Name

Will never accept a name.

Nicknames (never capitalized)

The stone balancer, stone.

Pictogram

StoneBalancer

Species

Panolia eldii eldii, locally known as sangai, or Manipur Eld's deer.

Sex

Male. He/him/his.

Age

Mature adult, no longer ageing.

Height

26. Alternative reference/without antlers.

Weight

100 kg/220 lbs to 130 kg/287 lbs. Average in kilograms/in pounds.

Scent

Detritus, humus, and additional odours by season:
Rut: His own urine. | Cool: Fallen leaves, dry grass, dust. | Warm: Mud, fresh vegetation, wet fur.

Scent

Weakly of his own urine, dry grass, detritus, humus. Moderately of his own urine, dry grass, detritus, humus. Strongly of his own urine, dry grass, detritus, humus. Moderately of his own urine, mud, fresh vegetation, detritus, humus. Weakly of his own urine, mud, fresh vegetation, detritus, humus. Mud, fresh vegetation, detritus, humus. Fallen leaves, dry grass, detritus, humus.

Set

Barn Owl Antlers; Real Deer Mask; Light Real Deer Pelt. Barn Owl Antlers; Real Deer Mask; Noh Pelt. Antlerless; Real Deer Mask; Noh Pelt. Noh Antlers; Real Deer Mask; Noh Pelt. Space Beluga Antlers; Real Deer Mask; Noh Pelt. Deer of the Dead Antlers; Real Deer Mask; Light Real Deer Pelt. Golden Butterfly Antlers; Real Deer Mask; Light Real Deer Pelt.

Quick Facts

• Old. Given to long, frequent periods of rest partially due to age, mostly due to lethargy.
• Wild. Largely a feral animal. Behaves primarily according to biological needs and desires.
• Proud. Strives to be respected and regarded as reliable. Confident and easily offended when dismissed.
• Voiced. Speaks aloud to communicate, as a human would; has modified anatomy to do this, caused by Forest Magic.
• Casual. Acknowledges others by looking at them with no reaction, or sniffing them, then returning to what he was doing—this is a means of displaying approval.
• Natural. Equally capable of feral communication, however is limited by species, being more accurate and detailed with those of closer taxonomic relation.
• Reserved. Does not bow, considering it too "unnatural". May use similar gestures—such as nodding—though these actions are performed with an unusual curtness.
• Enduring. No longer physically ages since entering The Forest; all bodily characteristics are unknowingly governed by his belief alone, be that to his favour or detriment.
• Purposed. Driven to be the protector and provider he feels stags live to be. Protective to a fault; views himself as the expendable protector of his herd, if necessary.
• Nostalgic. Often found at the Pond or in the Birch Forest—they remind him of home.
• Perceptive. Capable of spontaneously understanding virtually anything via Forest Magic; copes with the constant influx of unwanted knowledge by rock balancing.
• Prejudiced. Distinctly hates having, using, or receiving enchantment spells, especially those which more drastically alter his appearance. Will never participate in Magic.
• Mistrustful. Tends to avoid areas he associates with Forest Magic, such as the Twin Gods and the Old Oak. Also tends to avoid the Ruins without a real reason.
• Companionable. Considers others around him to be herd-company, even at a distance. Often reliant upon socialization and camaraderie.

Body colours

Coffee eyes, armadillo nose, and umber hooves.

Winter coat

Wenge base with a millbrook back, a malta belly, khaki legs, and a black coffee mane.

His Winter coat begins to show through in late Summer or early Autumn, and is fully developed across mid-Autumn. The process gradually grows more noticeable, with the change being incremental and not a dramatic shift. While his fur is much denser during cooler months, the fur on his neck is particularly thick and coarse as well as darker overall, lending to the appearance of a mane. His colours are darker and desaturated, and somewhat inconsistently patchy across his body.

Summer coat

Milk chocolate base with a jambalaya back, a pale taupe belly, brown sugar legs, and sisal flank spots.

He begins to moult his Winter coat in mid-Spring, and is in his Summer coat partway through late Spring. The process is very obvious, with patches of thick fur coming out in clumps, and a noticeably scruffy appearance. His fur is much thinner and less insulative during the warmer months, with an overall colouration somewhat more uniform reddish-orange across his body, and the distinct presence of fawn-like pale spots on his flank and lower back.

