Shale (The August Few)

Name: Shale Title: Inker of Ruthergush Age: unknown (adult) Gender: Female Species: Kivouachian Height: 9 feet (her mohawk gives her an extra foot in height) Eye colour: aqua Eyelashes: Dark turquoise Lips and eye markings: Blue Hair: a striped, beige, peach and turquoise mohawk that runs from the top of her head, all the way down to the base of her long, dragonic neck and ends just between her shoulder blades.

Position: Serves as the lead writer at Ruthergush Inkhouse, a struggling low-brow newspaper office in the city of Mithium. Associations: Works closely with Wiley (the owner and editor of Ruthergush) and Ludwig (the paper's illustrator), forming a tight-knit and loyal core at the publication.

Physical features: Shale has a quadrupedal dragon like appearance, complete with a long neck and tail with a snakeish face, digitigrade back legs with wicked talons and longer front arms that she walks on the knuckles of her hands due to her extremely long finger claws. (She walks on all fours but has the ability to stand up on her hind legs when needed although walking that way is uncomfortable).

Despite walking on her knuckles and having long claws, Shale's hands are extremely dexterous and she is able to use her long claws to dip them into ink and write with them (as most kiv do but especially inkers), and manipulate paper and other smaller delicate objects with ease. Her posture is held tall, almost giving off the air of snobbishness, even though she is a kind soul underneath.

Shale has a pale beige, smooth, pinkish skin. Turquoise blue fur can be found in a thick patch on her chest starting from the base of her throat and ended above her navel, and In spots around their legs starting around her hips and upper thighs and going all the way down to just above her ankles, leaving her midsection, arms, feet, tail, neck and face bare. And she has a rush of mostly blue hair that runs from her back and up to her head - creating a mohawk. Her fingers and toes sport some deadly looking aqua talons, while their tail appears to be segmented almost like that of an earth rodent (while remaining the same colour as the rest of her skin). Her talons are long and perfectly suited for writing Kivic script.

Her head shape is small and elongated, with a rounded crown that tapers into a narrow snout. Snout: long and tapered, with a slightly blunted tip. It resembles a snake's muzzle with four small nostrils set in the end. Mouth: A narrow, dark line along the lower face suggests a mouth with a slight upward curve, creating an almost mischievous grin. She also has a small cleft in the centre of her top lip, giving her an unintentional pouty and slightly snake like look.

Their face is covered in blue markings , accenting and highlighting elements of her face. Slight striping around her facial curves while she also has a splash of cyan freckles along her cheeks.

Personality: Shale cares deeply but does a good job of keeping it hidden, save from those she cares about most in private. She looks up to Wyley and lives for praise or feedback on her writing. Even an inker as experienced as herself, sometimes Wyley will catch written bits of speculation in Shale's writing and correct her, reminding her that as kinkers they lived and strove for the Truth and had no reason to spread rumours or speculation if they wished to keep up professionalism in their paper.

Shale is unusually kind for a Kiv, choosing to opt out of situations of violence (due mostly to previous experienced that have humbled her), as well as treating fellow fallen Kiv with a better kind dignity than the constant humiliation than their own kin show to eachother.

Shale is witty and clever with a sharp sense of humour and a nose for news. Her personality is polite, if a tiny bit reserved around new folk in professional regards. She is intelligent and eager to learn and better herself and to raise the reputation of Ruthergush, even with the obvious signs of it going down hill. As faithful as she is to her friends, she knows when a ship is sinking, as much as she would like to deny it.

When out and about though, Shale is never one to turn down a party or the chance to share a good drink. She loves music and dancing and having fun and trying sweets.

Misc:

• An Arm and a Leg: Lost her wings due to "picking the wrong fight with the wrong crowd".

• Cool Big Sis: Sister figure for Lucy and Ludwig. She both caters to their needs and criticizes them when they need it, but above all, she is worried for them both. When Lucy admits to Shale that she caused the Needlemire fire, Shale comforts her when Lucy says she's broken. She does this by revealing scars where her wings used to be and using other scarred or disabled Kivs as examples, telling Lucy that scars do not reflect one's character.

• Hard-Drinking Party Girl: Shale invited Lucy and Ludwig to do drinking games and go to Laughouses.

