Pine n'Ardak-Ipops

Pine Jaden n'Ardak-Ipops, often just called Pine, was a Feles who lived in Lennox. He was the Shabtoum of June, a Lennox senior government member and Sabayt, the former 4th Grand Vizier of Lennox and The Three Thrones council representative, a builder, gardener and bartender. He was married to the duke of Poobshire, Dries Ipops, and had an adopted son, Tor n'Ardak-Ipops. His main house was located in the capital of Lennox, Dragoonios. He also had citizenship in Credia.

After the last citizens of June had departed to Abexilas, Pine died a peaceful death in the heart of June's oasis.

Childhood
Pine was born into a middle-class farmer family in Greenstem, to Narrn and Tia n'Ardak, before the Leythe-Akratian War and the banishment of the Feles people. He had only one brother, Leo, which was rare among Feles people, that often had a litter of at least 3 kits. Pine was very scrawny and slender, unlike his brother, who was relatively stocky, but he was good with his hands and great at knitting and weaving from a young age. He also showed a good amount of interest in painting.

His childhood was fairly laid-back and carefree, living in an old, inherited farmhouse, helping his parents with their farm. He was raised a Garfist, though he never really understood the true meaning of the religion, and mostly thought of it as a bunch of made-up stories.

The banishment of the Feles people
When Pine was around 15, The Akratians attacked the city of Greenstem and threatened to burn it down, claiming that it was in their land. The Feles people had to quickly take their belongings and start making their way to whatever place would accept them.

Along with most of the other Feles, Pine and his family started heading far north, to a nation called Bardonia, which was recruiting new members. However, not even halfway through, while traveling through Serafini (Current Tovarisha), their wagon was attacked by bandits. They took all their belongings and Tia, Leo and Narrn to be sold as slaves. Pine, though, as he was very skinny, was deemed unworthy to do work and was sadistically tied to the trunk of a tree to be eaten by wild animals.

The rope used by the bandits, however, was cheap and old, and Pine managed to gnaw himself free. He began walking along the cobblestone road, hoping to find somewhere to stay.

He traveled a day or two, drinking water from rivers and ponds and eating whatever wild berries he happened to find. Finally, after many hours of walking, he saw something in the distance.

Atop a mountain, there was a massive castle, surrounded by farms and smoke rising from the many chimneys inside. Pine was immediately amazed. Not only had he found a possible place to stay, but also a very beautiful one. He knocked on the main gate and was greeted by a man with a sweet smile, who introduced himself as Maewyn, the mayor of Certaria.

Life in Certaria
Maewyn welcomed Pine into the Certaria with open arms and offered him food, water and an apartment to stay in. Pine was astounded by the kindness of the mayor and wholeheartedly accepted. The more of the city he saw the more fascinated he became. While Pine had not seen that many cities, Certaria was way more astonishing and beautiful than any of them.

Pine started a career as a weaver and flagmaker, as he had enjoyed knitting and weaving since he was a child. While living in the city he made many great friends such as Greenish Nine, the laid-back baker of the city, Kosti Rip, a brave soldier and fisherman and Radium Racc, a great builder who tended to make dirty jokes. He also found and tamed a wolf, whom he named Tomboy, and got a fox as a gift from Greenish, whom he named Femboy. The great architecture of the city also made Pine gain an interest in building.

Fall of Certaria
Unfortunately, Pine's laid-back life in Certaria was cut short by a tragedy. One day, the leader of The Hands, Viewed Marquis, claimed that a member of the city had spewed a minor insult at her. They gave the Certarians a choice: either pay the hands ludicrous amounts of money, materials and enchantments or they would declare war on the city.

The Certarians, with no way of acquiring such riches fast enough, prepared for battle. They asked the UBSR for troops, but those in command underestimated the situation and only sent a few farmers in iron armor.

Pine hid his beloved dog and fox in a small cavern in the side of the mountain to ensure they wouldn't be found by the merciless murderers. He gave them his last pats and sealed the entrance. Pine brewed an arsenal of potions in an attempt to help, as he knew in battle he would be of no use. He had zero any kind of previous fighting experience, and he was a scrawny, 19-year old boy.

And like many expected, the battle was hopeless. The city's rightful residents fought like hell, but to no success. They were a piece of cake to the utter battle machines with their Sharpness VII swords. It was a massacre, a night that changed Pine's way of seeing the world, forever.

After the battle the few Certarians that had survived, including Pine, were forced to give all their valuables to The Hands. Pine also couldn't get his beloved pets out of the cavern, and was afraid to ask The Hands, as their leader Viewed had a history of slaughtering dogs. Pine collected their hair from around his home and stuffed it inside of a small locket, made of the Certarian crimson ice, which he had gotten as a birthday gift from one of the town's citizens.

