Kantado

Information

Player: ImagenAshyun

Character Full Name: Kantado Starseer

Character In-Game Name: Kantado

Nickname(s): Kenny, Loser, Star's Ear

Association(s): The Cenarion Circle, Thornsong Coven; The Love Exchange (formerly)

Race: Night Elf

Class: Druid

Age: 317

Sex: Male

Hair: Thick, hip-length deep green hair with a top-knot set on the upper crown of his head.

Eyes: Amber

Scale: 0.93

Weight: 260 lbs

Height: 6'7"

Appearance

Usual Garments/Armor: Kantado often wears simple leathers and furs, usually only wearing full armor unless anticipating combat. He has clawed knuckles should he be in a situation where he cannot change to the Bear Form.

When in more casual or social settings, Kantado will go about in simple Kaldorei robes, though he has no problem wearing human tunics and trousers. He will, however, absolutely refuse to wear shoes.

Other: Kenny differs from his in-game model in that not only that his hair is longer and thicker, but that he is generally thin and lanky (yet still fit) with very narrow shoulders, resulting in his overall figure being hidden with his hair when viewed from behind. His ears are also very unusually long, the cartilage of the helix extending inches past the rough average length and drooping with gravity, thus having "floppy" ears.

All over Kantado's body are scars which varied in severity and disfigurement. A slash scar runs from the right corner of his forehead across his nose to his left side of his jaw, as well as numerous claw scars from feral worgen attacks on his chest, belly, and both legs. The deepest and most serious scars, however, are on his back and thankfully hidden by his hair. They include bullet scars from a shotgun shot and unclosed ulcers on his hide from purified necromantic taint from a Death Knight encounter. As a night elf, almost all his scars are hardly visible under his hair and clothes save the one on his face, but upon shifting to Bear Form or any other form, the hides are patchy and defaced.

Personality

Alignment: Lawful Good

Once upon a time, Kantado was a bundle of flaws—he was prone to throwing temper tantrums and fits, crying at the drop of a hat, and generally being immature, awkward, sex-obsessed, impulsive, and quick to drawing conclusions. He was a very lazy slacker, often times preferring to sleep and relax or frolic around the forests by climbing trees and running through fields. Growing up past three centuries didn’t automatic maturity for him, as despite his age, he had the mindset of a child (or at least a growing teenager). This often got him into a lot of trouble with other kaldorei, especially elder druids. Of his elders, Kantado seldom listened to any save a select few of his relatives, especially Tikar, whom he greatly admires and wishes he could emulate.

In many ways now, Kantado is still pretty much this, though his child-like complacency and personal outlook has been replaced by a more melancholy and dismal perspective. After living in three centuries without a concept of mortality, Kantado was exposed to many, many deaths all at once than he was prepared for in less than a year, resulting in him becoming a traumatized and chronically depressed youth. Rather than sink into despondent brooding (even when he wanted to), Kantado more often than not finds himself helping others, either to protect them with his Bear form or simply be a friend and companion. Through toughing out the hardships, Kantado has grown from a whiny man-child to a much more responsible and somber adult. Though old habits are hard to break (he still overly emotional and cries easily), the lazy slacker is just about dead and replaced with a budding protector of life and nature.

Kenny also has strengths in character not usually expected from other night elves. Because he is laid-back, Kantado is fairly tolerant and accepting of other races, with most of his disdain towards them only existing because he was either told to disdain them by his elders or these folk genuinely waste and ruin lives and nature. He also dislikes outright hurting people unless in defense, and any accidents and problems he would accidentally cause due to carelessness would be met with deep regret that would drive him to overcompensate for them through deeds to make up for his mistakes. Though quick to have a fit and tantrum, Kantado is otherwise sweet and very friendly, open to others despite what his people would rather have him be. With loyalty hard to destroy despite whatever hardships may come, Kantado will always be, forever and ever, one's friend.

History

Kantado was born to Sadil Nightseer and Hercynian Dreamseer during a night of falling stars, roughly three centuries before the discovery of the night elves by the orcs and the destruction of the World Tree. Left to be raised by the community, "Kenny" was primarily left in the care of Tikar Wildseer, his eldest brother, while Sadil fought as a sentinel and Hercynian kept to himself in the Emerald Dream. Being young and not understanding of the world, Kenny mostly played and frolicked in the Ashenvale forests, seeing the world as his playground. Due to his great admiration of "Big Brother Bear", Kenny especially grew fond of Tikar; this fondness was reciprocated, but it unfortunately also brought on leniency on him that resulted in a lack of discipline. As Kantado got older, he discovered his own musical creativity and craftsmanship, and he would develop a love for song and artistic craft. He then spent much of his growing years being lazy, and any semblance of effort was put into play and creating music rather than actually being productive. This laziness lingering into early adulthood was finally taking notice from Tikar on how the boy was in dire need for discipline.