• Tough Love: She really hammers it home with Ludwig when he almost accidentally stokes a riot. It's clear that she cares for him and doesn't want him to get hurt, but in this world, she says it best. "Toughen up".

Shale, to Ludwig: "You've endangered yourself, me, Lucy, the reputation of Ruthergush - of Wyley! You gambled our jobs and our lives to protect those who would kill for a bloody rumour!" Ludwig: "...I'm sorry, alright?" Shale: "Toughen up, boy!" Ludwig: "I know...I just wanted to help." Shale, softening: "Just...Do better."

Main dynamic: Shale acts as a mentor-like or older-sister figure to co-workers Lucy Lacemaker and Ludwig, balancing harsh criticisms with genuine care for their well-being. She may do this to other members should Ruthergush hire more young inkers. She is highly protective of those closest to her and she does her best to help lead them on the right path.

Character Overview: • Within the ruthless, high-competence, and often amoral social ecosystem of the Kivouac, Shale’s approach to treating dead bodies and the grim "Red Inkers" trade with a sense of dignity offers a grounding, humane counter-perspective.

Shale's relationships: Wyley: Wyley is an eleven foot tall kiv of golden yellow fur and occasional white stripe markings and bearing an almost Chinese dragon like body with multiple legs. The lower half of his body has two pairs of back legs and one pair of front legs, giving him six legs in total. His upper body is almost centaur like in its structure, but he has eight pairs of arms with golden orange claws. His almost fox like face sports a red, cat like nose at the end of his snout, five black rimmed yellow eyes, four long, tapered ears and two crimson horns curving up over his head, adding to his height.

• While not exactly corrupt, the businesses of Miviam don't hold their tongues when talking about Wyley's incompetence and how Ruthergush is going under due to his ineptitude.
• Mean Boss: Somewhat subverted. While he is rude and crass, Wyley is shown to care about his Inkers and Ruthergush. His brutishness is later revealed to be entirely made from insecurity about being inferior to the previous Editor, Ruby Ruthergush. Extra salt in the wound when he reveals that Ruby essentially raised him when he was a fowler and rescued him from the streets. Wyley is, however, a lot more clever than people give him credit for.

Ludwig: Shale has a close sibling like relationship with Ludwig, a younger Kiv male. Ludwig is thin and skeletal, with spines growing out the sides of his neck, a big swathe of black hair like a mane that is slowly turning red at the roots. And he had small orange eyes and a slightly skeletal appearance. Info on Ludwig:

• Eyes Always Averted: Repeatedly described as constantly shifting his eyes around.
• Guilt Complex: Ludwig was born and raised on a boat. Due to an impulsive action, he doomed his entire crew and his Skipper, Frey. The last thing he saw of Frey was her body tied to the mast, sinking with the ship. He stays with Ruthergush and Wyley out of a want to not lose another home.
• Nervous Wreck: Due to being a fowler and his trauma about losing his past home, Ludwig is extremely cautious, even around friends.
• Troubled Child: He's a Fowler, an unmatured Kiv, and suffers from extreme anxiety.
• Undying Loyalty: To Wyley, and by extent, Ruthergush. Whenever the other inkers want to leave, Ludwig insists that they can't leave Wyley..
• Loves biscuits, specifically the sweet ones.
• Soft hearted and creative.

Lucy Lacemaker: A young and very clever, red and white female Fowler about the size and shape of a house cat, but with dropping ears and a soft pear shaped nose/snout. She is cheeky, sharply observant and insatiably curious. Lucy and Shale share a kind of sisterly bond with eachother and Shale even helps Lucy with girl things and helps the Fowler grow more mature. Lucy and Ludwig share a kind of brother and sister bond, with both of them being intelligent fowlers who were able to procure jobs as inkers. Ludwig even puts time out of his schedule to help teach Lucy better calligraphy skills. Even if Lucy can sometimes annoy Ludwig and Shale with her overly personal questions. Lucy has one red and one silver eye, the silver eye is due to her getting caught in an accident when she was a little younger. (Specifically the needlemire fire that she keeps secret).