After having their belongings taken by the conquerors, the remaining citizens were forced out of the city, turning one of the most beautiful cities and greatest communities of Rathnir into a ghost town that a hand or 2 visited once a month. Many migrated to the New World, Eldham, and others to the mysterious Isles of Dagon. Most were never heard of again. Pine left the city as a shell of a man he had once been, with nothing but a backpack with the bare minimum of items, with his only weapon being a worn out iron axe, which he still owns to this day, hanging on the wall of his bedroom, as a reminder of the harder times.

Return to Greenstem
Pine decided it would be for the best to move back to Greenstem, as the city had recently been taken back by their rightful owners, the Feles, and the town was within a reasonable walking distance.

He arrived in the town, but it was a husk of what it had been. There was nearly no one to be seen in the streets, food was scarce, and the citizens lived in poverty as the new king, Leonidas Greenstir partied and lived a luxurious life in his castle which he almost never left. Pine didn't even seem to find any of his previous friends or family members.

Pine was devastated, and left the city after only a few days, now with no clear idea of where he was going.

The failed town of Vesteras
Pine eventually ended up in mainland Viodoxa. While visiting a tavern, he stumbled upon a familiar face- Kosti Rip, a previous friend of his from Certaria. He had been wandering around without a clear destination after leaving Certaria, just like Pine after his departure from Greenstem. As they talked and drank- Pine forest berry tea, Kosti high quality Viodoxan whiskey- they got an idea of a swamp town, with autonomy just like Certaria, a paradise for anyone seeking refuge, just as good as Certaria, no, better than Certaria. After a bit of brainstorming the two settled on the name Vesteras. They stayed in the tavern and spent the night planning the city and its buildings. During his life in Certaria Pine had gained an interest for architecture and had planned quite a few buildings, but during that night Pine created the first building that could truly be classified as the work of a builder.

As the sun rose, Pine was determined and ready to begin work on the town. Kosti had to meet up with a merchant to pick up an order, but promised to arrive at the spot they had chosen on the map beforehand as soon as he could. They told each other goodbye and Pine began making his way to the spot.

After a few days of walking Pine arrived at a big, empty plot of swampland in eastern Viodoxa. He immediately got to work and built a little swamp hut, the first building in the soon-to-be great city of Vesteras. And it was beautiful, Pine's first building, his pride and joy.

The Feles decided to wait for Kosti before building anything else, as he had most of the building plans with him. A day passed, then another, and another

Pine waited, and waited, and waited, days, then weeks

But nobody came.

Without his dear friend, Pine had no determination to build a town of his own. Once again, he left, with no clue of where to go. He would pass by many great towns, but not a single one was as absolutely stunning and welcoming as Certaria. He was lost, with no roof atop his head, no one on his side.

The stranger from the northern lands
Many years had passed. While enjoying a cup of tea at a tavern in western Uldarash, Pine was approached by a traveler wearing a long cotton robe decorated with beautiful, purple and yellow embroidery; the man was clearly not from the cold swamplands and taigas of western Uldarash.

The traveler introduced himself as Thatcrazyboy. He could tell that Pine was lost, and proceeded to pull out two items from their robe- a flag, showing a purple pyramid on a yellow background, and a beautiful sketch of a desert city, with a magnificent lighthouse standing proudly in the middle. At the very bottom, a snippet of cursive text read: Dragoonia, the jewel of Syltör.

Pine was intrigued. The traveler offered to take him there, free of charge. The journey would be long and tiring, as the nation was on the other side of the world, but the man assured it would be worth it. With no better place to go, Pine accepted, and the two set on their journey.

For many weeks, the two walked, rode horses, rowed boats, only stopping at taverns and markets to rest and eat. They got to know each other more and more. Crazy was a relatively new citizen of Dragoonios, tasked with recruiting new citizens for quick money. He was intrigued by Pine's tragic backstory and Certaria.

Finally, after countless days of traveling, as they rowed their small wooden boat under the night sky in the Sea of Petals, Pine could see a glow of light in the distance. As they rowed closer and closer, the figure of a large lighthouse could be seen on the horizon, then the buildings, then the sphinxes, even some silhouettes of people, dressed in similar clothing as Crazy's ornate robe.

For the first time in over a decade, Pine could feel the same feeling he felt all those years ago as he approached Certaria.

He was finally home.

Citizen of Dragoonia
Pine was welcomed to Dragoonia by Sage Michal of Riverrun, who was residing in the city at the time. He got to know all the big names of the city: Sirius I, the wise pharaoh of Lennox, Jarritos IV, the Shabtoum of Ramtopia, and Spyral Ulburnr, the djinn Grand Vizier, whom Pine began to see as a role model. Pine was also introduced to Lennox's state religion, Lux. Stories of the sun goddess intrigued Pine, and he soon became a Luxite.

