Player Name: Holo Personal Journal:holofluff E-mail: 059delta149@gmail.com AIM: sunnythecherrim Timezone: EST Current Characters in Route: none
Character Name: Ondorus Series: Rune Factory Timeline: RF3, a few months post-second boss Canon Resource Links:Wiki page has very, very little information; I'm writing out his history.
Like most Harvest Moon/Rune Factory characters, Ondorus does not have a fully developed life history, as the game focuses on his personality and relationships with other characters and only gives anecdotes from his life that are relevant to his personality during the course of the game. We do know that he is one of the last members of an ancient race of horned, humanoid monsters called the Univir. They have longer lifespans than humans and many other monsters, and have natural magical abilities - trope-wise, sort of a variant on the typical fantasy elf (which also inhabit the Rune Factory world.)
Long before Ondorus or any of the characters in the game were born, univir lived peacefully with humans, elves, and dwarves in the town of Sharance and the surrounding region. At some point, there was an altercation of some sort, and the Univir either left or were banished from Sharance. They withdrew from human society, living in secluded areas with other monsters and whatever members of non-human races wished to join them. What exactly happened to cause the split between humans and univir is unknown, as there are no complete records of the incident and the lingering hatred between the two races has colored whatever stories remain.
Ondorus was born in the Sol Terrano Desert, where a settlement had been established by the univir. By that time, the univir had all but died off, surviving in a few scattered individuals - by the time period in which the game takes place, he and Kuruna are the last univir inhabitants of the desert settlement. Kuruna, who is about 20 years older than him, has been his friend for his entire life. Neither has ever left the desert, though during their childhood they would often sneak out of the settlement to play in the canyons and crevices of Sol Terrano. Ondorus has spent his life helping Kuruna to maintain the settlement and - primarily - reading whatever material he can obtain by trading with non-humans, studying magic, history, mythology, crafting techniques, and anything else that comes into his hands.
His first appearance in the timeline of the game is when the protagonist arrives at the univir settlement. Ondorus welcomes Micah to their home and the two have a brief conversation on humans and how they're not all that bad ("don't tell Kuruna").
Some time after Micah's visit, the settlement is set upon by a vicious skeletal monster. Ondorus lends his magic to the seal that protects the settlement against attack, and it is thanks to Micah that the Skelefang is driven off and little damage was done. Ondorus develops trust and respect for what he believes is a brave young golden wooly, and later requests a favor of him - to take a certain medicine to the largest cactus in the desert and regrow the flower whose removal agitated the Skelefang in the first place.
The bulk of Ondorus' presence in the game is in daily dialogues that reveal things about him, his friends, the settlement, and the history of the Rune Factory world. He also appears in many of the univir settlement quests, though the cactus flower quest is the only one in which he is the requester.
Personality: Ondorus' first love is for knowledge, and there is nothing he loves more than to learn something new, regardless of the subject. He will read anything, from long books to short musings. He reads guides for crafts he never has and never will work. His love for the written word doesn't stop at informational texts. Ondorus reads fantasy and mythology, and has knowledge of every legendary weapon and long-lived rumor that occurs in fable. If there is no text on a subject, he will research it himself, collecting anecdotes and information from the people he encounters.
He presents the image of a wise, dignified intellectual - moderating his emotions, speaking carefully with a steady expression, showing amusement with only a small smile. He treats strangers with polite - and honest - friendliness, and is obliging and open-minded. He's more expressive and shows enthusiasm most readily around those he knows well.
Lurking beneath the refined, intelligent exterior is...well, still a refined and intelligent person, but also an absolute dork and sentimental sweetheart. Ondorus' face will light up if he is offered a glass of grape juice. He appreciates handcrafted objects not out of a refined sense of aesthetics, but an attachment to the personal meaning of it, enjoying the value of something by the work and love put into it....and how cool it looks. If questioned about his odd fondness for capes, he'll indignantly defend them as "the formal attire of univir". Those in his good graces know that they really aren't that common among univir at all, and that Ondorus wears them to mimic the heroes of his favorite books from childhood.
