#birdoc

Aspen Evergreen

Forest Elf from the North.

His village got destroyed by fierce fires, or so is thought, when he was just a baby. His mother, in an attempt to save him, hid him in the roots of an aspen tree, where he was found by the bird chief and his wife. They adopted and raised him as on of their own. The “Council of Elders” from the village didn’t like the idea of having an elf in their “royal” family, but agreed to it as long as his older brother, Neem, was the one taking the Chief position after his father.

Tragically, Aspen’s family died in an accident at the eastern borders, when they went to investigate an unrecorded phenomenon that was spoiling their crops and waters and killing their forests. The true nature of their sudden death remains a mystery. Many lives got lost that day, by something people have started to call “The End of Times”. No one knows what this illness is exactly, but it’s been slowly consuming the world for centuries.

This left Aspen in charge of the city at the age of 25, when he was chosen as the next Chief by the Council, despite their doubts. The Council is group of old fashioned bird citizens that are slow with their actions. Most of the city's decisions have to go through them before getting approved.

Like his brother, Aspen was trained to be a Forest Ranger and spent the nights patrolling the outskirts of the city and keeping it safe. Nowadays, even as Chief of the birds and father of two, Aspen still works as a Ranger in the night. A task that was given to him by The Council to keep him occupied. He has demonstrated once and again, through the more than 50 years in charge, that he’s more than capable of ruling the city, even if he never wanted the chance to prove it.

The Elders kept a critical eye on him, and didn’t approve of his relationship with the Forest Spirit Elowen. An union they thought would bring them misery. That’s why, at 35, he got married behind the city’s back and only his closest friends know about it.

Neem Evergreen

Firstborn and heir to the chief position in the bird communities.

Neem is a gentle soul who's always willing to help others. When he was ten, his parents adopted an elf baby they found in the forest. He quickly became attached to his now younger brother, who they named Aspen and protected him from the judgemental eyes of others. Aspen's favorite napping spot was under his brother's wings.

Despite his training to become a Forest Ranger from a young age, Neem always had a great interest for healing. He started his studies and graduated as top of the class at 30. There he met Linden, daughter of the most renowned healer of the village. They fell in love and became engaged after graduating.

But the wedding never came.

Neem died in an accident at the eastern borders, when he went with his parents to investigate an unrecorded phenomenon that was spoiling their crops and waters and killing their forests. This left Aspen as chief of the village at the age of 25.

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I hope you don’t mind a bit of lore about my characters! Neem barely appears in the story besides mentions and flashbacks, as his death happened years prior to the beginning, but Aspen is a really important character for the plot! You might remember him from the drawings with Life (big black cat).