Degorram

[Degorram]

Names: Degorram, Dego, Deggy, Degobeast, Fallen

 

Degorram is a Changeling -- and not the usual interpretation of 'changeling' that people have come to know as a faerie child swapped with a human one. Changelings are an ancient Fae race that have the ability to change their physical forms, and the forms of other objects, at will. They are generally adept at other kinds of magic and illusion, though there are individuals who branch out into other skills when magic is not as easily mastered. Their shape shifting is directly bound to knowledge. A Changeling cannot take the form of a creature it does not understand. Hence, Changelings spend a great deal of their childhood and young adult lives studying anatomy, biology, and other crafts that help them to better understand the structural organization of the world.

 

To many of her friends Degorram goes as "Dego", and very rarely she will allow the pet name "Deggy" to stick. In her fouler moods, Degorram becomes what is known as the Degobeast - a more unpredictable and savage version of herself. While Degobeast is generally unpleasant to be around, and can sometimes be dangerous, Degorram is still ultimately in control of her actions in this form. The same cannot be said for the Fallen -- an entity that consumes Degorram and causes her to lose control over her mind, emotions, and body.

 

When a Changeling matures and grows into their shapeshifting powers, each individual chooses a "heart" -- an entity with which they associate a deep, emotional connection. It is to this entity that all Changelings can attribute control. No Changeling can continue to function normally without it, and if it is removed from their person or placed in danger, they transform into terrible and feral versions of themselves that prove a danger to both friend and foe. Since a Changeling is blessed, and cursed, with great power, such objects are necessary for them to retain focus, often providing them with a meditative outlet, or acting similarly to what humans might call a 'security blanket'. It is often encouraged for a Changeling to choose an object as their "heart", one that is easy to protect and will not break easily. It is possible, however, for a Changeling to accidentally, and even unknowingly, transfer their "heart" from one object to another, and in some cases, an inexperienced Changeling may make the mistake of claiming another person as their "heart". It should be obvious why this is a dangerous move with inevitably tragic consequences. Individuals fail each other, people die or become wounded, and a Changeling without control, set loose on the world, is difficult to calm when the object holding them together has a will of its own. However, in very rare cases, the choice of a Changeling's "heart" can occur long before they reach the traditional age. Such was the case of Degorram, who, before she even manifested her shapeshifting powers, had developed a bond so close with her twin sister that she was forever after destined to be the guardian of Degorram's powers. Degorram, however, had many years to nurture, examine, and understand this bond, and so it is possible for the two sisters to be separated without Degorram losing control. Nevertheless, when Kikuyu is put in danger, or is removed from Degorram's presence by anything other than her own will, the Changeling becomes the Fallen, and cannot be stopped or tamed until her sister is restored to safety.

 

Before arriving at the Pen, Degorram traveled the wildernesses, gathering anatomical information on creatures of all sorts for her shifting powers. No one knows where she was born or what happened to her family, whom she never speaks of except for her twin sister, Kikuyu, a Fae warrior who accompanies her almost everywhere. Degorram and Kikuyu traveled together for the majority of their youth. Occasionally they took different roads to cover more ground, always meeting up at the same destination. They traded information and experiences via courier using a hawk that Degorram had befriended and a small black-footed fox that had begun to shadow Kikuyu in her early childhood. Degorram earned enough money for supplies by performing at villages that they came upon, playing a small guitar-like instrument that she could shrink to fit in her pocket. By and large, however, the two kept their Fae nature a secret, for one is never sure what prejudices one might find in the world of men.

 

After years of living a nomadic lifestyle, they traveled deeper into a particularly massive forest than planned and found a large oak tree, rich with memory and magic. Muses sparked, they turned the tree into their first real home and lived there quite peacefully for several years. However, the combination of an ancient tree and the magic of two Fae sisters eventually drew the attention of less than friendly magical powers, and they were forced to leave their home in search of safer ground.

When they stumbled upon the Pen Keep, Degorram and Kikuyu settled in immediately. Though at first uncertain, they quickly found that magic was no stranger to the walls of the complex, and gradually they claimed space for themselves in the Far Eastern Tower of the Keep.

They passed their time peacefully at the Pen complex, excepting for an incident with a rather disruptive Necromancer, the same evil being who had tracked them to their forest home and had since followed them all the way to the Pen Keep. The mighty battle that followed left the Keep in a less-than-pretty state of affairs.

 

When she is not employed otherwise, her favorite pastimes include going on walks in the forests, reading, playing music, writing, star gazing, and occasionally meditating in a quiet place. Most of the time she dresses herself in a form-fitting body suit made out of a black, leather-like material crafted by her people, designed and enchanted to retain its durability in any form. She very often makes an attempt to wear 'non-magical' clothing, but frequently ruins it by changing her shape without remembering that her outfit will not change with her. As a result, her favorite sweater has been mended to within an inch of its life.

 

She plays several games of Solitaire a day with an old deck of cards she carries in one of the many pockets in the unfortunate sweater. Many things can be found in these mysterious compartments, which seem to hold far more than any normal pockets should, such as dice, origami stars, hair ties, random bits of leaf or acorn that struck her fancy, interesting items that she finds around the Pen complex, bottlecaps, brightly colored lint, and scraps of notes and sketches from her studies. The items always vary, but the few things that Degorram never parts with, indeed flies into a rage if parted from, are a small black pen, a length of silken teal ribbon, and a pendent of a fox carved from black stone, which she wears next to her own necklace -- a silver pendant of swirls.

Edited June 24, 2014 by Degorram