---

Kivouachian Abilities: Immortality: All Kivouachian's are immortal due to their cellular structure and the ability to control the length of their own telomeres, because of this they cannot die naturally of age. The only way a Kivouachian can die is if their DNA is damaged and left un-mended. Usually the damage directly to the brain or burning them with fire causes true death.

Physiology: All Kivouachians have cross or star shaped pupils. All Kivouachians have three belly buttons. All Kivouachians have three hearts inside their body.

Bodily excretions: Kivouachian's bodies can only produce sweat, tears, drool, blood and/or vilt. Kiv never need to use the bathroom to relieve themselves.

Regeneration: Kivouachian's are capable of regenerating skin, limbs, tissue, and other body parts. Even dismemberment is of little threat to them. Only if the parts missing have been eaten, burned or dissolved do they not heal fully.

Transformation: Kivouachian's have the ability to rewrite their own DNA and density at the flick of the wrist, giving them the freedom to re-create parts of themselves whenever they'd like to whatever they'd like (ex; Wexle's arms turning into blades when she fights, Lucy Lacemaker turning herself into a swarm of flies, etc). However full control over this is hard and only Yolsh go through training to master this ability fully. Most commonly kiv may run the risk of getting stuck in a changed form if their DNA or genetics are too weak to support such drastic changes.

Contortion/Rottulation: Sometimes Kivouachian's were dismembered at the head for whatever reason it may be; sometimes for pleasure and sometimes for play. But all have the ability to stay alive for extremely long periods of time without the head. Of course this becomes invalid once the head is eaten, burned, severely damaged or dissolved, but if not - they are simply unconscious. Those with weak genes will usually die after a couple thousand years without their heads on, and most will need aid when it comes to actually putting it back on. But there are the rare, lucky few (ex; Lucy Lacemaker) who's heads will naturally return to their bodies without help. This being an extension to being called Waking Dead, a being who is conscious even with their head detached. Rotulated bodies are often used as either decoration or as comfortable furniture in various facilities, more often used in Laugh houses and Dollhouses. After all, a nice and warm, soft body can make for a far more comfortable chair than plain wood and linen.

Dollfaced: When a Kivouachian is rendered unconscious (forcefully) or during Rotulation, when the head is severed from the body, the eyes will roll up and the long, Kivouachian tongue will spill from the mouth and hang limp. The dolls and Dollies (performers of Dollhouses), have practiced to mimic this expression at the discretion of their clientele. It is a sign of complete submission when done voluntarily.

Kivouacian genetics: All Kivouacians are functional hermaphrodites.

Reproduction: Gower: Universal reproductive organ—opening ("Mound") or pseudo-phallus ("Front-Tail"). Vilt-sacks ("balls") internal/external. The Gower is always covered in a small patch of fur that matches colour to its owner's fur.

Reproduction requires a Vessel (Rotulated body) infused with Vilt. This is stopped by head reattachment.

Lore and Universe: The Kivouack is a realm of swirling fractal chaos that predates the Big Bang and our current universe. Its inhabitants, the Kivouachians (commonly shortened to "kivvas" or "kivs"), are highly intelligent, monstrous, yet bizarrely sophisticated creatures who built a grand civilization out of absolute objective truth, brutal survival, and complete competence.

Douser: Aquatic based Kivouachians. Their physiology is adapted for under water living. They have their own Inkhouse and libraries, however, their writing is all made by carving into stone tablets that won't wash away with the waters they live in. Few Dowsers ever wear clothing outside of some simple jewellery, but many are able to come up onto land and shift their gills over to lungs and experience the dryer parts of the Underberth.

The Society: Based inside a city known as "The Underbirth," their government completely rejects morality, subjective virtues, and mercy. Instead, they function under total natural, industrial, and cultural selection. All violent crimes are legal, and the concept of family does not exist.

Outside of the city: This space is referred to as the madness frontier. Many wild, drifting flowers, plants and other things make this space their home. Sprawling rivers, lakes, impossible trees, vast mountains and even an entire ocean lay somewhere beyond the first edges of the madness frontier.

Trade: The economy of the Kivouach was based on fair trade, in items, trinkets, consumables and services. Empty currency had been abolished during the trade revolution.