Year-round coat qualities

He has smooth, thin fur with sparse underfur, and uneven hair length resulting in a shaggy appearance. The fur inside his ears is very long and smooth, almost silky but still somewhat rigid. His fur is speckled with gray overall, having lost pigmentation over the years, and continues to grow more gray over time due to stress, but this pigmentation loss is reversed in times of calm when body chemistry returns to homeostasis.

Antlers and rut

While his antlers may drop anywhere between early and late Summer, they typically drop near the middle of Summer. His antlers shed their velvet during early Winter. In preparation for his rut, his neck muscles begin to visibly strengthen as soon as the velvet is shed, are at their peak size partway through late Winter, and return to normal size across mid-Spring. His rut period is from mid-Winter to mid-Spring, with the peak fighting occurring between late Winter to early Spring; he urinates on himself through his rut, particularly at its peak.

Age

Though he is a member of a subspecies whose wild lifespans average ten years, stone is much older than this. Since he departed his homeland at nine years and four months old, he has not truly aged. His body now is only affected by his belief, though he is unaware of this. Initially he felt old, and so his joints were frequently sore and he grew tired rather quickly. When he is stressed, his fur grows in grayed; when he is injured, he limps and feels pain. However, as time has gone on, he's forgotten some of his age, and has come closer to how he once was in his prime. In times of peace, his fur grows vibrant, his body seldom aches, he finds himself energetic as long as he believes it true. Though unaware of it, he has become "timeless", and is only affected as much as he believes himself to be.

Posture

His head is generally held high, not in a challenging manner, but rather with the stance of an individual already in a position of importance. His bodily posture ranges from tense but confident to relaxed and open; he very rarely displays any form of submission. His ears are typically relaxed, his back is never hunched, and his tail generally hangs loosely.

Smell

A deer's sense of smell is around one-thousand times greater than that of a human, with deer being able to distinguish up to six individual scents at once. This sense can extend up to eight-hundred meters, or half a mile. Scent is their primary method of communication, with species possessing several varied forms of scent communication such as urine and feces, salivary deposits, and a number of glands called the preorbital, forehead, tarsal, and interdigital. He freely utilizes all of these to the fullest extent of his capacity with absolutely no regard for others' social norms, and consequently may come off as a bit… Smelly.

Vision

Due to their eye structure, deer have a type of dichromatic colour vision called protanopia. He can distinguish blue from red, but not green or orange from red. He also sees colours like light gray and tan better than dark reds, browns, or greens. On the contrary, he sees colours in the blue spectrum—including into the ultraviolet range—up to twenty times more distinctly than humans can, likely because this is the most prevalent spectrum of light during the crepuscular periods, when deer tend to be most active. His horizontal pupils allow for nine times the light absorption of the human eye, leading to incredible night vision and a roughly 310° field of view, including about 65° of binocular frontal vision providing depth perception, and lacking only about 50° immediately behind him. This allows him to track the motion of anything within his field of view, which is about 85% of his eye-level surroundings, without moving. His vision is processed at least twice as fast as that of a human, giving him hyper-sensitivity to movement and ample time to react. However, with little need for acuity of detail, his vision is only about a third as detailed as a human's, or 6/18 (metric) 20/60 (imperial).

Hearing

Despite appearances, deer hear roughly as well as humans: a human's most sensitive range is from 2,000 to 5,000 hertz, and a deer's most sensitive range is from 3,000 to 8,000 hertz. Deer can hear ultra-high-frequency sounds that humans cannot, and can utilize the muscles in their ears to target the source of a sound with precision. His hearing is average for his subspecies, though he has learned the importance of certain sounds and the spoken word.

