Hmm I'm a bit tired today, I'll erase it for now and carry out a mass rewrite in a few minutes. Well >few minutes, being possibly tomorrow if I'm better rested.
| Patron Goddess: Vesjalla, Siren of Oblivion
Inspiration: When calling upon divine influence, Ethel can take on one of two stances—or perhaps, more aptly, two phases.
| Powers:
|
Sans the quiver and arrows[/spoili]
5'7"
Name: Xinyue Khulan - Age: 22 - Origin/Birthplace: Ju Ren Kyo - The Dull Stretch
Personality: Xinyue is fairly whimsical and not afraid to flaunt her abilities in the proper situation. A woman of the Steppes, she's fairly sociable, but not friendly in typical terms. Usually properly spoken - if not stern and hostile - her nature of speech is more suited to a Tribal Chieftain looking at lessers and subordinates. Aside from that, it can be said she treats others fairly well and civil.
Much like her Patron Goddess, Xinyue seems to have lofty arrogance and self respect, but not many ambitions. Like the Moon rises and sets, so does she. Preferring the afternoon or night hours, she is by no means a morning person. Not afraid of her powers or public reaction, she does have sense enough to not just use her Inspiration in a public setting for the most part. On the day and night of the New Moon, she seems fairly lethargic and lazy. On that of the Full Moon, she seems more perky, if not aggressive.
Showing a disposition to the use of force from having lived on the Steppes, she is a natural wrestler that doesn't shy from force and aggression. Curiously, Xinyue is a fashionable dresser by some standards, and a dried red Lotus seems to be her hair ornament of choice. A woman that will often pose serious - if not hostile - questions to those who make mistakes, her claim of being a priestess does not provide much comfort. Given the nature of her personality and Goddess, Xinyue is something of a habitual trickster or liar, keeping information to a need-to-know bases. What she may be thinking or plotting can be a mystery, if there even is a goal in the first place.
Biography: Born on the Steppes of The Dull Stretch, Xinyue was born to one of the traveling tribes of the Khulan Family. Xinyue was an accomplished rider and archer, noted for her trickery and harshness: Qualities well suited to life on the Steppes at least, but ones that would generate friction with her fellow siblings and tribesmen. Working her way up in terms of influence and power, Xinyue - even at a young age - had a preference for clothing from the Cities and was noted for her Red eyes, as well as the ability to haggle with traveling Merchants in need of the Tribe's service.
Around the age of Sixteen Xinyue was exiled from the Tribe for fears of attempting to gain status above the Chieftains and suspected theft. Though the charges had no firm proof to them, the powers at the time cast her out anyway. Having known of the followers of Tsuki-no-Tama, the young girl met one of the traveling Priest sects and fell into their number. Learning how to read and write, among other social skills, she would become a Priestess of the order, traveling the vastness of the Steppes and to the Cities of Ju Ren Kyo. Never settling anywhere, she did keep up her duties to the order, though her personality and long absences made her activities questionable to some.
A little under three years ago, Xinyue's life would take a sudden turn. With the mysterious circumstances of three years ago, in the following months, the Goddess Tsuki-no-Tama joined with Xinyue; a fact she knew at once from her slit-eyed pupils and the sudden understanding of her Horse. Not fearing the power, Xinyue decided to make use of both aspects of the Goddess whom she seemed to share much with. She offered her services as an animal whisperer on one front, but at night she would transform into a Werebadger who attacked encampments across the Steppes. These attacks were always non-fatal and seemed to occur only to cause chaos to those who had not offered their Silver on the New Moon to Tsuki-no-Tama.
This remoteness would not keep the Knights of Baelwill ignorant of her situation forever. Eventually, as word spread, the Knights would set a unit upon the Steppes in an attempt to find what they believed were two separate figures. Following weeks of tracking, aggravating night pursuits, animal attacks and random raids by the Werebadger they were hunting, the Knights eventually cornered the woman. Sitting on a rock she was complaining about a broken bow, ruined boots and her horse running off, asking them what took so long.
While her attacks seemed to follow previous patterns that brought her to their attention in the first place, a number of Knights were wary of her for surrendering so easily.
Patron Goddess: Tsuki-no-Tama: Goddess of the Moon, change, wild beasts and trickery.