Come adulthood, Kantado was convinced by Tikar to follow a more purposeful path than sitting on his bum strumming his lute. Without putting much effort into thought, Kenny followed the path of druidism as Tikar and their father did before them. However, his years spent in the Emerald Dream, once again, were mostly filled with play, not even bothering to listen to his elders. He did, though, take up the opportunity to become closer to his father... but it is met with reinforced distance and lack of attention due to Hercynians rather aloofness and even more astounding laziness. Kantado, without a proper guide, then continued to be lax and carefree without (at first) bothering with improving his druidism in the Emerald Dream.

The Third War became the first of what would become many wake-up calls to Kantado’s life of idyllic complacency. When the Horn of Cenarius was blown to wake the druids, Kantado was insisted to stay in the barrows while his brother and father left to fight, as the druid was still an unready novice to face his first real battle. Kantado carelessly though nothing of it until Nordrassil was gravely damaged, giving him a great disorienting awakening. Now denied of immortality, Kantado is forced to confront his previous lifestyle of laziness and complacency. He then continued to train outside the Dream by being trained more directly within Moonglade, though this too did not last long. As he was born of a generation which death only happened to nature itself, Kantado became increasingly fearful of his life. The fact that his brother and father were resting from the War and his mother was still absent added more emotional baggage than Kantado was prepared for.

Kantado stayed in Moonglade until news of a crash in Azuermyst Isles reached his people; by this point, Kantado has come to accept his mortality, though he still barely understood it. Eager to get out to the world, Kenny volunteered to join the night elves into helping their new visitors into Azeroth. There, he befriended a few Draenei, but his stay was short--as soon as the Draenei became an official part of the Alliance, Kantado's troupe returned to Moonglade. By this time, Tikar would depart for the Cenarian Expedition, which intrigued Kantado to do the same. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t even get his basic forms yet, and his healing magic wasn’t even sufficient enough to close something as simple as an elbow scrape. With a heavy heart, Kantado would surrender with thoughts of uselessness when he declined to follow Tikar to Outland and remain in Moonglade to continue training. He would stay there for the next few years until the fall of the Lich King, when Kantado finally mastered the Bear Form and basic Cat and Crow.

When times seemed to be peaceful, Kantado decided to try the outside world once more, now brave and confident enough in his spells and shapeshifting to defend himself. Hearing that his Draenei friend, Kapre, has established a business, Kenny decides to start experiencing Azeroth through him, as not only would this business give him opportunities to socialize with other race, but also provide him income and freedom to be creative with music and craft again. Hired as a matchmaker, Kenny is then given the task to learn more about others and explore while scouting for matches. A few friends here, a few matches there, and Kantado would learn how to be open to others despite his past experiences and his elders’ words of discouragement in mingling with non-kaldorei. Perhaps this is due to his inherently easy-going nature, or the fact he is still young, or that simple words can prevent a confrontation and therefore needless violence and death; regardless, Kantado learned to be friendly with those whom druids or night elves may have otherwise viewed as enemies.

Despite this, danger swiftly fell into Kantado’s life without a warning. En route across the continents on board a zeppelin he reluctantly boarded, the vessel crash landed into an island haunted by spirits, where his own was placed into a state of dormancy until other survivors helped him out. Meanwhile, he befriended a blood elf woman, one of many among the strangers Kantado was forced to survive with. Young, inexperienced, and naïve Kantado quickly fell in love with her despite the evolutionary gap between their races. Despite this, Kantado fought hard to protect her as well as others on the island, even going as far as taking bullets to his ursine hide when confronting one of the spirits masquerading as one of the survivors. By the time the survivors found a way to leave the island, Kantado confessed his love for the woman, but he was understandably rebuffed. Though heartbroken, Kantado’s became determined to improve on himself as a person so that should he find a second love, he would prove himself to be a suitable mate for the girl.