Upon departing his homeland, stone's body was instantly modified by Magic to suit the demands which were put upon it: his brain became more complex to allow for more developed thought and memory, his vocal cords shifted and grew to resemble those of a human, while his anatomy was modified to produce human language. He is ambivalent toward the intellect he acquired upon departing his homeland due to its Magical source: he enjoys being able to reason to the degree he now can, to think and deduce and understand—but, he never asked for it, and he cannot forgive the Magic for putting it upon him. He is perfectly at ease with all things he considers "natural", including thinking, speaking, and manipulating his environment, as he did all of these things back home to the best of his ability. These things, to him, are rooted in the "natural"—that is to say, they are physical, non-Magical things which are Earthly in nature. For this reason he enjoys learning about the world around him and possessing his new-found intellect. However, given that the origins of his reasoning are still seated in Magic, he finds himself burdened by conflicting thoughts and feelings—comfortable with the nature of his new surroundings and abilities, but repulsed by the Magic that brought them to be.

As a result of his contempt, he does not let his mind wander idly—that is when the knowledge comes to him in full force. His method for coping with and staving off the knowledge is to occupy his body and mind with rock balancing. Though not particularly good at it—he is, after all, using his mouth—he devotes much of the time not spent on the upkeep of his body and socialization to carefully constructing these cairns. He does not keep track of their height nor even where he builds them, as this would be too mindful for his tastes. He does not mind if something happens to them, even while he's building them; he does not bond to his craft, only uses it as a tool of distraction. He merely collects some stones by his side and sets to work, leaving when he is satisfied.

Fairly non-confrontational, he is content to lie down most of the time, watching others participate in their endeavours. Though he is often at rest, it is not truly because of his age. It's true that, for his subspecies, he has passed his prime—however, his body is more capable than he lets on, and growing steadily closer to his old self the longer he lives as a "timeless" being. Any soreness is largely from his idle tendencies, and he can outpace many with less experience. Ultimately, he's just fallen into a habit of lethargy.

Being a feral creature, his personality is greatly altered by his hormones and physiological state. He is at his most vulnerable when he is without solid antlers. He is prone to wary behaviour around others across these periods, but has calmed down significantly as he's gone on living away from his homeland. He finds safety when in the presence of those he trusts, and will stand up for himself or others in proper company. When alone, he wanders about seeking trustworthy company, avoiding or fleeing from that which threatens him. Rarely though does he truly fear anything now that he has grown accustomed to strangeness.

In contrast, when his antlers are grown, he tends to be quite confident in himself, but not brash or overzealous. His confidence is felt as a certain self-possession, and he is as close to objective in his analysis of whether it is wise to fight, flee, or freeze as he can be in this physiological state. This state of mind is the closest to his most base personality of all those governed by his hormones.

Continuing on to the extreme, when his rutting period comes about or others around him are in rut, he goes from being docile and unassuming to audacious and uninhibited. While not a stupid being, he's more likely to make rash decisions when his testosterone levels are elevated.

Along with his rut comes an amplified sense of his responsibility to fill his role as the "patriarch" of a herd. He is the guardian, the provider; he must always be steadfast and reliable, to help and protect those for whom he deems himself responsible. From his perspective, it is his legacy to devote himself to a cause bigger than himself: the safety and comfort of others, and the continuation of his herd. Even while not in rut, this is a constant aspect of his personality which will come out when others are vulnerable, or others try to help him—though he will always be grateful for efforts made on his behalf, he can be somewhat prideful.

According to his feral history, he is a herd animal through and through, and welcomes company; whether at some distance or up close, he is far more comfortable and at ease with others. That said, he does prefer a bit of distance while getting to know someone, and may settle himself away from those so eager to befriend him that they do not give him personal space. He is also seasonally prone to preferring large herds, smaller herds, or occasionally even solitude.

Contrary to his ambivalence, he enjoys conversation: learning about others' experiences and thoughts, and even enjoys speaking himself; he can be exceedingly verbose around those he is fond of, and is often found chatting to himself even in the company of those who cannot understand him. It is of note that the stone balancer actually does quite literally speak, aloud, as a human would. He considers all spoken languages to be the same "language" cognitively, simplifying them to himself as merely "talking". In other words, while he can become instantly aware of the pronunciation and meaning of any word in any spoken language, he does not recognize words in different languages as being in different groups, and instead merely perceives that there are many equally valid ways to vocalize singular concepts.

When not speaking, he communicates in the feral ways one would expect of a deer: scent, body language, non-word vocalizations, and the like. He is, however, only capable of communicating perfectly—albeit simplistically—with members of his own subspecies in this way. When communicating in a feral manner with members of other species, miscommunication is common due to differences between vocal, visual, and olfactory cues. Simply put, different species communicate differently, and he is still limited to his own feral capacity in this regard.

