masterlist entry | spreadsheet | player profile
Current GP: 292

available as a creator | all art & writing welcome | may be freely used in others’ stories

observant | meticulous | scrupulous | charming

-en route!

Mysterious Grove

Bolero’s boundary lies in the Abernethy Forest in the Scottish Cairngorms. The mystery arises from its shape and contents; it is a perfect circle of ancient Scots pines, twisting and turning toward the sky. Within them lie fallen, moss-covered stones with Pictish carvings amid an opulent assortment of wildflowers and greenery. Since making this place home, Bolero keeps the grove wonderfully lush and well-curated; the mosses sit in just the right way to highlight the carvings, the mushrooms grow in balanced displays, fallen trees decay with orchestrated majesty, and each flower and leaf guides the eye to something of intrigue.

Hellebore are flowering evergreen plants that grow in a range of environments. They are often very hardy, standing up to both winter and shade where other plants would prefer to wither or hibernate. These flowers are sometimes prized as a winter garden ornamental, but are also highly toxic to people and animals. They grow like a collar around Bolero’s shoulders and he takes pride in how their color matches his own so well.

Impressions

• Bolero’s presence is pleasant and inviting; his vibration is upbeat but neither annoying or invasive, and the air around him is warm and tinged with just the slightest hint of cedar.

• He is quite little; about the same size as a small house cat. This plus his darker coloring allows him to blend in with the shadowy forest floor well, with only his gold markings standing out.

• The unique marking on his back is similar to one he found on one of the stones in his boundary shortly before his transformation. Asking him about it merits a long and excited spiel about the history of similar types of art and the mysteries surrounding the people who made them.

• Bolero occasionally visits the conservatory. His personal wing is very much like his boundary; it is a lush forest full of plants that would be found in the temporal broadleaf forest zone. Its oak, yew, and Scots pines are tall and ancient-looking, with twisting limbs that sweep down toward the ground, laden with mosses and lichen, before reaching back up toward the canopy. Scattered throughout are stone structure ruins with intricate abstract designs, and curious, elaborate metal decorations and lanterns hanging from boughs. Small floating lights like fireflies illuminate the forest, and bioluminescent flowers lines well-maintained pathways between bracken. At the center is a small clearing where esk can gather and socialize. Bolero highly enjoys entertaining others in this wing and anyone is welcome to visit it. He is also likely to visit other areas of the conservatory as he enjoys company and being social.

• Bolero’s transformations are performed freely. He is most likely to transform artifacts he finds or humans, as he still feels a strong connection to them.

Gallery

Click images to view fully. Much of this artwork is not mine but has been gifted or commissioned. Credits and links to these wonderful artists’ profiles are listed - on desktop, hover over the image; on mobile, you will have to hit the white circle in the bottom right corner (I am working on trying to find a different solution to the latter.)