Scalebite Buyou Characters

Barnaby Tugg

Barnaby is a short, plump man with a round, friendly face and a perpetually dazed expression. His clothes are disheveled, and his mustache is often stained with rum. He has a simple, unassuming demeanor that hides a clever mind. He is almost always smiling.

Barnaby was a simple sailor who was abducted by Lir's crew during a raid on his ship. For years, he was forced to be one of the "Lost Boys," a prisoner in a child's game. He was among the first to be rescued by Santiago, and he immediately pledged his loyalty to him. Barnaby is the most morally sound person on Santiago's crew, and he is a voice of reason in a sea of sociopaths. He believes that every human being deserves to be free and will do anything to help.

Santiago Velere

Santiago is a gaunt but powerfully built man, his face a roadmap of hard lines and a perpetual scowl. His hair is long and ringlet curly, with a trimmed goatee and pointed mustache. His left hand is missing, replaced by a sophisticated, clockwork grappling hook with a menacing metallic claw. His eyes are a cold, piercing brown that miss nothing. He wears an old, black, double-breasted coat over a crisp white shirt, a scarlet Spanish privateer hat decorated with a rather large ostrich feather, and dark trousers tucked into buckle strap boots. His entire demeanor is one of cold, aristocratic fury, and his movements are precise and deliberate.

Santiago was a respected admiral in the Spanish fleet before his son, Lir, was abducted from him by a fey. For decades, Santiago searched for Lir, his love turning into a profound obsession. He now understands Lir's nature, not as a human but as a monster. The abduction of his son was seen as a personal insult by the other families, and he was forced into retirement. He now operates as a privateer, hunting Lir across the Dumal Archipelago to not only rescue the "Lost Boys" but to also prove his own supremacy and re-establish his reputation in the eyes of the Dumal Republic.

Chieftain Kaelen "Stonehand"

Chieftain Kaelen is a formidable figure, standing just over six feet tall with the deep crimson skin characteristic of the Tenagi. His long, straight black hair is often pulled back in a practical, no-nonsense braid, adorned with a few polished river stones. Intricate black and blue tribal tattoos coil around his muscular forearms, depicting scenes of great hunts and powerful fish. He favors a sturdy wolf-hide tunic over leather armor, and his calloused hands, fitting his "Stonehand" moniker, often rest on the massive, rock-embedded paddle-axe he wields as both weapon and symbol of office. A scar, a jagged white line, bisects his left eyebrow – a memento from an early skirmish with the Ibukinu. His eyes are a piercing, intelligent amber, constantly scanning his surroundings.

Kaelen was born into a line of respected Tenagi warriors and hunters. Even as a child, he displayed an uncanny knack for understanding the river's currents and the behavior of the fish, often out-fishing elders. He earned his "Stonehand" epithet after a particularly brutal ambush by the Ibukinu during his youth, where he used a fallen rock to dispatch an enemy, saving a fellow tribesman. He rose through the ranks swiftly, not just through martial prowess but also through his strategic mind and unwavering dedication to his people. He witnessed firsthand the dwindling fish stocks and the escalating aggression from the Ibukinu, fueling his resolve to secure his tribe's future. He ascended to Chieftain after the previous leader, his own father, fell to an Ibukinu ambush, leaving Kaelen with a burning desire for retribution and a fierce commitment to protecting his village.

Chieftain Xyris "Shadow Step"

Chieftain Xyris is a lean, wiry woman with dark brown skin that blends seamlessly with the jungle shadows. Her long, matted dreadlocks, adorned with polished river stones and vibrant jungle feathers, frame a face marked by fierce determination. Orange and white tribal tattoos snake across her cheekbones and down her arms, mimicking the patterns of stealthy jungle predators. She wears practical clothing woven from large ferns and plant fibers, reinforced with sturdy rope, allowing for silent movement through dense foliage. A quiver of arrows crafted from dark wood rests on her back, and a jagged stone dagger is always at her hip. Her eyes, a striking emerald green, are sharp and constantly assessing, reflecting a lifetime spent in the demanding jungle environment.

