Arkash
Details
Full Name: Arkash
Race: Rathari Neoalt
Sex: Male
Age: 22
Height: 5'10
Weight: 100lbs
Birthdate: Ash 25th, 097
Birthplace: Lorien, Lower Nivenhain.
Profession: Laborer
Housing: A small shack in lower Nivenhain.
Partners: None
Titles: None
Factions: None
Fluencies: Common, Ithmi
Conversationals: None
Ineptitudes: None
Appearance
Being a Rathari Neoalt, most of his features in all his forms resemble that of his animal, a Komodo Dragon monitor lizard. However, because he's not yet been through the coming of age ceremony, he's not able to access his other forms. In fact, he's not even aware of his Neoalt genetic make-up, as he comes from two Beastalt parents. Nonetheless, Arkash's true form is that of a bipedal monitor lizard with a rounded, smooth, flat head and a long tapering tail that acts as a counterweight for his forward slouch. His maw is flat and rounded with defined lips, which occasionally drool viscous spit and venom. He has sixty teeth, all of which are serrated. Whenever his mouth opens, strings of drool frame his gums and drip in strands if left unchecked. Deep, tired yellow eyes sit atop the base of his nose with large, circular pupils. His sclera is a dark gray that almost blends in with his scales, and can only be seen when he looks harshly in any direction. Though he has no hair or eyebrows of any kind, the ridges atop his eyes do wonders to animate his expressions.
The entirety of his lithe, malnourished body, save for his belly, chest, and neck are covered in saggy, dark scales that are broken in patches from years of neglect and lack of moisture. The flesh beneath is an almost beige, creamy color, which follows around to his belly, chest, and throat. His hands have stubby digits with long, sharp claws, which he takes care to trim so that he can continue to work with tools. His flat, broad feet bare similar claws used for gripping the ground like cleats; which provide an exceptionally good grip. New clothes aren't something he's able to afford, so he wears a simple loincloth of rag for modesty's sake.
Venom:
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Personality
Arkash is a troubled Rath with a gloomy outlook on the world and life itself. He's often tired from a lack of sleep, a lack of food, hard manual labor and the climate of the land that he lives in. The days in which he feels happy are few and far between, but he smiles to strangers so that they might not share the burden of his misery. He's not one to talk of his problems or seek help with anything despite his weakness and has submitted and succumb to the struggle of his life. There's no use crying about how things used to be, or how things are now. Only action will save him and his father from the cruel poverty of their lives in Lorien. Despite everything, he does his best and works hard for the sake of the future. Insults and cruelty appear to roll off him as though he's untouchable, but he lays with them in the cold night, sleepless.
History
In the beginning, Arkash lived with his mother, a wolf beastalt, and father, a horse beastalt, both. They were poor but made the most of their time together in place of material goods that most families had. Whenever young Arkash asked why they were in Lorien, his mother and father both explained that they dreamed of leaving whenever they could afford the journey out of the frosty reaches. Alas, they were nameless, and dunari farthings were difficult to come by. Hard labor paved the road ahead for all three of them, including Arkash when he came to be thirteen years of age. It was hard, but he was happy. As he grew older, however, his shedding became less frequent, and his scales began to dry out and chafe while he worked. His parents, who knew other reptilians that faced similar issues, knew that his scales needed waxing and polishing, which was another expense they were willing to pay for. At the time, it didn't matter. They were still saving money quickly, and the journey from Lorien was looking more and more likely with every passing day.
Despite all working different jobs day in and day out, they managed to find one another home at around the same time. Then they would take to the streets, where the three would partake in snowball fights as well as a relatively close-quarter hide and seek. Most of it was for Arkash's amusement, but keeping him happy made them happy by extension. They cooked together, talked, laughed, and cleaned afterward too. From early on, Arkash earned his keep, and the three lived in relative prosperity for their hard work. The one-room house was fixed when the roof began to leak and drafts were sealed. Furthermore, they were able to keep the hearth going for most of the day, which kept them all warm while they huddled. The warmth was particularly important for Arkash, as his true form was cold-blooded and the cold made him tired and slow.
