Monday, July 9, 2012

Mascot Monday: Sagacious Rex

Many are aware that owl-kin once dominated the lands of Wampus Country, and that few remain; tales of owlbears and owlynxes and the like are well known.  Fewer know that a small number of sentient, talking giant owls still live in the region, the last of their kind, the apex of owl-kin civilization.  These solitary beings live in the greenwoods and the pines, in the fields and in the snow - each the size of a dwarf or child, strikingly intelligent, and in many cases capable of spellcasting [1].

The acknowledged oldest and wisest of these owls is known to humans as Sagacious Rex - the wise "king" of the owls.  His primary habitat is some distance north of River-Town; he has built himself a very lovely tree-house over the years through a combination of his own magic and favors paid by skilled craftsmen.  Sagacious Rex, they say, knows almost anything anyone would care to ask; certainly, he has never hesitated to provide an answer to a question when interrogated.  His intelligence and knowledge are unmatched due to long years of experience, and some time ago he spent the better part of a year at a university in the Western Kingdoms proving his worth and earning multiple degrees very quickly.

Some citizens of Wampus Country seek out Sagacious Rex in order to ask him personal questions; "should I marry this man?", or "will my parents disown me if...".  Others seek hidden knowledge: "where can I find the Crimson Scarab of Doom" [2], or "who has hired these assassins to harry me?"  The wise old owl does not, however, dispense his answers gratis; he must be plied with gold or sweets, and the thoroughness of his response will be based entirely upon the quality of the offering; a rare cupcake, for example, interests the owl far more than a pile of plain coins.

Sagacious Rex is a four-foot-tall white horned owl who generally wears thick spectacles (due to his advanced age) and occasionally a mortarboard (a souvenir from this time at university).  He is Lawful in bent, but will answer anyone's questions provided their gift is suitable.

Sagacious Rex enjoys a pomegranate lollipop.
People who ask poorly-worded or open-ended questions may find themselves disappointed with an accurate, but ultimately unhelpful, response.


[1] - these owls are essentially hsiao from Tall Tales of the Wee Folk.  Go ahead and play one, they're cool.
[2] - the foolish young man who asked this question did indeed find the Crimson Scarab of Doom.  He's quite dead now.  Things that have "of Doom" in their name aren't meant to be found.


2 comments:

  1. I suspected it was this same Owl that hung out with a frogling and a Southern belle hippo in the New Zoo Revue of my childhood.

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