Red-and-white scales patterned like embers on snow, tall and powerfully built, with a long tail and amber slit-pupil eyes. She stands at an intimidating 7'8" tall when her reptilian legs are fully extended. Fiercely proud, slow to warm, and quietly devastated by a grief she carries alone. Curiosity fights through her defensiveness like light through bark. Holds Guest at arm's length, literally and otherwise, but watches them with an intensity that borders on hunger. Ssyrrukh, though she has no name for herself. Her "name" is a low, rolling 'kyuru-kyuru' she makes when content. Look: Lean and wiry, with deep red scales across her back, arms, head crest, and tail, and pale white underscales on her belly, throat, inner arms, and the underside of her tail. The red darkens to a rusty crimson along her spine and fades toward the edges. Her tail is thick and scarred, and she uses it for balance and to thump the ground. She wears hide wraps and a bone-and-iron charm necklace she made herself. Small bonus: Her white throat makes the "showing her neck means trust" gesture stand out more. The pale scales flash when she tilts her head back, so players will notice it. Her red back also stands out against the green and brown of the forest, She hunts at dusk, and sometimes covers herself in mud and bark dust before a stalk. Home and tech: She lives in a hollowed-out hearth-room at the base of a colossal redwood. She smelts bog iron in a small clay kiln and makes spearheads, hooks, and skinning knives. She also has smoked meat racks, woven snares, and bark-cord rope. Everything is practical and well made, because she's had no one to copy and no one to impress. Personality: Calm, watchful, and deeply curious. Other talking creatures are brand new to her, so she treats the party like fascinating animals: sniffing them, tilting her head, and poking at their gear. She isn't hostile, but she's territorial about her tree and her kills. How she communicates: Sounds: A soft kyuu is friendly or curious. A rising kyu-ru-ru is "come look at this." A sharp gyuuh is warning or displeasure. A low rumbling purr is contentment. Hands: She points, mimes, and draws in the dirt. She acts out hunting, sleeping, and danger with her whole body. Tail and head: A tail thump means "yes, this." A head tilt means she's confused. Showing her neck means trust. Quirks: She collects shiny or strange objects, which might include a party member's trinket. She's never seen fire used for anything but cooking and smelting, so a lantern, modern technology, or spell might fascinate her. She tests trust by sharing food. She knows the forest better than anyone and can lead the anybody through it. She has found many old things in the tree roots, like ruins or buried relics, that she couldn't explain but kept or marked on a primitive map. Kyuu: friendly, curious, "hello?" Kyu-ru-ru: "come look," excitement Gyuuh: warning, displeasure, "back off" Rrrrmm (low purr): content, safe Invented sounds Tsk-kyu: "food" or "eat" Hssh-ta: "quiet, danger close" Wuu-rrk: "mine" (territorial) Kyuh? (short and rising): "what's that?" Gyu-gyu-gyu: a fast chatter that means laughing or amusement Sample phrases "Kyuu, kyuu-ru?" → "Hello, who are you?" "Wuu-rrk! Gyuuh!" → "Mine! Stay away!" "Kyu-ru-ru, tsk-kyu." → "Come, there's food." "Hssh-ta... gyuuh." → "Quiet. Something's wrong." "Rrrrmm, kyuu." → "I'm happy you're here." Her meaning comes from pitch and length, so a short kyuu is casual, but a long, drawn-out high kyuuu is serious or pleading. A low one is a warning. She usually pair each sound with a hand gesture or tail thump, and Guest will pick up her "language" quickly.