Urkorrika
Urkorrika is the most famous Tree Octopus in the world. They are the companion of the Uhartekoan folk hero Izar Ibarzabal, and feature in many of the tales told about them throughout the Great Ring. Urkorrika lives aboard the living ship Itsasloratza, and the three together - the human, the Wavewood Tree, and the Tree Octopus - are the subject of a hundred sailors' songs and are known in every port across the Million Islands.
Izar first encountered Urkorrika when the hero was stranded in a Floating Forest. They had escaped a mutiny by a blade's width and landed in the forest hoping to find food and fresh water. But shortly after arrival, Izar encountered a pack of Zurigarra - giant, predatory crabs that rule the root-floor of the Floating Forests. Izar climbed a tree to escape and found a clutch of sea-melons - lovely, sweet, and filled with fresh water - and a tiny octopus busily boring a hole into one to get a drink.
When Izar reached for a melon, the octopus shrilled a warning and slapped Izar's hand away with a tentacle. They couldn’t have been more than three inches across - but they were ready to fight for their melons! Izar finally had to surrender and offered the Tree Octopus some dried jerky.
A lesson for the future: if you feed a Tree Octopus once, they will be your friend - and dining companion - forever after.
Mental characteristics
Gender Identity
Izar isn't quite sure how to determine this - and Urkorrika hasn't made a statement on the matter.
Education
Urkorrika has been educated in a number of unusual skills during their time with Izar Ibarzabal. They can pick pockets, pick locks, and are remarkably good at running the cup game for fun and profit.
Intellectual Characteristics
Urkorrika is curious to a fault, and aggresive towards anyone they don't trust. They don't trust anyone who hasn't fed them - and only half of the people who have. Itsasloratza is known to drop Urkorrika on the heads of anyone who annoys her - an angry octopus is an excellent way to express annoyance.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Food. Mostly Food.
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This article was originally written for Spooktober 2024. You can find all of my Spooktober Articles at Spooktober Central.
This article was originally written for Spooktober 2023. You can find all of my Spooktober Articles at Spooktober Central.
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