With the help of his dear friend Thatcrazyboy, Pine built an impressive two-story home in the outskirts of Dragoonia, complete with a large underground spa and brewing room. Spyral was impressed by Pine's skills in architecture, and asked him to refurbish the Undercity: a section of Dragoonia located under the main square. Pine was honored by this and began working on it.

Pine transformed the undercity from a rugged sandstone cavern into a lush underground paradise. Around this time, another mysterious traveler by the name of Leopardzilla, joined Lennox. Despite Leo's sharp tongue and odd jokes, he quickly became good friends with Pine.

However, Pine's peaceful, new life once again came to a halt when a group of hostile squatters, going by the name Kevin, declared war on Thelysia; the capital of Lennox's neighbor and ally, Credia. According to the Keviners, a Thelysian had stolen a holy sword from them. However, due to some kind of misunderstanding and infighting between Keviners, this declaration was soon retracted and Kevin decided to instead attack Ramtopia, one of Lennox's largest cities. As news of the war declaration spread around Lennox, many citizens became scared and panicked, including Pine, as he feared he would lose his home once again.

Lennox quickly geared up and called all their allies for help. Brave soldiers from Vallia, Credia, Hälge, Aurlunor, Solisios and even Tortuga swiftly came to Ramtopia's aid. Pine himself decided not to participate in the battle due to his poor fighting skills, but he donated his set of armor to Dries Ipops, a credian soldier, along with distributing lots and lots of home-brewed potions among Lennoxer warriors.

The Battle of Ramtopia was a tight spot for Lennox, but as the entirety of Yulara held their breath, Lennox and its allies managed to overpower the attackers by a sliver of points, sending the squatters away from Yulara once and for all. Pine was relieved by the victory and continued his peaceful life in the desert city of Dragoonios. However, as Lennox celebrated their victory, something very odd happened.

Thtcrazyboy vanished from his home in Dragoonios without a trace. Some say he got lost in the desert, captured by slavers, murdered by bandits or simply set off for a long adventure, from which he would never return. Despite Lennox's best efforts to search for him, no traces of the man were ever found. Pine was devastated, but with his newfound friends Leopardzilla and Dries on his side, he moved on.

Personality
Younger Pine was described as playful, laid-back, carefree and a joke cracker, but after the tragic events in the Fall of Certaria he became more serious and paranoid. He is still a trustworthy and emphatic man, and tries to appreciate the small nice things in his life. As years of peaceful life in Lennox have passed, Pine has even begun showing signs of turning back into his more playful, younger self.

He likes
Salmon, brewing, cold weather, collecting and listening to music discs, decorating everything with plants, knitting, Lennox, Vallia, Borhammar, Aurlunor and Tovarisha.

He hates
The Hands, especially Viewed, rain, over-talkative and energetic people, Akratia, cod in any form, Bardonia, Kartek and any expansionist empire.

Appearance
Pine is a tall, slender male Feles with dark brown eyes. He has thick, dark mint fur with a white patches, belly and tailtip. He has a lot of fur especially around his ears and cheeks.

He's usually seen wearing his iconic poncho, that his mother made to him on their final days together. It's worn out and covered in dried stains, but Pine refuses to stop wearing it, as it's one of the few things that remind him of his mother. He often has bandage wrapped around his feet to act as shoes. He also has a little locket, made of the crimson ice from the red spears near Certaria, with the hair of his former pets, Tomboy the wolf and Femboy the fox, inside it.

When traveling, he's always wearing a leather belt, with a bag of coins and a bottle of water on it. On the backside he keeps his trusty emerald blade, The Night's Fang.

Trivia

 * Pine is dyslexic.
 * Pine loves warm teas and coffees like Açaí, forest berry tea and chocolate cinnamon tea.
 * He dislikes alcohols, especially strong ones. He does enjoy well-made red wine, but only drinks it at special occasions.
 * Pine believes that every god exists, but Lux and Tenebris are the two main deities and other gods are their servants. He also believes that Sen and Lyn of Twin Dragon and Caligo and Solaris of Soleannen are just different interpretations of Lux and Tenebris.
 * Pine's great grandfather was an elf, Leoné n'Ardak. He was a traveling merchant from Aûrlunor Velande, but decided to stay in Greenstem after falling in love with a Feles woman that would later be Pine's great grandmother.
 * This is also where the elven sounding last name n'Ardak comes from.
 * Pine's dog Juno and sheep Pina are both named after characters in the popular anime and manga series, Beastars.
 * He also has a dog named Loona, named after a character in Helluva Boss.
 * His favorite food is smoked salmon with a hint of cumin.