Though he prefers the company of others, there are some beings which he may be wary of, or in some situations, even reject outright. These sorts include: his natural predators, or beings who he considers to be formidable even if they appear otherwise nonthreatening; beings who are in some manner "unnatural", including "unnatural" colours and hybrids of two or more species which cannot naturally reproduce; beings who appear sickly or somehow dead/undead; and beings who associate themselves with Magic. These are merely examples of beings who he may initially be wary of, but could easily warm up to. He is mistrustful not only due to others being somehow "wrong", but more specifically by how their appearance and/or behaviour may negatively impact him. It is important to note that, like with other aspects of his personality, he's become much more open-minded since his arrival, and is tending toward more and more acceptance all the time, with regard to life events.

Contrastingly, he is drawn to some entities upon first meeting them, including: benevolent or neutral spirits, deities, mythological creatures, and the like (I imagine that animals on Earth would be generally innately aware and at peace with such beings, and that these beings are entirely separate from Magic); "natural" beings—especially but not limited to deer—which are generally herbivorous; and female two-toed hoofed beings (particularly cervines), for obvious instinctual reasons, as well as that a good portion of his Earthly life was spent protecting his harem and their offspring. Again, these are only examples of the sorts of beings he finds himself drawn to, and his developed curiosity often pushes through his caution.

He will, generally, treat all actions and appearances as they seem to be in-game. He generally perceives a being to look like its in-game appearance implies due to his poor eyesight, and is only granted clarity if I elect to research the character; understandably, this can lead to some interesting misconceptions, and his behaviour will reflect his current understanding. I assume the least detrimental result of his actions until shown otherwise; for example, if he strikes a character, I assume he is merely trying to intimidate them and they have not been harmed, unless the player chooses to have their character suffer a wound. He perceives all "unnatural" things (lag, glitches, etc) as some form of Magic; additionally, movements such as tripping or walking through trees are also perceived literally. Basically, I only alter his perception to suit his character and when I'm not certain how to translate it.

Interestingly, despite his distaste for Magic, he is exceedingly fond of the Pond and, to a lesser extent, the Crying Idol, despite their obviously Magical ties. This is due to the fact that the Pond is capable of removing all Magic, and that the Magic granted by the Crying Idol differs from all other Forest Magic (Spells cannot be cast upon those who bear its pelt). While he still prefers things of a non-Magical nature, these areas of the Forest are distinctly different to him. He has come to regard De Drinkplaats with mixed feelings; while it does remove Magic, it also generates its own. Despite this, he is especially fond of the area it occupies—particularly the most grassy areas of the Birch—and has come to tolerate it for this reason.

Having come from living in and around a lake, he spends much of his time around the Pond and stream; there he occupies himself with drinking, eating water plants (a personal favourite of his), and wallowing in the muddy shore water. He may at times spend hours just laying or even sleeping in the water at the shoreline, and has grown fond of watching some of the smaller animals which frequent the area. His homeland also strongly resembled the Birch Forest away from the water's edge, and thus he is happy to spend days simply wandering through it. In general, he may be found bathing in the Pond, resting near the Crying Idol, grazing the blueberries in the Blue Bowl, lounging in the tall grasses near De Drinkplaats, or observing the Forest from Red Hill.

As he's gone on living away from his homeland, he's worked on coming to terms with his circumstances, and his herd has been imperative to that. Though he will always resent the Magic for taking him from his home (if it did—he thinks so), forcing intelligence upon him, and continually feeding him information without his desire or consent, he's come to love many of the beings he's met, the fact that he can think to the degree he can, and what his life has become as a whole. He will never be completely satisfied, and he will always be disapproving of many beings he encounters, but given a chance to go back now, if he had to give up his new herd and his intelligence, he wouldn't. That alone speaks volumes of how he's changed since he first arrived.

Little research has been done on sangai social behaviours, so his body language is based on other species.

Typically, the stone balancer will behave amiably, maintaining a sort of cautious acceptance. He does react negatively to certain set items (e.g. Zombie set items, DotD set items, etc.), which is an assumption about the character based on the features used to represent them. I will generally try to locate the character's biography during interaction, so his behaviour may change to reflect his current perception.