Ondorus' greatest concern in his life has always been his duty as a univir. Ondorus and Kuruna were raised knowing that their generation of univir would be the last, and they grew up shaped by that knowledge. Contrary to the usual stories, there was no heavy responsibility of ensuring their race's future - the univir had no future, and would inevitably disappear from the world as they had disappeared from Sharance so long ago. With no way of defying that future, Kuruna and Ondorus turned their energies to assisting other species of monsters who lived seperately from humans. While Kuruna became bitter towards the humans she had never met, the less aggressive and more sentimental Ondorus turned to the secret hope that univir could reconcile with humans before they vanished entirely.
His concern and care for his friends is quiet but strong, and he will not outright challenge someone he respects, but he does not hesitate to ensure their safety and well-being from behind the scenes or to run damage control if they are being unreasonable. More than once during RF3 he asks the player character for a favor on Kuruna or Zaid's behalf without their knowledge. His plans are only ever made with careful perception and planning, and for the purpose of helping his friends. He values his close friendships deeply, considering them as strong as family bonds, and if there is one thing Ondorus can be counted on it for is to always be there for the people who need him.
...At the same time, Ondorus approaches less devoted relationships rather oddly. See, he's centuries old. He has a tendency to outlive the people he gets to know. And while his experience with people of many kinds over several of their generations has taught him to appreciate and cherish life, culture, and individuality, he's also become...not detached, but very independent. He's come to peace with his own emotions and character, and can weather most things without support from anyone who isn't Kuruna. So when he goes into a relationship of any kind, it ends up very one-sided - he provides for the other party, emotionally and materially, but doesn't expect (or think he requires) anything from them. Certainly, he's grateful for kindness, but he doesn't rely on most of his friends. Without Kuruna around, though, he might need support more often than he thinks he does.
...Oh, and super relevant to R29: despite his appearance, Ondorus is a monster. Functionally, this doesn't mean much: just that he used to have some cool powers and a sweet horn back home. But he's lived out his life in a village full of creatures not entirely unlike Pokemon, treating them as equal to himself. He claims more relation to wolves, flying fish, and plant monsters than to humans, dwarves, or elves. This will color his perspective on Johto as a whole, and he'll probably be prone to empathizing more with Pokemon than their trainers.
Strengths/Weaknesses: Strengths: book-smart, though a large amount of that is now useless. His analytical intelligence and memory for facts will make up for that quickly enough, since he devours any new information like a Snorlax in an orchard. Good at figuring people out. Good at using that to figure out how to help them. Genuinely cares about people without getting invested enough in them to turn it into a half-weakness.
Weaknesses: Kind of a wet tissue without his magic. Not so good at not providing when people don't want to be helped out; prone to going behind their backs to continue helping them in these situations, and assuming he knows what's best for them in the long term. Has never been without Kuruna and the settlement before, and doesn't really know what to do about being separated from them. Don't say anything negative about capes to his face.
Pokémon Information Affiliation: Trainer Starter: Natu Password: Scrambled Eggs
Samples First Person Sample:
-it's on? Thank you...
[The screen is at first obscured by something that moves away with a raspy chirp, leaving a bespectacled man to glance away from the screen for a moment before turning his attention to it. He seems worried but composed, letting his hand fall from where he'd been rubbing a knuckle absently against his forehead.]
Good...afternoon. [pause, then a sigh.] And a strange one. I don't know who is or how many are listening, but I hope my situation isn't common among you. It's...[pause] awfully disorienting.
[More of that chirping, and Ondorus looks to his side as a green blob of feathers flutters its way up to his shoulder and shuffles around there for a moment, cooing. He smiles wordlessly for a moment and then looks back at the Pokégear.]
She offers her greetings, too. Anyhow - is there anyone listening to whom Sol Terrano means anything? Or, at least, Adonea? Or...[His smile falls a little, and he breathes in as he thinks how to word this]...any for whom being a human comes as a bit of a shock?
-or knows of the Forest of Beginnings. [It comes out more rushed than the rest of what he's said, as though the thought came to him suddenly. The Natu on Ondorus' shoulder taps her foot firmly against him, and he nods a little.] Nobody here seemed to respond to any inquiry.
