Rune

#pd4225

Element: Water

Species: Jorogumo

Age: 16

Height: 5'4"

Physical Traits: Grey skin, silver grey hair, red eyes and darker stripes on his arms, legs and back. His body appears to be similar to a cat eye spider, little pedipalps frame his mouth, his agile fingers typically busy with string, weaving and twisting it into new and different shape. Loose drapey clothing hiding his similarly striped torso when he is out in public where clothing is customary. Typically doesn’t wear anything, though.

Personality: Friendly and excited. Eternally curious, though careful not to be overbearing about it. He knows how scary he looks and what others think of him, despite how different he looks from a typical Jurogumo now. Willing to be involved in anything anywhere he is allowed to be. 

Attack notes: He typically spins his silk very quickly, trying to trap more than outright attacking, though if he has to, he isn't afraid to use his paralyzing venom through a quick bite. He has been learning that he has some ability with ancient necromantic magicks, but he is still young. The most he has done has been to cause mushroom spores to sprout and grow quickly when he caused something to rot faster, useful for when food is low in the barren forests where he grew up. 

Background: Jorogumo are a race of elves cursed long ago for wrongs done to a clan of sorcerers favored by a god that didn't particularly like elves. This curse is hereditary and causes a body like a spider, venom, horrible ugliness, and a lack of body hair besides the spines on their legs and quivering bodies. Rune was born to a pair of Jorogumo who left him with his grandmother as a spiderling before they ran off, leaving his grandmother, Akordia, with the heavy task of feeding herself and a young child as the forest grew sicklier and emptier with the curse leaching out of the generations of Jorogumo that lived here and into the land. Akordia did her best, and Rune loved her for everything she did for him. He was a grateful child, easy and loving despite the chronic pain the curse caused him. His grandmother was grateful when he was able to take care of himself more and help find food as the pain of the curse began to settle deep in her flesh, sometimes making getting out of her nest painfully difficult. 

One night, unable to sleep because of the pain, Akordia watched her grandson sleep. He sighed and stretched, a strange expression on his face. His limbs took on different proportions, his spines fading leaving his body rounder and friendlier, new markings showed up on his skin, and his face changed, looking more.... elvish. 

Shocked by this change, she didn't know what to think. She realized that, whatever it was, it was a blessing. When he woke up rested and happy, exclaiming that he felt light and whole, she couldn’t help but cry. Even more when light fluffy hair grew from a previously bald and scabby head. She hoped that he would become handsome and lovely enough to be accepted into society. 

A couple years later, a cursed unicorn prince, Zeke, arrived at their nest. Rune knew Zeke and they realized what happened. Zeke shared his near godhood with Rune and Rune had inadvertently shared the curse of the Jorogumo, which led to Zeke being kicked out from his home. Akordia took Zeke in, teaching him and Rune about their emerging magicks from what she knew, Zeke in turn finding ways to ease her pain as her age combined with the curse weighed heavily on her. Zeke promised her that he would always keep an eye on Rune, that she did not need to worry about him. She has resolved herself to enjoy the rest of her life as much as she can with the help of her two grandchildren. 

Bits and Bobs

-Rune is nearly always messing around with cat's cradle games, finding new shapes he can make and learning that he can cast magic with the symbols he creates. 

-His favorite part of his change is his mouth. He loves being able to smile. He's almost always smiling. Frowning reminds him too much of when he had stiff, ridged mouth parts. 

-Rune doesn't exactly understand clothing. Most Jorogumo have no need for clothing, but he has grown to like wearing them, intrigued by Zeke's love for clothing.