Months after recovering from the crash landing and unrequited love, Kantado met his first significant other: Isolia Bladebark, a viciously angry Reaver who otherwise sought companionship and affection for her very own. The relationship was a bit tumultuous at first, mostly due to Isolia’s anger issues and Kantado juggling his duties in TLE and druidic training. Nevertheless, Kantado was happy with the woman, and though their meetings were sparse, her smile alone made Kantado feel like her champion. After less than a year of courtship, the woman would disappear; Kantado assumed she simply left to fight, and he would prepare her a song and necklace just for her. What really happened was that the woman had fallen into fel taint and had to recover in Tanaris. As soon as the young druid found out, he dropped everything he could to find her and try to heal her. However, his healing ability was still subpar, and medicines could only do so much. Kantado tried to remain optimistic over his lover’s state and decided to bear the gifts he previously made so that her spirit would be lifted. It lifted, all right... Isolia was found dead on the floor, crumpled in a heap. Time around Kantado stood still; there was no music, no smiles, no gifts, no love, no life. The grief was so unbearable, things Kantado used to enjoy like music and craftsmanship made him sick to his stomach. It wasn’t until an emotional outburst and confrontation with Kapre that urged him to quit TLE and withdraw completely from his usual social circles.

To relieve his pain, Kantado succumbed to wanderlust and found his way to Feralas. While flying over the ruins of Eldre’Thalas, he came across a wandering blood elf mage named Mathieu Rivermouth. At first recognizing Mathieu as a TLE client and admonishing him for even thinking of going into the ruins alone, Kantado accompanied the sin’dorei mostly to help protect him from danger when the adventurer refused his initial warnings. There, the two explored the history of their people from the remains of Highborne society, which helped Kantado come to terms with mortality, time, and change. When other adventurers appeared, however, the otherwise quiet and contemplative exploration turned perilous as satyrs discovered the group and attacked. Grateful that everyone came out alive, Kantado decided to make a humble request for Mathieu: help him move Isolia’s body from Tanaris to Ashenvale, closer to home. The blood elf agreed, and the two journeyed to transport the shroud. Just as they were travelling between portals, the earth shook and fires filled the skies. Mathieu and Kantado barely escaped with their lives once more as the Black Dragon decimated the coastline of Tanaris. The decision to come to Ashenvale was also rather short-sighted on the young elves’ part, as this place was also very unsafe as it, too, was subjecting to the Shattering. The two hid in the woods, far away from the dangers that plagued the forests. By the time the earth had settled, Kantado attempted to take Isolia’s body to a bank near Iris Lake, where they once had a date, but a volcano had formed and lava licked up most of its waters. As the forests no longer have a suitable spot to bury the body, Mathieu and Kantado settled in burying Isolia at the foot of Mount Hyjal.

After saying his goodbyes to his new close friend, Kantado returned to Astranaar only to find that it had been subjected to flames from raiding Horde. After assisting in putting them out, he accompanied travelers to Maestra’s Post and attended a worship circle there when the Horde came again and slaughtered many before his eyes. The young elf withdrew after witnessing so many deaths all at once, though he feared his inaction as a Druid of the Claw may do more harm than good. Forcing himself to enter the barrow dens on a task assisting the Wardens, Kantado was struck with hallucinations due to corruption of an artifact deep inside—auditory hallucinations that sounded like Isolia. By the time he departed the den, Kantadao decided he has had enough. The young druid took to the skies to make his way for Darnassus in hopes to withdraw wholly for the next, perhaps, couple centuries. Upon landing in Darkshore for a rest, he comes across a lost and amnesiac human whom he nicknamed ”Malanore”, who was affected by the Shattering and just happened to be there. Finally no longer feeling powerless, Kantado assisted the human as they dodged the dangers of the approaching Twilight’s Hammer and raging elementals until they found the budding refugee settlement of Lor’danel. Death and destruction was still about the already world-weary youth, and such was especially present in Darkshore. Kantado left the human there almost immediately to head for Darnassus without much more than a simple goodbye and good luck to the wandering human he nicknamed.

