Male | Deadwood | Sloth
Like the people of his Sin,
Cernunnos, Speaker for the Wilds is negligent of Hell's affairs. Even in Sloth, Cernunnos dares not dabble in petty wars in spite of the disunity of the Circle, and cares little for the lives of Hell's demonic citizens. A nomad and loner at his very core, the uneducated Cernunnos has wandered aimlessly all through the lands of Sloth looking for comfort and safety in the fields and grasslands, sharing his presence and time with the various beasts of his Circle. An individual who takes comfort in the wilds, Cernunnos travels far and wide, befriending all demonic animals from harm. In turn, they are drawn to his altruistic ways and, like dogs to men, swear their allegiance to him via grunts and groans. He has travelled far and wide, and knows the vast majority of his Circle except the marshlands, as Belphegor's automatons roam heavily there. Currently, this Deadwood Speaker is burdened by the state of his Circle. For far too long, Belphegor has experimented on creatures - torturing them, turning them into something less than themselves. His hatred for Belphegor's ways are arguably as hot as Wrath's charred landscape. It was enough for Cernunnos to care not for the lives of others, but he cannot neglect the call of beasts - that's why he has such a solid relationship with them. To Cernunnos, Belphegor, who is nihilistic to any and all life, is appalling.
Cernunnos is a Deadwood - distant cousins of the common Tree-folk, Ents or Treants. Born of the cruelly tainted lands of the Circle, the Deadwoods are caustic husks. Unlike their more lively cousins, the Deadwoods grow deep within the swamp areas of Belphegor's lair - perhaps the pollution of all the dark magic, potions, and chemicals have affected the trees and Ents and turned them into what Cernunnos currently is. Unlike Ents, who have leaves and healthy bark, the Deadwoods have no leaves or any prime source of nutrients. That is why a Deadwood's lifespan is much shorter than a normal Tree-folk individual. Usually dry, cracking, or thorned, the Deadwoods are unlike Ents in skills or abilities. The Ents have skills over nature, the Deadwoods have skills over Belphegor's chemical spill. Deadwoods are, for most Ents, either the butt of jokes or the objects of great pity. That treatment from the Ents solidifies Cernunnos' unwillingness to care for any being save for animals who don't know how to be prejudiced.
Character's History:
The lifeless sapling that would one day be Cernunnos was, for some reason, fortunate enough to survive a Circle that was frequently the battlefield for small skirmishes. So fortunate in fact, that the sapling survived countless years until it grew to become a mighty tree - one whose leaves encompass a wide area and whose fruits are actually very sweet. The space beneath this mighty tree was common ground for strolling demons and prankster Satyrs. One day, a horned demon carved in the name 'Cernunnos' on its bark, picked a fruit, and left. A word in some demonic foreign language, perhaps? For some reason, the tree remembered that time, and all the other times Demons would pick his fruits. It was irritating, and he wanted them to stop. As an insentient tree, Cernunnos wasn't at all special. There were a lot of trees like him that housed a lot of fauna and had a lot of delectable fruits. In times of ephemeral peace, strolling Demons would rest underneath the shade of these trees… only to be driven off or killed by Sloth's many beasts. It was unsettling, but it gave Cernunnos and his kin some solace. It turns out, many demonic animals roamed those lands as the years went by - having been protected by the tree's natural defence. The thickness of the leaves gave little critters shelter, and the width of the trunk gave larger beasts shade. It was these everyday manifestations of mutualism that
the tree that would one day become Cernunnos appreciated.
In the years of observing life in Hell, Cernunnos concluded that Demons were burdensome, irritating, and more often than not, cruel. The cruelest of them all, however, was a demon named Belphegor. The swamps were toxic enough, but the trees that would one day become Deadwoods were no where near that awful place. When Belphegor started dabbling in the sciences, his inventions and lairs started exuding poisonous gas and chemicals. Many demons in the vicinity died, many others were mutated, and the rest were forced to flee. The others who stayed were experimented on, given extra appendages, or were amputated and left for dead. Belphegor was a mad scientist, and if Cernunnos were alive then, he would do something about it, since he was the most sympathetic towards the beasts and animals. It was not long after, when the swamp wasn't a swamp but more of a junkyard and highly radioactive and polluted place, that the tree-species were given life. The potions and chemicals that were in the soil were soaked up, the gas in the air was absorbed, and the trees turned sentient. Cernunnos was perplexed at the phenomenon, proving once again that anything was possible in Hell. He was no longer a simple tree. He lost his vast tree size, instead becoming about an eight-foot tall, lifeless husk monster. It was weird, since in place of a head, were nothing but a mass of sprigs, thorns, and branches that formed into moose-like antlers.
