Goth (Silverwing)

Appearance: Goth is a carnivorous Vampyrum spectrum bat, also known as a spectral bat or false vampire bat, from the jungles of Brazil. These bats sometimes eat other, smaller species of bats, earning Goth and his kind the reputation of cannibals, although they do not eat bats of their own species. In comparison to the bat species of North America, Goth is much larger and stronger. He has a massive chest and powerful muscles, as well as a three-foot-wide wingspan. He has pale green eyes, tall pointed ears, a long muzzle, and a flat, leaf-shaped nose with an upwards-facing point. His fur is a light dusty brown, with a thick collar of light cream fur around his shoulders and neck. The leathery skin of his wings is a light, pale purple, and he has a long mane of dark red head-fur, with a short beard of the same color. A brassy metal band is fixed to his right wrist, placed there by human researchers.

Personality: Goth is cunning and ambitious. As the prince of the Vampyrum spectrum colony he hails from and heir to his father's throne, he thinks highly of himself and acts with his own interests in mind. He is opportunistic and has little sympathy for others, determined to do whatever it takes to accomplish his goals. Similarly to the other Vampyrum spectrum of his colony, Goth is a staunch disciple of the bat underworld-god Cama Zotz and takes it as his personal duty to fulfill his god's will. He speaks with a noticeable accent, and tends to pepper his words with Portuguese when speaking. One of Goth's great vices is his gluttony. He loves to eat fresh meat, whether it's alive or dead, and not always out of survival. He has been known to kill simply for the thrill of the hunt. Goth craves power, and is more than capable of putting on a suave, charming demeanor to get others to do what he wants. He is also equally capable of resorting to violence and intimidation when charisma fails him. Goth believes in survival of the fittest and looks down on those he considers weak or inferior. In his eyes, it is natural that the strong dominate and rule over the weak.

Throbb: When Goth was captured by humans, another Vampyrum spectrum named Throbb was captured with him. Throbb is smaller and more heavyset than Goth, with teal-colored fur and dark violet headfur. Throbb is Goth's brother-in-law, married to his younger sister Carmine, and while he can be just as vicious and gluttonous as Goth is, Throbb is also a coward and a buffoon. Goth greatly dislikes him and won't hesitate to lash out and abuse him when he's annoyed by him.

Cama Zotz and Nocturna: The bats of the world have two gods, a brother named Cama Zotz and a sister named Nocturna. Cama Zotz rules over the land of the dead, presiding over his Underworld and punishing the bats who disgraced him in life. He literally sings his kingdom into being, with his echo projections so perfect that they can be seen and even felt. The Vampyrum spectrum bats worship Cama Zotz. Nocturna presides over the world of the living, and the night is said to be caused by her enormous wings covering the Earth so that her bat subjects can hunt and fly in the safety of the darkness. She is a much more passive goddess than her brother, for reasons only the gods themselves know.

The War of the Birds and the Beasts: Legends are told by bat-kind of a war that happened millions of years ago, in which the beasts and the birds warred to determine who would rule the world. The bats, however, took no sides. Eventually, the war was ended with the decision that the beasts would rule the land and the birds would rule the skies. The bats were punished for their inaction by being exiled into the night, forbidden from ever looking at the sun. The bats of the north and the south were also ordered to separate and never cross paths.

Family: Although Goth is the crown prince of the royal family, he is not the only royal. His father, King Sanguine, is the current reigning king of the Vampyrum spectrum. He is a massive bat with dark crimson fur, although his advanced age has left him heavily-greying in many places. Despite his age partially robbing him of his strength, he is still a sharp-witted and formidable leader. Goth's mother, Queen Fractal, was formerly known as General Fractal before marrying Sanguine, and was a cunning and ferocious warrior. Even after becoming queen, she continued to lead the colony's warriors into battle against their enemies, including against rival colonies of Vampyrum spectrum. It was during a raid against one of these enemy colonies that she lost her life, but it was only a pyrrhic victory for their enemy. After Sanguine's soldiers rallied and defeated them, the subjugated enemy colony was enslaved, with many of them sacrificed to Cama Zotz as vengeance for Fractal's death. Goth was only a fledgling when this happened, but remembers Fractal fondly as both a caring mother and a formidable matron. Finally, Goth has one sibling, a sister named Carmine who is about a year younger than him. Carmine inherited more of Sanguine's red coloring, but with her mother's long black headfur. Carmine is married to Throbb, something Goth finds distasteful. He thinks his sister could do better, although Carmine and Throbb seem quite devoted to eachother, with Throbb greatly admiring her cunning and ambition.