Tsuki-no-Tama stands in opposition to the Goddess of Civilization. Tsuki stands for the wild and free, removed from the city, the counter to Civilization. She is popular among travelers, night workers, rural communities, bandits and those who "work in the shadows". Of note is the Festival of the Passing, in which the followers of Tsuki will collect silver coins, or other silver items at the New Moon of every equinox, to later be thrown into the sky in the hopes of safe journeys and success. The following Full Moon of every equinox, what money is left in the hands of patron Priests or Priestesses can be used for festivals, given to the poor or various other uses to promote some sort of change in the lands of Ju Ren Kyo.
A popular use is in the form of Costume parties by the traveling Clergy, where food is given to wary travelers and the destitute in the region.
While all of these may seem well, Tsuki is the embodiment of Trickery, The Wilds and as with the passing of the Moon, can be a harbinger of fortune or destruction. The Merchants of Ashikami and the followers of the two principle Divines of the region, are understandably irritated by this, tolerating it as the reverse of their own Goddess. Tsuki-no-Tama is often physically represented by a Silver Badger or a Woman of dark demeanor in robes lined with Silver that has aspects of a Beastman.
Powers:
Nocturnal Blessing (Inspired Form only): Transformed state, takes on many beast like attributes found in Werebeasts of myth and legend. This provides the normally unarmed and unarmored woman, skin and claws on par with high quality armor. Which provides Xinyue a superior striking ability versus most common soldiers.
The downside is this form is impossible to conceal from others when in use. Given Myth and Legend, this form tends to be feared by locals. While her clothing tends to stay intact this does not extent to her boots, a fact that annoys her endlessly. Minus on the night of the Full Moon she retains most traces of humanity short of her arms, legs and some body hair.
Slight of Hand: A unique ability of her Patron Goddess, Xinyue can upon seeing or being able to picture a small item deconstruct it and cause it to reappear in her own hand of choice. However it is tied to three rules;
One the item cannot be more valuable than the same object size in silver.
Two it must be able to fit in the palm of her hand.
Three it must be returned to the original owner or another person or place connected to them before nightfall or sunrise.
In principle its a rather good party trick or useful for "barrowing" keys, among other things. Though having to return the item to the
Ode to Beasts: A "power" most would question given her personality. She can converse with animals and understand what they are thinking or what their observations might be. Typically it's more effective on wild animals, such as Wolves, Foxes, Raccoons and Badgers. Cats she claims are uncooperative and birds can be hit or miss with their heads in the clouds.
Because of this she mostly uses wild animals for communication and information. In turn for this gift she's known to communicate to owners and tamers on the animals behalf. The nonsensical nature of these conversations leaves one to wonder if she's just insane or a jester however.
Given this is the ability to converse it is not a given that animals will just do what she wants for nothing in return. Though it is possible to ask them for help, wild animals that already have a disposition against humans are far easier to strike an agreement with.
Tsuki's Blessing/Curse: Owning a Silver coin with the Goddess on one side and a hooded skull on the other, Tsuki can potentially change a person or events fate. Often with mixed results to be called both a blessing and a curse. A number of Priests and Priestesses of Tsuki can seemingly make use of this ability though to a much lesser extent. If not for it's uncanny nature most would not hold stock in it. One example would be a group of Adventures once wishing for Tsuki's Blessing, the end result was the group running into numerous strong creatures that gave them trouble. When they demanded for the blessing to be revoked, Xinyue reportedly laughed, stating;
"It's a Blessing if you win, a curse if you lose. Do you really believe the Blessing of a God of Change do not carry weight or all change will aid you?"
Xinyue is known to use the coin to test her own luck, or to make up her mind on some decisions.
Moon Spear/Blast (Blast Inspired Form Only): Able to call upon the magical energies within her hands, in the first default use a beam of silver light magic forms into a spear. Capable of piercing the armor of multiple soldiers upon a throw the spear dissipates it's energy into a small explosive blast upon ceasing forward movement. In her Inspired form it's possible with time to summon energy into both hands and create a ball, that can be hurled into enemy lines or detonated around Xinyue. A pure energy attack it is fairly powerful for front line use to the expectations of such Magic in the current era.
(Can provide a more rough figure for that if need be, I personally picture something like a large grenade launcher in terms of power if that's not too weak/strong.)
Talents/Skills:
Equestrian Tribesman: Born to a Steppes Tribe, ridding is a natural as walking. Possessing a "natural" skill with the bow on horse back, she is a rather capable archer. Currently she lacks both a bow and horse.