His actions are a combination of his natural behaviour as an animal, what he finds reasonable with his intellect, and body language he's adopted from others. However, he is selective about body language, and absolutely will not use certain gestures, such as bowing.

He may come off as rude, abrasive, or aloof due to his tendency to err on the side of caution; he far prefers to run or be standoffish if he knows it will keep him safe.

Body Language

Initial Response:

Upon first meeting another, he will look at them from his current bodily position, moving only his head while doing so. He will hold a stare for a few seconds while he evaluates them based on their appearance, behaviour, company, and biography.

= Ambivalence:

Oftentimes, he neither accepts nor rejects another outright. In this period, he'll exhibit somewhat in-between signals, though none are intended to be ambiguous.

Indecision: Standing with his side indirectly toward the other and occasionally glancing toward them, neither aggressive nor fearful, but not comfortable.

Cautious acceptance/”I don't want trouble”: Standing with his side entirely toward the other, his gaze averted.

+ Acceptance:

If he accepts the other but their acknowledgement is brief, he will then return to what he was doing, reassured that he does not need to pay close attention to them.

If they express friendly behaviour such as sniffing, he will return with a sniff and maybe an amiable word. If no further action is taken by them, he will return to what he was doing, even more assured than he otherwise would have been; likewise, further socialization will be equally reciprocated.

Trust: He will graze, drink, and bathe around the other, putting himself in positions of vulnerability.

Complete trust: He will lie down and sleep around the other, and feels no need to scrutinize their actions, comfortable even with them in his blind spot.

- Rejection:

He responds negatively in two ways: a flight reaction or a fight reaction. As with any interaction, the escalation of these responses is situational, and engagement which begins with one response may change to another. He sets his own health above virtually everything, and thus will almost always flee from any perceived confrontation. His exceptions to this rule are: when defending another being, when he is in rut, or when he knows that fleeing will not help him.

Flight:

Alarm: Head facing the other for a prolonged period of time.

Snort + Stomp: Head facing the other for a prolonged period of time + Head shake "no" (+ Sneezing).

Fight:

Ear drop: Facing the other directly with head and body.

Hard look: Facing the other directly with head and body + Taunt.

Sidle: Head facing the other while walking an advancing circle around them, taunting periodically.

Boxing: Rear; Taunting periodically.

Antler threat: Antler.

Rush: Antler + forward.

Documentary.

Heralding from the phumdis of Keibul Lamjao National Park—an area in the southeastern portion of Loktak Lake in Manipur created to protect the sangai—he and his herd rarely faced predation by humans, and were given some protection by them from other natural predators as well. As one of the older members of his herd, he had given up his place as one of the dominant stags in the breeding season before coming to the Forest. Despite this, in his prime, he sired many fawns and led his own harems. Though past his prime, his antlers are still quite impressive due to his age, and he's had a fair deal of experience, so he knows plenty of tricks if need be, and has certainly not given up on courting and showing off.

While he was originally a purely feral deer led almost entirely by instinct and qualia, upon being brought to the Forest he was granted intellectual awareness of the world by "Forest Magic", resulting in essentially a human level of cognition. In the Forest, he finds himself aware of language, logic, complex cultural beliefs and behaviours, a gist of the overall nature of the world, the greater implications of cause and effect and the problems which may follow current paths of action, and other general data-based knowledge. So long as he keeps his mind occupied, busied by unimportant tasks, the knowledge will not come; however, if he loses focus and his mind idles, awareness of all manners of things come flooding to him via that Magic. Though he has come to terms with the nature of the Forest and his new-found intellect, he still strains to keep touch with his feral past, and to resist embracing the knowledge and its source.

Born November 11th, 2004. Entered TEF March, 2014. Entered RotR August, 2023.

