend himself if needed. Due to his stoic nature, when he is aggressive it can be quite shocking. He isn't one to snap out of no reason. As of now he has no interest in pack life. Rowan just wants to keep his head down and not be bothered, and not bother anybody else.

## Pre-Group History

Rowan was born in the last litter of rather old parents, the alphas of his pack, Erias. He had 8 littermates, including Hexa, and a few siblings from previous litters.  His mother Lune passed away shortly after weaning, while his father Jerome was on his last legs and nearly blind. Despite this, he grew up a happy pup. He was always a rather quiet child, and spent most of his time with his aging father, who ingrained in him a very strong moral compass. As he grew and Jerome's health deteriorated, he became his father's eyes and ears, and helped him along in his last days. His siblings, however, did not share the same loyalty as Rowan did.

With Jerome getting weaker and weaker every day, the beta male became hungry for power. He gathered a following, and before Jerome had the chance to die in peace, he was killed in an uprising. It was Rowan's family against the rest of the pack, and in the end they lost. Some of his siblings were banished form the pack, Rowan included.

He spent some months on his own before meeting an old male wolf named Godfrey, and his daughter, cream-and-silver-furred Quilla. He found comfort in the old male, who reminded him much of his father. Godfrey was quite old, but Rowan liked him. Quilla was more of a bother, a selfish and unforgiving girl, but the three wolves found benefit in adding Rowan to the group when it came to hunting, especially since Godfrey was much too frail to be of much use. Rowan stuck around the two because he enjoyed Godfrey, and he didn't want to be alone. Godfrey was a passive wolf, with little worry about the world. He gave Rowan some insight into his own past. Godfrey had had a long and rich life, with many stories to tell. He was also interested in Rowan's history, though it was shorter. He helped Rowan through what had happened to him, and eventually even helped Rowan to put the ordeal behind him.

Eventually Rowan warmed up to Quilla, and as two do when they are the only ones for each other, they became mates. Rowan may not have loved her at first, but over time he had grown a deep affection for her. When she bore him two pups, his love for her could not have been stronger. Her feelings for him did not compare, but Rowan was blind to this. Sadly, it was not soon after the birth of his pups that Godfrey passed. It was a hard blow for Rowan, who had looked to Godfrey like a father. It felt as though he had lost Jerome all over again. He fell into a depression, withdrawing from Quilla, who needed support as well. It was her father, after all. Still, his family came first, and he did all he could to provide for them.

With all the change; Godfrey's passing, Rowan's withdrawal and push to provide, and two pups to raise, Quilla began to resent him. She took anything she could and turned it into an argument. She pushed him to the point that he didn't know what he was even doing anymore. Still, he looked at his pups, and what could he do? Rowan was not the type to dump all of his problems and go. But, Quilla was. After some meaningless little thing or another, she took the pups and left him alone, telling him not to follow.

Out of some twisted form of respect for her, as well as his own growing resentment of the entire situation, he didn't. This is his greatest regret.

Seasons passed, and as they did Rowan became numb to the world. It has been a long time since he last saw Quilla or his two pups. He doubts he will ever see them again. From time to time this makes him sad, but he has learned to numb himself and does his best to just move on.

## Group History

His arrival in the Domain began with a meeting with a she-wolf who reminded him of Quilla - Thea. Thea was kind, and offered to take a message in case she ever happened upon this "Quilla" but Rowan curtly declined and left.

Later, Rowan saved Aethelynda from where she was stuck in a dam as the river began to rise. Fortunately, he saved her, but he received a good blow to the head in the process. Lyn brought him back to the Chandor main den, where she tended to his wound and got a name (begrudgingly) from him. She tended to him, but kept him cautiously away from the rest of the pack, for fear that he might have come from Blutwald. When he assured her that he wasn't, she relaxed a bit more around him.

After informing him that she was alpha, and that there were other wolves in Chandor besides the two of them, she offered to show him around as he healed. And, as he was getting prepared to leave, Lyn, unwilling to let him go, pleaded for him to stay. With nothing else to do, he decided to stay at her wishes.