After a particularly long workday in the freezing woodland, his father fell grievously ill while Arkash was only fifteen. It didn't clear in a week as it normally did and his symptoms grew worse. A throaty cough turned to hacking, then coughing up blood and rust-colored phlegm. The raspy hoarseness of his breathing kept them up at night, and he complained of unbearable pain throughout the days. It was eventually decided that Arkash would stay home and take care of his father while his mother worked to pay for his medicine and food; plans to leave were put on hold. But, despite the sudden drop of two incomes and the added expense of medicine, they were still saving money. Granted, they were eating far less than they had been, but the savings jar would still look at least a little more full every other week.
Looking after his father was hard work, as his illness spanned weeks, then months. His appetite became nonexistent, and the horse began to rapidly lose weight. He needed fewer bathroom brakes, which Arkash was secretly grateful for, but he worried about his father and his worsening condition. The medicine didn't seem to cure him and only slowed his decay. He wasn't in as much pain, however. That alone was worth it in the young Rath's eyes. Whenever his mother came home from her long shifts, she was exhausted but brought food from whatever venue she'd worked at every other day. Arkash was always happy to see her, and she happy to see him.
Despite her exhaustion, and the progression of his father's illness, the three made an effort to enjoy their free time together. Arkash no longer had snowball fights with his parents, but he did attempt to make snow-horse sculptures o a bi-weekly basis. They weren't very good, but his father claimed to like them all the same. Hide and seek turned to short walks around the street to keep his father somewhat active. Dinner time had become a task where Arkash and his mother cooked while his father rested. He didn't mind, of course. He'd somehow convinced himself that his father would one day be healthy again, and things would return to normal. But they never did.
Mother didn't come home one day at the age of sixteen, and Arkash set out into the night to find her. Not even an hour into his search, he'd lost too much heat, and returned home in fear of freezing to death. The next day, he made sure his father was well and took some of their saved farthings to pick up his medicine. He followed the route his mother had taken to work that day. Again, he found nothing. Everyone he asked either claimed they hadn't seen her or told him to fuck off. On his way back from the store, he saw her in the corner of his eye. She was lying face down in an alley, with snow piled atop her. She'd been mauled, torn apart by what looked to be a pack of monsters. He cried on her in a fit of horror and shock. Seeing his mother, discarded and left to freeze, broke his heart. His pained wails went ignored by passersby, and none came to his aid.
She was too heavy for him to move, no matter how hard or long he tried. Broken and defeated, he returned home to grieve with his father, who fell into despair at the news. It was all so sudden, and with his father's condition so poor, they didn't know how they would get by. The following months were filled with heartache and anguish, but Arkash couldn't mourn, not if they wanted to keep their savings and leave Lorien for good. So, he returned to work. His father just had to get by without him for most of the day. His mother's corpse remained in the alley, preserved by the ice and frost. He passed it almost every day until mid-searing and only wondered what had happened. One day he learned while working at one of his mother's popular venues; the mutt had been stealing food from them for months, and the Savant that owned the business had sent hollows to kill her. Not a word of it was spoken to him directly, but as mindless banter to customers over the counter.
Bitter hatred and rage consumed him, but as a nameless, there was nothing he could do. Most evenings were spent crying away from home, where he wouldn't disturb his father's rest. He didn't eat as often as his father would have liked, and his own weight loss sped up as he lost muscle and insulating body fat. He couldn't afford wax or moisturizer for his scales along with his father's medicine, and so they dried out, cracked, and chafed over the years. The painful discomfort was worth it, however, as they still managed to save money on just his income.
When it looked like they might be able to leave Lorien within the coming months, a new problem presented itself in the form of Savant sons, who prowled the streets collecting 'protection fees' from the residents of lower Nivenhain. To this day, Arkash's struggle continues.