Carver of the Ducks

Carver Of Mariside

A human who spent his life fulfilling the command of a powerful being to protect ducks

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Carver was born in the lakeside village of Mariside. Growing up he was facinated by the sounds and sights of ducks flying and swimming in the lake. While other children were playing games, he could most often be found hiding in bushes or in a tree, trying to watch the ducks without disturbing them. While considered a little off, most of the villagers assumed he would grow out of this obsession, and he may well have done if not for an experience which set the course of his life.
Carver was around 12 when he saw a group of mercenaries attacking his ducks. The mercenaries had been staying in Mariside but Carver hadn't paid them much attention as they didn't have much to say about ducks, but now they had his full attention. To his horror he saw one of the mercenaries launch lances of ice at the ducks. Despite knowing there was little he could do about the mercenaries Carver charged down the hill at them.

As he did so he felt a strange power building within him and to his amazement a flaming duck appeared at his side. The duck launched itself at the mercenaries' spellcaster, surprising the entire group. Carver came to a standstill, unsure of what had happened, which made him an easy target for the spellcaster's return blow. A blast of ice knocked him off his feet and sent him to the depths of unconciousness.

Carver was a little upset about the burning duck until he realised it was a manisfestation of power rather than a live duck

When Carver awoke later that day, he learned that the mercenaries had brought him back home, though he had little interest in that or his parents' admonisments. All of Carver's attention was focused on one thing - a vision he had had after being knocked out. In this vision an enormous duck wreathed in flames, like the one that had shot out at the mercenaries, appeared to light the darkness. It had much to tell him including a promise of power.

Your bravery in standing up to those who would harm the noblest of creatures is striking young one. It shall not go unrewarded. Return from this dark place and when you are in need as you defend my greatest creations you will find my power flowing through you.

Carver took this as sign that he had been chosen to protect ducks from all the dangers they faced, especially from people.
By fifteen Carver's reignighted obsession caused him to leave Mariside behind as there was no way he could bring himself to remain living with those who tolerated duck hunting. He moved to a rarely visited spot a little way around Mari lake where he knew he could find at least some shelter. There he practived with his powers, communed with Quack, and tried to keep preadtors away from the ducks.
Whenever humans threatened the ducks Carver would give the hunters fair warning before he attacked. Few were willing to pay attention, despite the magnificent apparel Carver had made for himself. When things went downhill Carver would call on his ever reliable flaming duck, or on a trio of spectral ducks that would unerringly strike his foes.

Carver's powers didn't always manifest as he intended. Sometimes Quack would intervene and cause something unusual to occur. Carver trusted in Quack's reasoning for how could a mere human compare with a duck's understanding.

After many years of hard work Carver earned enough of Quack's favour to be granted the power to summon a giant duck on which he could ride to battle. Though this impressive creature could provide swift transport it was completely useless in a fight as it would disappear as soon as Carver reached the ground or needed to focus on fighting.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Carver's greatest achievement was developing his understanding of ducks to such an extent that Quack finally granted him the power to transform into one of the divine creatures. Though it pained him to leave his duties behind, the prospect of finally becoming one of the beautiful beings was too hard to resist.

Failures & Embarrassments

Carver's great failure was his inability to spread the word of the great Quack. While he offered to teach all those he encountered, even offering to explain to hunters rather than attacking them, there were few willing to listen. Of those few who did deign to listen there were even fewer who went away convinced. Carver mostly put this down to his inability to translate sufficiently well from the original duck into the cruidity of the human tongue. All of the counter arguements put forward by those who listened could easily be answered if only they could understand the depth and complexity that could be conveyed by a single quack.

This is of course an entry for the unofficial Duckuary challenge.

Species

Human

Circumstances of Death

Carver was never heard from again after he transformed into a duck, though his signiture outfit was washed ashore a few weeks after he was last seen

Birthplace

Sourthwest Laiqua

Sex

Male

Eyes

LIght Brown

Hair

Dark brown, short and messy

Height

5'4"

Belief/Deity

Quack

The Almighty Quack?

Carver followed the teachings of a powerful being that he claimed was the true creator of the world. Aside from the fact that this being created the world for the sole purpose of displaying the majesty of ducks it was hard to get many more details out of him. Even this being's name is a mystery as Carver claimed it was sacriligious to translate it from the original duck.

What are they saying?

Carver claimed to have learned the language of ducks from his guiding spirit. His translates didn't always align to what those known to be able to communicate with animals would say, which he attributed to them lying or being unable to speak from a duck's perspective as he could.

The right attire

With little access to coin Carver had to make do with what he could scavenge from those he stopped from attacking the ducks. This led to a somewhat mismatched collection of garments which made him look extremely scruffy compared to the brilliant plumage of his charges. At Quack's suggestion Carver learned to add cast off feathers to his clothes. This not only covered the mismatched colours of his garments, it also provided additional protection against the weather.

Duck Call

A chance encounter with a wandering gnome led to Carver gaining one of his most prized possessions, the Duck Call. This whistle allowed him to call immortal allies who coud help shield him from harm.

As usual the header was created in Flowscape