Delu went to him one day, after confessing his feelings for Lyn, and Rowan told him that he needed to follow what his gut was saying. If Delu wasn't going to be able to be happy in Chandor since Lyn's refusal, then, if it made him happier to leave, he should leave. Aethelynda approached him about it, lashing out over Rowan telling Delu to leave, but Rowan remained level-headed about the situation, and Lyn, becoming flustered, ran off. She spent some time trying to think of why she was so flustered speaking to Rowan about feelings, when she realized - she had feelings for *him!* Not Delu, but Rowan! Immediately, she raced to tell him.

Rowan was uncertain of how to respond, but was willing to open up to trust Aethelynda. The pair became mates, though he was still unable to admit that he loved her aloud. She was okay with that. The pair had four children: Juniper, Reed, Mason, and Nadia, their only daughter.

When the pups were only a few months old, Mason suddenly vanished from Chandor. Rowan and Aethelynda searched desperately for him, Rowan beating himself up over it. What if Mason had sensed the distance between Rowan and the rest of the family? The distance between Rowan and *Lyn?* He blamed himself, senselessly, and when they lost his trial, Rowan suggested they return home and consult with Gregor.

Aethelynda wasn't ready to give up on Mason. She and Rowan continued through Morrow's Crossing, where a sudden avalanche came toppling down. Aethelynda was fatally injured, and Rowan got to her side to hear her last words. She told him that she loved him, and Rowan tried to say the words, but just *couldn't.* She assured him that she knew, before she died.

Rowan finally croaked the words. He finally told Aethelynda he loved her, but too late.

Upon returning to Chandor, he went to Nadia, and told her what happened. He told her that he was sorry - only two words - but those words were such comfort to his daughter. She knew he was there for her.

As the pack tried to recover from the disaster that had befallen them, Gregor and Rowan worked together to keep things running smoothly. Gregor tried to persuade Rowan to accept the mantle of alpha and run the pack himself, but Rowan was unwilling. He was hardly cut out to be a pack wolf, much less an alpha. He did *not* want the position. The two discussed options, and eventually decided that they would offer it to Nadia - Nadia, who had been raised in the pack, who was the daughter of the former alpha. They made their proposal.

Nadia accepted the offer. She was young to be an alpha, but Gregor would continue to be there to offer advice and aid, after all. Her father, on the other hand, would not. Shattered by the loss of his mate, and feeling uncomfortable in a pack setting, Rowan stuck around long enough for Nadia to get her bearings before setting off, leaving Chandor - and the Domain - behind.

Time passed. Nobody knew what became of Rowan after so long, until he returned to the Domain. He was near Vektren when he heard of a plot - a plot to lure the Arynian alphas, Alcatraz and Athena, to their deaths. Astonished, the aged male ran as fast as he could, to warn them. But he was not fast enough. He did not make it very far past Vektren lands before one of their Enforcers, Monty, caught and killed him to keep their secret.

It was Reed who found his father's body. Having only just returned to the Domain himself, he was stunned at what had happened. He ran to Nadia and begged her to take action to get revenge on Vektren - even if that only meant offering aid to Aryn in their bitter conflict - but Nadia wanted them to stay out of it. And so, Rowan's death ended up going unavenged, but perhaps it was for the best.

After his death, and several years after his retirement, Quailmix and MatrixPotato made a one-page comic, depicting Rowan and Aethelynda reunited in the afterlife - her teasing him about taking so long to join her.

## Trivia

* The injury he received saving Aethelynda from the dam was on the right side of his head - over time, it faded and was covered with fur, but it remained a notable scar for a time.

## Quotes

* "He was unhappy. He felt out of place. Would you want him to stay, to feel unfulfilled? I believe you told me you left your own pack because you felt unfulfilled." (to Aethelynda about Delu, *Lyn Confronts Rowan*)