Characters of note within the Kivouachian world: Sombra - Sombra, the Voice of architecture of the Kivouac. Sombra is the eldest sibling to Locket and Winifred, the three of whom share leadership positions in their home world of the Kivouac.

Locket - Lady Locket, the Grand Voice of the Kivouac (grand leader). Locket is the second eldest sibling to Sombra and Winifred, the three of whom share leadership positions in their home world of the Kivouac.

Winifred - Winifred, the grand Whisper, second in command to Locket and the creator of of the Yolsh (the law) of the Kivouac. The golden queen. Winifred is the youngest sibling to Locket and Sombra, the three of whom share leadership positions in their home world of the Kivouac. The most violent of the ruling siblings. Her former Whisper, Wexel, took on the mantle of voice of the Yolsh and answers only to Winifred.

Freyda: A great beast of ancient Kivic legend. Stark white with twenty horns of varying sizes adorning her head. Her horns and claws were used to rip and tear without discrimination, moving about the Kivic wilds and snapping up every creature she could in her hunger. All trembled with fear under the dread empress's reign. Though empress none of them called her. They called Freyda, Monster. The beast that was the forebearer to Locket, Sombra and Winifred.

A creature that the three siblings slew in the war of the ladies and brought about the rise of Lady Locket. And the Kivouach, the Underberth was built apon the body of the fallen titan and civilization was brought about. Few ever speak Freyda's name our loud. Even in modern days it was a name that inspired fear.

Sombra and his siblings work within the Paradigm court. A sprawling building of various architecture that dominates the Thumme. Inside this artificial mechanical and scientific wonder of a structure, lies the court house for the Paradigm court, the sprawling estate for the Grand Whisper (Locket), a separate estate building for Winifred, the Grand voice, and beyond that, a sector dedicated for science, study and architecture with high towers for Sombra, the Grand Architecht. And even further vast sectors for scribes, information storage and workspaces for staff and lower ranking Whispers laid. Along with accomodation for all the staff and some kitchens.

The Thumme is a central, mars sized, man made planetary body that floats/anchors within the centre of the Kivic Underbirth. Three artificially contrasted "rings" orbit the Thumme and each is a separate sector dedicated to the government bodies while also hosting space for gardens, trade etc. The city itself is a sprawling, spherical shell with it's own gravitational gravamassa to keep everyone from falling or floating off.

Connecting this vast city together are Mandosian corridors. Stitches in space time that can shave hundreds of miles off of travel. It's how one can get around the city without it taking literal months.

The Underbirth is perhaps the size of Jupiter, maybe more and built apon the world of the Kivouach. Beyond which sits the Glazze, a pale and almost colourless expanse of peaceful glades, trees, small rivers and such with flicks of moving flowers residing there.

Beyond the Glazze lies the Madness frontier. The home of the Kivic wilderness.

Song tower - to measure Kivic time: A Songtower was truly the crown of most city wards, tall structures boasting the finest displays of Kivic engineering. The townships of the Underbirth were vast, and due to the sheer size potential of these population centres, each was graced with a family of Songtowers, planted equidistantly across the landscape, above and below. These towers of time would come in many formations, styles and sizes, depending on their geography and Architects.

Some Songtowers were woven together with gilded materials, complex mechanisms hidden behind the flesh of white marbled stonework. Up the body were round windows, teasing an intricate interior, and across the form were carvings of the most exquisite kind. These chiselled hieroglyphs chronicled historical events, the passage of time pushing toward an untold future of blank smooth stone yet to be honed. A Songtower had seven faces, each one displaying the current time through mechanisms of shifting colour and shape.

The rhythmic ticks of a Songtower could be felt and heard by any within close proximity: the Kivic minute. The bells sounded every seventy ticks, their music elegant, each sequence unique to the time: the Kivic hour.

After forty bells came the chime, a longer, harmonious performance: the Kivic day. After one-hundred chimes came the next of the seven tones, a far grander sound: the Kivic month. And seven of these tones made the stanza: The Kivic year.

---

Additional Terms:

"Ooh la": a native term used to express excitement or great appreciation over something or even said in satisfaction.