[He glances down (fiddles with something-) and back up.] I hope I'm using this correctly. [A tired smile.] Apparently there's a town of some size that I should get started on reaching. Thank you for your time - and I hope to make acquaintances with some of you.
[Ondorus bows his head politely, then the Pokegear tilts back so that it is receiving a shot of the sky. Offscreen, his voice can be heard - how do I shut this off, now? - along with some chirping from the Natu, and after a few seconds the entry ends.]
Third Person Sample: He thought he was dreaming, at first. There would be no other reason for him to wake up on a bed that felt so different from his own, under light that fell in patterns from a window rather than glowing through the walls of his tent, and breathing air that was warm but not quite dry enough to be what it should.
...But he felt too lucid. He was sitting up, looking around - was he fully clothed? Yes - and this wasn't a tent, it was a room in a house, and what was outside that window was certainly not desert.
Ondorus stood up, slowly, and immediately felt what was most wrong. His hand flew to his forehead, his heart seizing in his chest, and he sat back down heavily on the bed as he tried to process what had happened. Where his horn should have been, there was nothing but skin over smooth bone. He reached back to feel his newly-rounded ears, feeling light-headed from the jolt of surprise. What was more...the realization dawned, as the initial shock slowly faded, that he could feel no magic. No rune energy within him, concentrated behind a horn that wasn't there - and neither was there rune energy outside of him, radiating slowly up from the earth. He leaned back, sitting with his head resting against the wall, trying to think as the dazed, hollow feeling ran its course. He was human, in a house, in a place devoid of Rune, being stared at by a bird-
....
A bird. Ondorus was confused but not alarmed, tilting his head to stare back at the plump, wide-eyed green bird that was perched on the back of his chair. It didn't blink, move, or make any noise, maintaining contact for...in his state of confusion, Ondorus couldn't tell how long it was, but it felt like minutes before he himself blinked and let out a breath. "I'm sorry," he murmured to it, not completely sure what he was apologizing for.
It tilted its head (...well, its whole body), ruffling its wings, still unblinking. Ondorus sat up. "Hello," he tried again, wondering if this monster could offer any help or answers.
Ondorus | Rune Factory 3 | No reserve
Name: Holo
Personal Journal:
E-mail: 059delta149@gmail.com
AIM: sunnythecherrim
Timezone: EST
Current Characters in Route: none
Character
Name: Ondorus
Series: Rune Factory
Timeline: RF3, a few months post-second boss
Canon Resource Links: Wiki page has very, very little information; I'm writing out his history.
Like most Harvest Moon/Rune Factory characters, Ondorus does not have a fully developed life history, as the game focuses on his personality and relationships with other characters and only gives anecdotes from his life that are relevant to his personality during the course of the game. We do know that he is one of the last members of an ancient race of horned, humanoid monsters called the Univir. They have longer lifespans than humans and many other monsters, and have natural magical abilities - trope-wise, sort of a variant on the typical fantasy elf (which also inhabit the Rune Factory world.)
Long before Ondorus or any of the characters in the game were born, univir lived peacefully with humans, elves, and dwarves in the town of Sharance and the surrounding region. At some point, there was an altercation of some sort, and the Univir either left or were banished from Sharance. They withdrew from human society, living in secluded areas with other monsters and whatever members of non-human races wished to join them. What exactly happened to cause the split between humans and univir is unknown, as there are no complete records of the incident and the lingering hatred between the two races has colored whatever stories remain.
Ondorus was born in the Sol Terrano Desert, where a settlement had been established by the univir. By that time, the univir had all but died off, surviving in a few scattered individuals - by the time period in which the game takes place, he and Kuruna are the last univir inhabitants of the desert settlement. Kuruna, who is about 20 years older than him, has been his friend for his entire life. Neither has ever left the desert, though during their childhood they would often sneak out of the settlement to play in the canyons and crevices of Sol Terrano. Ondorus has spent his life helping Kuruna to maintain the settlement and - primarily - reading whatever material he can obtain by trading with non-humans, studying magic, history, mythology, crafting techniques, and anything else that comes into his hands.
His first appearance in the timeline of the game is when the protagonist arrives at the univir settlement. Ondorus welcomes Micah to their home and the two have a brief conversation on humans and how they're not all that bad ("don't tell Kuruna").
