Asio

Asio is a forest spirit who manifests in the form of an owl. He is chiefly concerned with aiding hunters and defending other predators. He and maintains symbiotic, protective relationships the forests he inhabits. In most cases, has no good will toward men.

☆ Name: Asio Silatuyok Atka ☆ Gender: male ☆ Presentation: effeminate in appearance and masculine in social roles, intelligent; cold, quiet, distant and droll; vile temper; soft and sweet to a select few ☆ Age: difficult to quantify, apparently mid-twenties ☆ Height: 5'9" ☆ Weight: 157lbs ☆ Hair Color: dark iridescent like an oil slick ☆ Body Modifications: septum piercing, geometric wing tattoos on forearms extending above elbows ☆ Eyes: silver ☆ Notable Features: a red gemstone in his forehead, dull, black fingernails, and a dagger of the same color that is psychically linked to him

☆ Scent: pine tar, campfire, beeswax ☆ Sexualty: homoromantic ☆ Relationship Status: divorced ☆ Social Status: rides the line between cultured and feral; abstains from extensive contact with cultured society ☆ Birthdate: 20 May ☆ Favorite Food: what is food? an actual wino; obligate carnivore ☆ Occupation: hunting guide, magical familiar, (very) minor hunting god, actual owl ☆ Housing: a nice hole in a tree is fine ☆ Hobbies: hunting, trapping, fishing, collecting weapons and poisons

Across cultures, owl spirits are considered to take many forms: prophetic guides to lost souls, companions to goddesses of wisdom, war, and healing, or harbingers of death. If Asio is any of these things is unclear. But, Asio does have some unnatural abilities.

Magic ☆ Asio can shapeshift at will from owl to human, multiple times throughout the day. ☆ He is able to <<communicate telepathically>> while in human and feathered forms. ☆ It is unclear if he is highly intelligent or if his learning abilities are enhanced by his clairvoyance. Hunting, Trapping, and Stealth ☆ Asio's footsteps, like his wing beats, are silent. He has excellent vision in the dark, and is capable of creating a 3D map of his environment with sound. An expert at hunting and trapping, he is the proud owner of a failing hunting guide business.

Fighting Style and Weaknesses ☆ Being an avian, Asio's bones are hollow and extremely fragile. This means that close quarters combat is almost impossible for him. However, Asio is an adept long-range fighter, skilled with bow and arrow. Aid to Human and Supernatural Magic ☆ Asio can act as a familiar spirit capable of augmenting the magical capabilities of others. Distrustful as fuck, good luck getting him to agree to this.

Strengths
Logical and Intelligent – Asio is a quick study. Sometimes he will surprise people with knowledge he has acquired reading or passively observing. His intelligence seems to have a clairvoyant, animal, or supernatural aspect.

Forethought and Intentionality – Asio always tries to plan one or two steps ahead. As a solitary hunter he is able to care for himself without the support of society. However, in cultured life his forethought can sometimes manifest as paranoia.

Protective and Nurturing – Asio is a guardian spirit. If the stars align, he will go out of his way for a select few. Usually this means other nature spirits, elementals, or hunters. He also has a soft spot for some children, especially his own. He has at least three grandsons.


Weaknesses

Not of this World – Asio is a forest spirit and, while he may possess knowledge of culture, he may not feel culture has any personal relevance to him. Further, he is bitter that he is losing his natural way of life to that of cultured society. This can cause some serious interpersonal clashes. Independent to a Fault - Having lived alone for most of his life, and depended on himself for survival, he is used to things needing to be done a certain way as a matter of life or death. Unable to let go of this mindset, he is domineering and inflexible. Difficult to Get to Know – Asio is private and reserved. This makes him hard to truly befriend. If Asio's sense of humor is showing, it's a sure sign that his shell has been cracked. However, his acerbic humor usually only causes further misunderstandings.

Neurotic as Hell – Asio hates weakness in himself and in others. Like many trauma survivors if he sees someone demonstrating the same weaknesses or suffering the same hardships he has in the past, he wants to fucking crush them. In Asio's estimation, nobody is allowed to have emotions except Asio. An Actual Owl – Asio is first and foremost, a feral bird of prey. When cornered, tired, or just plain annoyed, he has a terrible temper. This behavior may seem unusual and cruel to cultured beings.

☆ Ghost owls are released by their parents into the wilderness once they can fly, and spend the first 20-30 years of their lives as solitary predators. An overwhelming number do not survive this experience.

☆ Shifting in front of other people is considered mildly taboo in the same way that getting undressed in front of other people might be considered mildly taboo.

☆ Ghost owls choose one mate and stay with them for life. They only leave a mate in the event that they are unfaithful, endanger the home, or unable to provide young. “Divorced” owls, like Asio, are generally less monogamous, not because they have learned to be more liberal, but because they believe their previous failures make them a less desirable partner.

☆ Like swans, ghost owls believe that it is possible to die of shock from a broken heart.

☆ Asio may look like a candied almond, but he’s an obligate carnivore. It’s against social norms for him to eat carrion. So, he refuses to eat anything that’s cooked, or animal whose slaughter he has not witnessed or carried out himself.

☆ Owls believe ravens and crows to be their natural enemies.

☆ Names are believed to be powerful incantations that provide protection for the bearer. They are often given as gifts. Some individuals have been recorded to have as many as twenty names. To refuse a new name is considered an insult.

☆ Ghost owls, like their cousins the Selkie, carry an item on their person without which they cannot shift. For Asio, this is a black dagger he usually keeps strapped to his thigh. If this is stolen, he will be beholden to the person who has hidden it.

☆ Ghost owls love to dance. They just aren’t very good at it.

☆ Ghost owls are tragically farsighted. Asio needs glasses to read and see other people's faces.