Filled with confusion, Cernunnos and his kin scrambled. It took the now-living tree a long time before he started actually doing the things he's observed like walk, run, jump, move, climb, etc. It took him even longer to speak, as he was either alone or in the company of simple-minded creatures. Even now, he speaks either in extremely vague grammatically incorrect phrases, one-word answers, body language, or simply saying nothing. Because of his tainted nature, grotesque mushrooms and parasites would grow and creep into the crevices of his wooden skin. He had prehensile tentacles of rotvine behind him, and his legs bore no toes, just roots in the shape of taloned feet. More than once Cernunnos attempted to attack Belphegor for what he's done to nature, but his defences were too great. Hopeless albeit vengeful, he left the wilds and ventured out of his Circle. Currently, he is trying to look for other Deadwoods, or at least a means to rid Sloth of Belphegor's taint. Over the years, he has journeyed into unknown lands, met friends as well as enemies, was tutored in Druidism, and failed to enjoy life even in the company of beasts.
Position, Rank, or Occupation:
Cernunnos is a wandering Druid. His inability to speak fluently makes many demons misunderstand him and sometimes even perceive him as hostile.
Skills, Abilities, Equipment, Weapons, and Armour:
Cernunnos lacks a lot of basic skills, even the skill of fluent speech. He's a primal individual and is a master of hunting and stealth. Years of being an insentient tree has made Cernunnos adept at observation, and is still an expert at stealth being able to look like a normal albeit wilted tree. He has enhanced strength due to his size, mass, and density, although he lacks in mobility. Even if he is considered an "uneducated" being, he is capable of rational thought and strategic planning. The challenge is actually conveying these ideas and expressing them to people who can actually talk.
Like all if not most Tree-folk, Cernunnos has the ability of self-manipulation. He can turn his hands into blades or other weapons and regenerate from breakage. Coupled with his Druidic powers, Cernunnos has displayed limited control over other, albeit only wooden plants. He can utilise these two abilities to absorb bark and increase or decrease in size by either absorbing bark or chipping himself of mass. He can grow a spiked carapace and control the prehensile vines in his back. The demonic mushrooms that have grown on his skin are poisonous and can emit Belphegor's poisonous gas as part of his extra abilities due to his mutation. He can also absorb water from his roots to replenish himself if ever he's thirsty. Since his feet are roots, he literally drinks with his feet.
The reason why he's called Speaker for the Wilds even if he has limited speech capability is because of his solid connection with beasts and animals. For a time, the beasts of Sloth thought him to be a predator, but were moved by his protective nature of beasts against hunters. Some animals even actually recognise Cernunnos and follow him. He currently has a demonic hornets' nest inside of his husk-like body. For some reason, he can "communicate" with them, or at the very least, the hornets emerge from Cernunnos' crevices when their living home is attacked. They could be simply protecting where they live and not care about Cernunnos at all. Once released, they seek out enemy with viciousness and ferocity. These are also mutated insects, having been living in a highly irradiated space and thus are immune to poison and resistant to strong winds. They can burn though.
Weaknesses, Annoyances, Dislikes, Fears:
Cernunnos' greatest weakness should be clear. He's a tree; fire is both his weakness, dislike, and fear. He feels mutually about lightning, since trees are often struck by lightning. His annoyance is civilisation and demons that care not for nature. He also fears the Circle of Wrath as the simple descriptions of Wrath are akin to nightmare fuel for Cernunnos. He dislikes cruelty and the unjust treatment of beasts and nature, although would be surprised if a sentient demon had the same views as him.
His biggest weakness, even bigger than the elements of fire and lightning is his inability to speak clearly, as it has hindered him from doing a lot of things in the past.