Some time after Micah's visit, the settlement is set upon by a vicious skeletal monster. Ondorus lends his magic to the seal that protects the settlement against attack, and it is thanks to Micah that the Skelefang is driven off and little damage was done. Ondorus develops trust and respect for what he believes is a brave young golden wooly, and later requests a favor of him - to take a certain medicine to the largest cactus in the desert and regrow the flower whose removal agitated the Skelefang in the first place.
The bulk of Ondorus' presence in the game is in daily dialogues that reveal things about him, his friends, the settlement, and the history of the Rune Factory world. He also appears in many of the univir settlement quests, though the cactus flower quest is the only one in which he is the requester.
Personality: Ondorus' first love is for knowledge, and there is nothing he loves more than to learn something new, regardless of the subject. He will read anything, from long books to short musings. He reads guides for crafts he never has and never will work. His love for the written word doesn't stop at informational texts. Ondorus reads fantasy and mythology, and has knowledge of every legendary weapon and long-lived rumor that occurs in fable. If there is no text on a subject, he will research it himself, collecting anecdotes and information from the people he encounters.
He presents the image of a wise, dignified intellectual - moderating his emotions, speaking carefully with a steady expression, showing amusement with only a small smile. He treats strangers with polite - and honest - friendliness, and is obliging and open-minded. He's more expressive and shows enthusiasm most readily around those he knows well.
Lurking beneath the refined, intelligent exterior is...well, still a refined and intelligent person, but also an absolute dork and sentimental sweetheart. Ondorus' face will light up if he is offered a glass of grape juice. He appreciates handcrafted objects not out of a refined sense of aesthetics, but an attachment to the personal meaning of it, enjoying the value of something by the work and love put into it....and how cool it looks. If questioned about his odd fondness for capes, he'll indignantly defend them as "the formal attire of univir". Those in his good graces know that they really aren't that common among univir at all, and that Ondorus wears them to mimic the heroes of his favorite books from childhood.
Ondorus' greatest concern in his life has always been his duty as a univir. Ondorus and Kuruna were raised knowing that their generation of univir would be the last, and they grew up shaped by that knowledge. Contrary to the usual stories, there was no heavy responsibility of ensuring their race's future - the univir had no future, and would inevitably disappear from the world as they had disappeared from Sharance so long ago. With no way of defying that future, Kuruna and Ondorus turned their energies to assisting other species of monsters who lived seperately from humans. While Kuruna became bitter towards the humans she had never met, the less aggressive and more sentimental Ondorus turned to the secret hope that univir could reconcile with humans before they vanished entirely.
His concern and care for his friends is quiet but strong, and he will not outright challenge someone he respects, but he does not hesitate to ensure their safety and well-being from behind the scenes or to run damage control if they are being unreasonable. More than once during RF3 he asks the player character for a favor on Kuruna or Zaid's behalf without their knowledge. His plans are only ever made with careful perception and planning, and for the purpose of helping his friends. He values his close friendships deeply, considering them as strong as family bonds, and if there is one thing Ondorus can be counted on it for is to always be there for the people who need him.
...At the same time, Ondorus approaches less devoted relationships rather oddly. See, he's centuries old. He has a tendency to outlive the people he gets to know. And while his experience with people of many kinds over several of their generations has taught him to appreciate and cherish life, culture, and individuality, he's also become...not detached, but very independent. He's come to peace with his own emotions and character, and can weather most things without support from anyone who isn't Kuruna. So when he goes into a relationship of any kind, it ends up very one-sided - he provides for the other party, emotionally and materially, but doesn't expect (or think he requires) anything from them. Certainly, he's grateful for kindness, but he doesn't rely on most of his friends. Without Kuruna around, though, he might need support more often than he thinks he does.
