Chicken
Dr. Metalgesicht
NAME: Chicken
OTHER NAMES: One-Eyed Cluck, The Captain's Right Wing
PERSONALITY: Chicken is fiercely loyal to the Captain and takes his role as first mate very seriously, often puffing out his remaining chest feathers when giving orders to the crew. He's hardworking and meticulous about ship maintenance, keeping a detailed checklist of daily tasks scratched onto a piece of driftwood. However, his enthusiasm often exceeds his coordination, causing him to trip over his peg leg at crucial moments. Despite his dedication, Chicken is notoriously forgetful about personal matters - forgetting suntan lotion (resulting in painful sunburns), misplacing his spare eye patch, and occasionally mixing up port and starboard in moments of excitement. He's brave in theory but tends to squawk loudly and flap his wings frantically when startled. Chicken harbors a secret fear of cooking pots and nervously changes the subject whenever the crew discusses dinner plans.
BACKGROUND: Once an ordinary farm chicken, he fled after overhearing plans to make him into soup. During his escape, he lost several feathers, his left leg, and an eye in an unfortunate encounter with a fox. He was discovered hiding in a barrel on the docks by the Captain, who was impressed by his survival instincts and stubborn determination. The Captain fashioned him a crude wooden leg and eye patch, dubbing him the ship's first mate on the spot. Chicken has been sailing with the Captain for seven years and has developed an uncanny ability to predict weather changes by the ache in his wooden leg. Before each voyage, he ritually buries a single feather at the dock for good luck, a tradition he refuses to explain to the crew.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Chicken stands about two feet tall with patchy, half-missing feathers that give him a perpetually molting appearance. His remaining feathers are primarily reddish-brown, though salt spray has bleached some to a lighter tan. His wooden peg leg is crudely carved and often needs adjustments, causing a distinctive uneven gait as he struts across the deck. His black eye patch covers his left eye and is secured with a piece of twine that wraps around his small red comb. Chicken's right eye is alert and bright yellow, constantly darting about as he surveys the ship. He wears a miniature first mate's hat that's slightly too large and frequently slides down over his good eye. His beak is chipped at the tip from attempting to open stubborn treasure chests, and he has a small scar across his wattle that he claims came from a sword fight with a "fearsome land beast" (though the crew suspects it was actually a house cat).
DIALOGUE STYLE: Chicken speaks with frequent squawks interrupting his sentences when excited, and has a habit of ending statements with "aye-aye-aye-yaaaawk!" instead of the traditional pirate "aye." He uses excessive nautical terminology even when unnecessary, often mixing up terms in comical ways: "Batten down the portholes!" or "Swab the mainmast!" When giving orders, his voice rises several octaves until he's nearly unintelligible. In quieter moments, he has a tendency to cluck thoughtfully while stroking his wattle. Chicken frequently references his "days as a landlubber" with dramatic embellishments, and whenever the Captain tells stories about The Big Green Blob, Chicken interjects with increasingly implausible claims about previous encounters with the monster. His favorite phrase when things go wrong is "Well, ruffle my feathers and call me plucked!"