Xyris was born into a tribe facing mounting hardship. As a child, she witnessed the jungle's bounty diminish, the once-plentiful game growing scarce, and the crops yield less with each passing season. This firsthand experience instilled in her a deep understanding of her tribe's precarious existence. She quickly learned the art of stealth and the ways of the jungle, becoming an unparalleled hunter and scout. Her skill with a bow and her ability to move unseen earned her the moniker "Shadowstep." She often led the desperate raids on Tenagi fishing boats, driven by the gnawing hunger of her people. When the previous chieftain, her aging mother, succumbed to illness brought on by malnourishment, Xyris, though young, was chosen for her unwavering resolve and proven ability to acquire resources, no matter the cost. Her leadership is a desperate bid for survival against a world that seems to be closing in on her tribe.

Chieftain Kr'glax

Kr'glax is a massive lizardfolk, even for his kind, standing nearly seven feet tall with scales the color of deep swamp mud, mottled with patches of dark green algae. His eyes are small, beady, and an unsettling golden hue, constantly scanning his surroundings. A gnarled club, adorned with teeth and bones from various bayou creatures, is always clutched in one hand. Scarring from countless battles crisscrosses his hide, particularly a deep, ragged gash across his snout from a particularly fierce alligator. He wears minimal clothing, primarily a crude leather loincloth and necklaces strung with the teeth of his defeated foes, including a particularly large set of human teeth.

Kr'glax clawed his way to leadership through sheer brutality and cunning, outliving numerous rivals in the harsh environment of ScaleBite Bayou. He inherited the tribe's reverence for the bayou's lurking dangers, particularly the basilisk his ancestors trapped generations ago. Kr'glax sees the basilisk not just as a weapon, but as a symbol of the tribe's dominance and a constant reminder of the primal fear they inspire. He understands the allure of the bonfire, a trick passed down through his lineage to lure unsuspecting prey into their watery grasp, believing that those who seek comfort in the bayou deserve their fate. His ambition extends only as far as the tribe's survival and dominance within their territory.

Lir

Lir is a young elf, forever in the prime of his adolescence, with a mischievous grin and wild, untamed auburn hair. His limbs are lithe and seemingly weightless, and his eyes hold a terrifying blend of innocence and malice. He wears simple clothes of woven leaves and vines, and his skin shimmers with a faint, otherworldly glow. He never seems to stand still, always flitting about, his movements as unpredictable as his moods.

A rogue fey creature, Lir strayed from the Feywild and into the mortal realm of Attilos. He discovered the Dumal Archipelago, a playground of adventure he could bend to his whims. Fascinated by humans and their ships, he began to abduct them, not for malice, but for amusement. He sees them as new "toys" for his endless games. His actions on his island, a chaotic mockery of a kingdom, have drawn the attention of his estranged father, Santiago, who sees Lir's antics as a grave insult to their family's name and legacy.

Rhiannon

Rhiannon is a minuscule, fairy-like creature, no bigger than a teacup, with paper-thin wings that hum when she flies. Her body is made of light that shifts from a soft, calming blue to an aggressive, angry red when she’s upset. Her features are sharp and pinched in a permanent scowl. She communicates through the color of her light and a high-pitched, unintelligible series of musical hums and chirps that only Lir and other fey can understand.

Rhiannon is a lesser fey that Lir discovered on his first day in the mortal realm. She was a solitary creature, shy and untrusting. Lir offered her something she'd never had before: purpose. He twisted her innate protective nature, and now she is fanatically loyal to him. She is fiercely possessive of her master and sees all others as intruders or threats. She acts as his magical eyes and ears on the island, a silent, vicious sentinel who will stop at nothing to eliminate anything that threatens Lir.

Governess Murrigana

Murrigana Shadowfen's early life was steeped in the ancient traditions of the ScaleBite Bayou. She witnessed firsthand the slow, encroaching tide of "civilization" from the mainland, always pushing further into the wild places.

When the Republic of Dumal arrived, their initial attempts at conquest were met with fierce, magical resistance from Murrigana and her people. They learned quickly that ScaleBite Bayou was no easy prize. Rather than enduring a prolonged, costly war, the Republic, in a rare moment of pragmatic foresight, offered Murrigana a deal: acknowledge their nominal authority as Governess, and in return, the Republic would largely leave the bayou's internal affairs to her, establishing only a small, heavily fortified outpost on the fringes. Murrigana, ever the survivor, saw the wisdom in this uneasy truce. She accepted, not out of loyalty to the Republic, but to secure the continued existence of her people and their way of life. She plays the terrifying "witch" to outsiders.