Iris and Lodestar

Iris and Lodestar are two litter mates who form part of the crew of the Dewfall.

Iris is the hearthkeeper leading the mission. She's small, about 50 pounds, with white fur and biscuit coloration on the tips of the ears. Lodestar is a Knight of the Sun. He's a dusky blue-gray color, and an absolute unit of a yinrih at around 80 pounds. He may sport a bachelor's mantle.

The two litter mates were hatched in the border of Moonlitter to a very large family of 12 sires and dams and 20 pups. Iris was the runt of the litter, while Lodestar was by far the largest. While their sires and dams were loving parents, runts are often picked on by their litter mates, and Iris was no exception. Lodestar took it upon himself to defend her from their siblings' teasing. As the largest pup in the litter, he blamed himself for Iris's runt status, thinking his large size was due to depriving Iris of nutrients while in utero. This isn't true; he just won the genetic lottery and it's common for large litters to have a runt. Iris keeps trying to tell her brother this, but he still feels somehow responsible.

Like the other refugees that formed Wayfarers' Haven, their family was devout. Their lives revolved around the local lighthouse, and it was there they met one of their friends and future _Dewfall_ crewman, the previously mentioned Pascal. The socially awkward Pascal was himself a frequent target of teasing, and Lodestar came to his defense as readily as he did for his sister.

Unlike every other resident of Moonlitter covered thus far in this thread, the two siblings made it through their mandatory customer service jobs with their faith unshaken, with both of them pursuing religious vocations after their "conscription".

Like Pascal, Iris was troubled by the clergy's asedia, and particularly the high hearthkeeper's attempt to halt interstellar mission work. Unlike Pascal, her concern manifested as a desire to renew the faith from within rather than to abandon it as a lost cause. As she would say, "If you want to put out a fire, you run toward it, not away from it." So she entered the seminary, associating with various traditionalist movements opposed to the compromises that the hierarchy were making in an attempt to stay relevant. It is here that she began working with the missionaries. During her formation she quickly proved herself adept at both the spiritual and mechanical side of hearthkeeping. Her engineering prowess would prove crucial as she aided Stormlight to erect the mass router trunk between Sol and Focus.

Meanwhile, Lodestar carried his hypertrophied sense of justice into adulthood. This, along with his piety and strength made him a perfect fit for the Knights of the Sun. At this time the Knights were primarily put to work guarding lighthouses. It is forbidden for a lighthouse to lock its doors, and all must be welcomed at all hours. Like other places of worship, lighthouses have valuable religious articles within, not to mention the fact that lighthouses are also ossuaries, the bones of the dead being sought by covens of neoshamanists for use in their rituals. Knights were often put to work watching over the occupants, both living and deceased, as well as the lighthouse's property. Lodestar had an intimidating presence, and he never had to lift a paw to deter would-be troublemakers from disturbing the living worshipers or the resting bones.

Iris and Lodestar are not their original names. Iris was named <MNr-sPnq-sd-Mr> "Snowpelt" while Lodestar was given the much more laconic name <jr-sk-Mr> "Big". Hearthkeepers take a clerical name upon ordination, and Lodestar likewise took a religious name when entering the Knights of the Sun. Iris's namesake, Iris the Hearthsider, was a significant figure who helped form the Pious Dissolutionists who's probably worth her own post someday.

As mentioned before, Iris encouraged the lapsed Pascal to go on the mission. This was a controversial move, especially in the traditionalist circles Iris ran in. She countered that there would be no hope for him if he were simply shunned (see the quote regarding fire above).

After landing on Earth, Iris is initially offered lodging by the human cleric, Fr. Shaheen, but she politely insists that Pascal stay with him instead. Iris chooses to stay with the de facto head of the very ad hoc First Contact team, one Dr. Staples, professor of linguistics at the local college. Together Iris and Staples break down the language barrier that separates humans and monkey foxes. Iris is the one who seizes upon the idea of using a keyer and HUD specs to synthesize human speech.

Lodestar, ever the paladin, wants to continue following his vocation to help the weak among his new human friends. Dr. Staples introduces him to one of his linguistics students, who recently lost his guide dog. Lodestar is thrilled to serve as the student's new sighted guide, and the blind student is happy to have a "guide dog" he doesn't eventually have to bury.