♥

1. Rune
   "My charge. My reassurance. My son." Comfortable with; considers an ally; feral company; exceptionally fond of; interested in; protective of. Thinking fondly back to when Rune, barely older than a newborn, first snuggled up to him for warmth at the Pond, stone considers him a son. He feels a special tie to him not shared with his "sisters," since stone was the first to bond with the buck. Stone takes comfort in his very feral appearance and is comforted by his cautious nature, in that he ought to do well for himself with it. Like many, Rune is a scarce but welcome blessing, and will always be held dear to stone as one of his most rudimentary herd-mates.
2. Stria
   "My onus. My young equal. My daughter." Admires; bewildered by; exceptionally comfortable with; considers an ally; entertained by; frustrated by; exceptionally fond of; interested in; learning from; protected by; protective of; respects. Present for and bonded since Stria's birth, he witnessed a good portion of her growth in her early days before his increased absences, and considers her a daughter. Though he's not always been the fondest of her decisions in company or life progress, he's always supported her the best he can even when he cannot understand her. Regardless of his concerns, she's grown to be more physically capable even than he, and he's finally come to realize she does not need his protection anymore; regardless, whether she wants it or not, she still has it. She is constantly there to press him and force him to face the world, encounter new things, and challenge old ideas; he is there to impart his own knowledge upon her and guide her where he can, if needed, though not always wanted. It is no longer about what he should do for her, and is instead about what they will do for one another.

++

1. [Mule doe]; "Dusty"
   Attracted to; very comfortable with; feral company; fond of; protective of. A now familiar face, stone appreciates her restful nature, as she seems to help put the herd—and himself—at ease. As he's discovered, she's not opposed to bouts of play, which has greatly earned his favour.
2. [Mule deer]; "Muley"
   Comfortable with; feral company; fond of; interested in; protective of. He's comforted by their feral form, and would love to be around them all the time. Took to them right away, and appreciates the simplicity of the deer. Admires their vigilance and distinction between instances which call for fight and those which call for flight.
3. [Sambar hind]; "Rusa"
   Attracted to; comfortable with; feral company; fond of; interested in; protective of. He's comforted by her feral form, and would love to be around her all the time. Took to her right away, and appreciates the simplicity of the hind. Hers was a species he encountered back home, so she brings a special comfort.

+

1. Elliot
   Admires; comfortable with; considers an ally; feral company; fond of; interested in; protected by; protective of; respects. An old and close friend for whom stone's fondness remains no matter what length of time passes between their meeting. An invaluable ally in past misadventures, and firmly seated in some of stone's most cherished memories. One of few he truly trusts to take charge even in the worst circumstances.
2. Falea
   Attracted to; very comfortable with; curious about; feral company; fond of; interested in; protective of. A bit more commonly seen than many of the other ferals, he's relieved by her reliable companionship. Discovered she also possesses the capacity for speech, though a reticence to use it, and is absolutely delighted to be in such company.
3. Ruun
   Admires; comfortable with; considers an ally; entertained by; feral company; fond of. Despite knowing relatively little about him, stone is entirely biased toward red deer as a species now, and Ruun appears to be about as feral as himself. A pleasant reprieve.
4. Tuli
   Comfortable with; feral company; fond of; interested in; protective of. A relatively new face, though he is always thrilled to welcome feral deer to the Forest and as his friend. Doesn't know much about her, but is always happy to see her. Despite a few meetings so far, has not yet gotten to know her, but is interested in doing so one of these days.

…

1. Starling
   Attracted to; somewhat comfortable with; curious about; feral company; fond of; interested in; protective of. A newer acquaintance who he can sense has been around a long time. How their paths did not cross earlier intrigues him, but she charms him nonetheless.
2. Talla
   Admires; fond of; interested in; protective of; respects. Feels kinship in her likewise flighty nature. Fantastic company for a skittish mood—if she's comfortable, nothing dangerous is around.
3. Rossamund
   Fond of; hesitant about; interested in; protective of. Seems like a pretty cool kid. No idea what he is, but he's definitely something. Stone admires how he seems always to be surrounded by friends.
4. Smol
   Bewildered by; biased against; curious about; entertained by; somewhat fond of; hesitant about; interested in; wary of. Probably not a threat? Little undead thing. Seems to be trying to blend in with feral deer, though not maliciously. A good distraction for potential predators.

−−

1. Greitai
   Completely abhors; frustrated by; wary of. An absolute threat he hates so much it surpasses his fear. Profound intolerance and loathing. Thinks everyone would be better off with her dead. Will attempt to hurt or kill her given any opportunity.