Those intended centuries to spend wallowing in self-pity and depression ended up being only a few weeks. Exiles from Gilneas have arrived, many afflicted with the worgen curse that managed to breach the Gilnean Wall. Elune forbid Kantado’s inclinations to help others would eventually literally kill him—he nevertheless got out of his lodging to meet with the Gilneans and assist the other kaldorei in helping them reintegrate into the Alliance. Although initially fearful of exposing himself to yet even more senseless death in the outside world, Kantado decided upon accompanying some Gilneans from Darnassus to Stormwind while somewhat hoping his lack of better judgement will be rewarded with his own death in some way. His focus on death was pushed aside when he witnessed discrimination from the uncursed humans of Stormwind towards the barely settled worgens. While trying to find his way to ease the social tension brewing in the streets, he would meet a follower of the Old Ways and long-time Harvest Witch: Roux Blackwood. At first simply befriending her as both were still novices in the arts of druidic magic, Kantado was exposed to the Old Ways’ views of death: it is not only natural, but it completes a circle of life born of earth newly fed of the dead. Without admitting it to other night elves, Kantado began to adopt this new perspective regarding death, which not only eased his soul and helped him come to terms with death, but also provided friendships as he would enter Roux’s circle of companions with other Harvest Witches and similarly-minded kaldorei within the Thornsong Coven in Duskwood.

This newfound resolve would be tested. During an escapade into the wood with Roux and other novice druids, the group accidentally released a feral worgen spirit trapped since the age of the Druid of the Pack. As the wolf hunt began, Kantado was becoming closer to one of the other druid kaldorei in the Coven named Ninde Moonwhisper. During the quieter times of the hunt, Kantado would show Ninde one of his older, forgotten loves: music. He made Ninde her first lyre, and the two would have some music lessons whenever the tension would lessen between hunts. After several brushes with death by the group, the hunt was over and the spirit sealed back in the Emerald Dream. While the rest of the world continued to fall deeper into war, for the first time in Kantado’s life, the druid felt not only genuinely happy and free, but strong and confident enough in his place in the world as a Druid of the Claw. When Ninde approached Kantado to admit her feelings to him, the male was more than ecstatic to reciprocate. The two would join in courtship, though due to his experiences with love in the past, they decided to take it slow.

The time has come—the call for the aids of druids all over Azeroth has been sounded. Nordrassil would be in danger again, not just from Deathwing the Destroyer, but particularly with Ragnaros the Firelord. This time, Kantado took initiative; he began assisting other Cenarion Circle druids in calling for aid as the Circle itself rushes to aid Mount Hyjal from the rampaging fire elementals. One night while relaxing with Roux in Duskwood after trying to recruit others, a defector from a gang ran to hide within Rosehaven, and not long after, rogue Death Knights attacked in hopes to take her back. Unaccustomed to fighting against necromantic magic, Kantado was gravely injured by their unholy magic and forced to recover in Roux’s wrecked home. For the first time in what felt like forever, Tikar and Hercynian visit Kantado while under Roux and Ninde’s care. What would happen next struck the young elf’s heart deeper than any Death Knight’s magic—a confrontation broke out in which Tikar, whom Kantado admired and loved most of all, grabbed Roux’s sacred staff of the Old Ways and tossed it into the fire. After all that has happened prior, the biggest wake-up call has occurred in Kantado’s life yet: his family and friends cannot get along, and he as a kaldorei druid cannot be integrating with the ways with death as the Gilneans do. With a heavy heart, Kantado resigned to Moonglade and continue to recover there, now questioning his resolve and place among nature in Azeroth.

The fires of Hyjal are approaching. They are licking up the foot of the mountain, and Kantado cannot afford to idle ponder about the nature of life and death. Knowing full well has has love, friends, and family to defend, Kantado will have to rise above his personal sorrows to be the guardian the nature of Azeroth called for.

Skills and Abilities

As Kantado is still a greenhorn among druids, his forms are barely perfected save the Bear Form, which he can shapeshift into with fluid ease. As a follower of Ursol and Ursoc, Kantado is focused onto their creed of guardianship of the forest. While in the Bear Form, Kantado is much more resistant to damage while being capable of dishing out strong attacks associated with the bear. Though a Druid of the Claw, the form of the bear is just about the only one he has full control over; he is surely capable of the Cat and Flight forms, but his mobility control is often less than satisfactory. He is not able to change into any other form.

Despite his deep associations with the Bear Ancients, Kantado's healing ability is very subpar. One of his more immediate goals in studying for his druidic skills is learning how to heal, though this likely could take a while.

Besides being a druid, Kantado also has skills in song, music, and craft. He is primarily self-taught, and his style of song and music is often in rhythm with nature itself, and he can compose full songs with lyrics and meter. Crafts he is capable of making are often that in musical instruments, from lutes to lyres to pan pipes and drums, all which he can play with skill. One can argue he is a far better bard than he is a druid, though Kantado prefers to simply make song and craft a hobby or quick coin than an actual occupation to replace his druidism.