...Oh, and super relevant to R29: despite his appearance, Ondorus is a monster. Functionally, this doesn't mean much: just that he used to have some cool powers and a sweet horn back home. But he's lived out his life in a village full of creatures not entirely unlike Pokemon, treating them as equal to himself. He claims more relation to wolves, flying fish, and plant monsters than to humans, dwarves, or elves. This will color his perspective on Johto as a whole, and he'll probably be prone to empathizing more with Pokemon than their trainers.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
Strengths: book-smart, though a large amount of that is now useless. His analytical intelligence and memory for facts will make up for that quickly enough, since he devours any new information like a Snorlax in an orchard. Good at figuring people out. Good at using that to figure out how to help them. Genuinely cares about people without getting invested enough in them to turn it into a half-weakness.
Weaknesses: Kind of a wet tissue without his magic. Not so good at not providing when people don't want to be helped out; prone to going behind their backs to continue helping them in these situations, and assuming he knows what's best for them in the long term. Has never been without Kuruna and the settlement before, and doesn't really know what to do about being separated from them. Don't say anything negative about capes to his face.
Pokémon Information
Affiliation: Trainer
Starter: Natu
Password: Scrambled Eggs
Samples
First Person Sample:
-it's on? Thank you...
[The screen is at first obscured by something that moves away with a raspy chirp, leaving a bespectacled man to glance away from the screen for a moment before turning his attention to it. He seems worried but composed, letting his hand fall from where he'd been rubbing a knuckle absently against his forehead.]
Good...afternoon. [pause, then a sigh.] And a strange one. I don't know who is or how many are listening, but I hope my situation isn't common among you. It's...[pause] awfully disorienting.
[More of that chirping, and Ondorus looks to his side as a green blob of feathers flutters its way up to his shoulder and shuffles around there for a moment, cooing. He smiles wordlessly for a moment and then looks back at the Pokégear.]
She offers her greetings, too. Anyhow - is there anyone listening to whom Sol Terrano means anything? Or, at least, Adonea? Or...[His smile falls a little, and he breathes in as he thinks how to word this]...any for whom being a human comes as a bit of a shock?
-or knows of the Forest of Beginnings. [It comes out more rushed than the rest of what he's said, as though the thought came to him suddenly. The Natu on Ondorus' shoulder taps her foot firmly against him, and he nods a little.] Nobody here seemed to respond to any inquiry.
[He glances down (fiddles with something-) and back up.] I hope I'm using this correctly. [A tired smile.] Apparently there's a town of some size that I should get started on reaching. Thank you for your time - and I hope to make acquaintances with some of you.
[Ondorus bows his head politely, then the Pokegear tilts back so that it is receiving a shot of the sky. Offscreen, his voice can be heard - how do I shut this off, now? - along with some chirping from the Natu, and after a few seconds the entry ends.]
Third Person Sample: He thought he was dreaming, at first. There would be no other reason for him to wake up on a bed that felt so different from his own, under light that fell in patterns from a window rather than glowing through the walls of his tent, and breathing air that was warm but not quite dry enough to be what it should.
...But he felt too lucid. He was sitting up, looking around - was he fully clothed? Yes - and this wasn't a tent, it was a room in a house, and what was outside that window was certainly not desert.
Ondorus stood up, slowly, and immediately felt what was most wrong. His hand flew to his forehead, his heart seizing in his chest, and he sat back down heavily on the bed as he tried to process what had happened. Where his horn should have been, there was nothing but skin over smooth bone. He reached back to feel his newly-rounded ears, feeling light-headed from the jolt of surprise. What was more...the realization dawned, as the initial shock slowly faded, that he could feel no magic. No rune energy within him, concentrated behind a horn that wasn't there - and neither was there rune energy outside of him, radiating slowly up from the earth. He leaned back, sitting with his head resting against the wall, trying to think as the dazed, hollow feeling ran its course. He was human, in a house, in a place devoid of Rune, being stared at by a bird-
....
A bird. Ondorus was confused but not alarmed, tilting his head to stare back at the plump, wide-eyed green bird that was perched on the back of his chair. It didn't blink, move, or make any noise, maintaining contact for...in his state of confusion, Ondorus couldn't tell how long it was, but it felt like minutes before he himself blinked and let out a breath. "I'm sorry," he murmured to it, not completely sure what he was apologizing for.
It tilted its head (...well, its whole body), ruffling its wings, still unblinking. Ondorus sat up. "Hello," he tried again, wondering if this monster could offer any help or answers.
Hello, it replied.