"Wa la wa": a native colloquial term that roughly can be applied to a few meanings such as: "it is what it is", "what the hell", or even an expletive of no real meaning, sometimes said in outrage or in resignation.

Blackhall: private investigator. Sometimes freelancers or Ex Yolsh.

Inker script: a standardised means of writing. This is the first kind of script that Kivouachians learn to read and write. Equivalent to human block text. Mostly used for mass printing or used by inexperienced inkers and interns at Bookburrows who have just started out.

Personal hand: a Kivouachian's personal handwriting style. This is mostly used by professionals. Heads off state, heads of businesses, organisations, highly experienced inkers and their directors.

Erillion: a precious mineral mined from the very mountain ranges outside of the Underbirth. This metal mineral is used for all kinds of trade: jewellery, construction, mechanical mechanisms, instruments, chemical components, cutlery, machinery, steam engines, netting rigs, scaffolding, etc. basically anything that's needs to be made out of metal, it is made from Erillion.

Flower species (kiv flora): Roundheads, squareheads, lightthrashers, blackslashers, and wide-faced halosailors. Each of varying colour, shape, scent and taste.

Fruit (native to the kiv): Blood berries (red), Hash fruit (yellow), Bawler berries (blue). (And a variety of more common fruit)

Grit: smoking tobacco, usually made of Kivouachian square head flowers

Gritpipe: smoking pipe

Voice: Term used for the head or leader of a certain sector or organisation.

Whisper: Term used for the second in command, or the right hand to a Voice.

Yolsh: Kivouachian law enforcement and military. Soldiers are called Yolsh or Yolshen. The Yolsh never wear clothes, save our of necessity for pockets for carrying things during meetings in the paradigm court, and they were singles out by the golden strike markings apon their body. The more strikes, the higher the rank.

Inker: term used for the Kivouachian journalists.

Ink house: news house or paper press. Home to journalists/inkers and their managers/directors. Ink houses are also functioning paper mills and many even produce their own ink.

Starklook Inkhouse: Starklook Inkhouse is the most prominent Inkhouse in the entire Underbirth. They always get first pick with stories and news from the Thumme or trade. It's head Editor is Felix.

Chop shop: Kivouachian butchery. Functions like restaurants that mostly focus on meat based meals like roasts, broths etc. (Kivouachians are usually obligatory cannibals and most meat comes from Fowlers, immature Kivouachians. Although many kiv eat various other things.)

Laugh houses: Equivalent to a tavern or an inn where both drink, food, entertainment and even lodging can be found. Laugh houses can have their own dollies employed as more as music or singing entertainers and several trade business with chop shops for meat for meals. Laugh houses can also brew their own alcohol and often have signature drinks. The proprietor of a Laugh house was called a Minstrel, and waiters were called Jesters.

Kivouachian alcohol: The oldest form of alcohol is Grin, a thick and black liquid that's bitter and burns on the way down. Pucker is a sour based alcohol and usually clear or faintly coloured by what it was brewed with, and various other flavours of wines, ciders and whiskeys now exist. Several native flower species are used as cordial ingredients, such as round head flowers for sweetness, square head flowers for bitterness, and triangular head flowers for sours. Honey mead is of the rarer varieties and highly sought after.

Bathhouses: facilities with warmed water, soaps, private pools and incense for relaxation and cleaning.

Bookburrows: Function as central trading hubs and libraries. Materials of varying types and certain services can be bartered through bookburrows for other facilities like jewelers, perfumers, ink houses, laugh houses etc. Some Bookburrows produce paper and ink to supply to smaller ink houses or to be used for their own books and documents. A kiv needs to have their appearance and abilities registered with a Bookburrow in order to be eligible to apply for jobs at other facilities.

Dollhouses: facilities aimed at entertainment and pleasure. Dollies sing, dance, play instruments, put on plays or do numerous things as entertainment for clients. Including pleasure work. These facilities can also offer food and drink and even rooms when a client pays for and takes on the services of a Dollie (can be either male or female).

More standard facilities such as Jewellers, Tailors, Blacksmiths, wood carvers, Masons, and many others exist. Some such extra facilities are tobacconists and perfumers who harvest native Kivouachian flower species for smoking, for incense or for perfume infusions and soaps.