Szotski Slen

By Widdershins

• November 2, 2017

Age: 28

Gender: Male

Species: Non-Pony

Appearance: <p> Species: Naga </p> <p>  Slen* has a frontward humanoid body, rather wide of chest and slight in musculature. Just not strong enough to be able to manage on his own in a scrap. Most of his muscle is spread out over his ten-foot-long body, thin for a naga. A few inches south of his ribcage his body funnels down into his tail body. His much more snakelike head rides uptop with large, round eyes wide despite his vertical slit pupils and an upturned, Hognose snout. There are noticeable shoulders, but sloped downward from lack of strenuous exercise. His only limbs are two rather thin arms. </p> <p>   Slen's coat of scales are a light, almost sandy bronze that fades paler to his chest; this white patch tapers off to a point past his "waist." Of his ten feet of body, only the front four are devoted to his upper body, leaving most of it to trail behind him, usually in the way of anybody else who wants to walk past behind him. </p> <p>   As adornments go, Szotski Slen is rarely without his thick, heavily pocketed coat laden down with nearly everything he comes across or picks up as he's slithering along. Often there is much hanging off him on ragged, worn threads made of leather from debatable sources, most prized among such is the hatchlinghood charm he always wears around his short neck. </p> <p>  If needed for spell casting or going on long ventures, he may also carry any one of numerous staves from his collection. Considering how many of those he has, even Slen couldn't give you a general description of what staff he might take. Though often, like much he collects, they're bound to not be in the greatest condition. </p> <p>    </p>

Personality: <p> Szotski Slen is a determined pacifist, but mostly because of his cowardice & fear of confrontation. Often, no matter the situation, he will insist that talking things out is the best course of action... before quickly scuttling behind the nearest sturdy thing and insisting they "throw the warrior at it!" as soon as anything gets close to snapping at him.  </p> <p>  Slen is helpful, often optimistic & curious, but can be obsessive to the point of trampling on personal space. He's not opposed to companions like most are in his town, but tends to view them as steps to finding more things to collect. He is, foremost, very greedy. To an oblivious degree that often will overpower his cowardice.  </p> <p>  In the frequent times he's been accused of theft, he was honestly convinced that anything not held meant that it was unwanted. He's more then willing to hand whatever is lost back, it has just happened so often that he tends to spring to mind whenever anything small goes missing around Kluge Town. </p>

Backstory: <p>  Nagas are a rare species; for logical reasons. Most prey animals are quite intelligent in Equestria & an herbivore dominant society does tend to reflexively look down on predators. And, like most large reptilians, communal town life doesn't quite agree with most nagas. But like every family, every species has its black sheep. </p> <p>    Slen* never really paid much attention to the family hunting lessons; instead preferring to find new things to study & stare at. What did hold him though was his first cultural custom. When their father eventually fell to their short, brutal life in the wild, it was tradition to take a portion of a fallen comrade as a souvenir or even a bone to carve into a small idol & keepsake. Slen was part of a large brood however and not much was left when he took his turn in the pecking order. From picking up the smallest tail vertebrae** that day, an ingrained hobby & compulsion arose in Slen </p> <p>    While cautious & caring, so far as to consider himself a sort of informal cleric, Slen is a rather unmitigated Loot Horder. Be it gold, an idol or chest; no matter how suspiciously displayed or even <strong>fanged, </strong>Slen refuses to admit that taking treasure can be hazardous. That being said, value isn't a high priority either for him.  </p> <p>  Where Slen resides now in an ignored storehouse*** in the desert town of Kluge, he's filled it from wall to wall with everything from forgotten cursed artifacts & maps to lost civilizations to broken, unintelligible devices & wads of gnoll spittle! Around town Slen has gained some notoriety as both an expert in things that nobeing else cares about and a very easy mark. With no reason to what object might grab his fancy, it's not unusual for shopkeeper apprentices to use him for practice. In fact, whenever a native gets knocked out in a brawl or tossed out unconscious from a tavern; they often wake up with this snake rummaging through their pockets. It's not that Slen is immoral, just that he prescribes to the old Kluge Town rule that: <u>"Ownership means how tight your grip is."</u>  </p> <p>   </p>