Martial Fighter: Using adaptive fighting style from the Step Tribes, Xinyue is a fairly effective fighter. Counting heavily on footwork, hooks, jabs, pinpoint strikes and grapples to get in close. Her Philosophy on fighting armed opponents is simple, if not prideful; "Get in close and underneath, do I have to explain everything?" Seems to have a bit of experience and ability to be quick in bursts from fighting various threats over the last few years.
Scout: Xinyue is a capable scout and tracker who likes to see new places. Able to compile and retain large amounts of information she knows the area of Ju Ren Kyo rather well and has shown a capacity to adapt to other areas. Her ability to ask the Wildlife for information and years of life on the Steppes are the source of this skill.
Practical Knowledge: While not exactly a fine arts student or high society, Xinyue shows a surprising amount of social graces and understanding of society. This is in part to her visits to Urban areas for trade and business. Operating around sketchy figures at times, her nature and the need to decipher the meanings behind what the Animals would tell her necessitated at least a basic level of social skills.
The occasional Priest or Priestess of Tsuki-no-Tama also proved invaluable with teaching proper hygiene, reading and writing. While it is unlikely she would know court protocol, Xinyue has a surprising amount of trivia like knowledge, from the uses of rice water, to using caged birds to tip off poison gas.
Inspiration: Typically Xinyue takes a mix of Tsuki-no-Tama's personifications, this includes the growth of claws, tail, hide like silver fur along her limbs and core body. In a typical transformation most of her human features remain in terms of her skin, hair and eyes, owing to something of a physical match to the Goddess.
Under the influence of the moon her powers can wane to their weakest on the new moon and the strongest under the full. Other wise the power is moderate between the two states, including a partial transformation. While a full transformation is not possible on the night or day of a New Moon, a full moon Inspiration leads to a far more frightful transition.
Given she cannot just shut off this inspiration, Xinyue seems to carefully consider it's use as she'll be stuck in that form for a number of hours. The only other thing of note is she generally has night vision and a sense of smell far superior humans, on par with expectations of Tsuki-no-Tama.
(fingers crossed that you can read it this time and hopefully it's less of a mess)
[fieldbox="Ethel of Oisin, #A9A, dashed, 5"]
©Akimiya
Age: Sixteen.
Origin: Verdigris
Personality: Soft-spoken and kind-hearted, Ethel is not properly disposed for conflict, favouring the time-honoured tactics of retreating from or pacifying her aggressors. That is not to say that she is shy, however; to the contrary, she is naturally curious and interested in the affairs of others. She seeks to improve the lives of others, and where possible, foregoes judgment in favour of mercy, not trusting herself to important decisions.
Biography:
Nestled between the chilly woods and the coast, Oisin was a small town—only yet large enough that familiarity between residents was not guaranteed. Her parents work at a traveler's inn, and they had raised her lovingly therein, teaching her what they could despite their relative low class standings. Though without siblings, she formed tight bonds with other girls living in the area, many of whom came to her for guidance when in need. It was not long before she was old enough to serve the inn's guests alongside her parents, and she took great pride in her work. It was not unheard of for her to tend to the children while the adults lost themselves to the drink.
She does not remember the exact day that Vesjalla came to her—if anything, it was a gradual revelation. With it, however, came peril, as she grew increasingly wary of the knights of Baelwill that occasionally visited Oisin. After a few close calls, she resolved that her continued presence would only bring strife to her family and abode. It took nearly a year of preparation to bury all memory of herself from her parents and closest friends, but she left that town a stranger.
For about two more years, she wandered from town to town in Verdigris, bringing comfort to those in need and hiding her tracks as best she could. Alas, her caution was not sufficient. One day, she took pity on a Baelman who had lost a friend to the chilly nights, and the very next morning she found herself captured and led away by a consortium of knights.
[/hr]
Talents & Skills:
Patron Goddess:
Vesjalla, Siren of OblivionPatron goddess of widows and orphans, she is oft depicted as either a motherly angel or a great white bird. Kind-hearted and deeply empathetic, she comforts the freshly-grieving to ease the pain of loss and help them move on to a more hopeful future.
Birds
Forgetfulness
Sleep
Inspiration:
When calling upon divine influence, Ethel can take on one of two stances—or perhaps, more aptly, two phases.
- In her defensive phase, two massive wings sprout from her back, encompassing herself and one or two others (dependant upon size) in a protective feathery cocoon. Throughout the duration, those trapped within will relive traumatic memories of pain and loss, with Ethel as witness. Any who look upon the cocoon from outside are wont to forget their purpose, and any who look away will just as quickly forget they ever saw it—though the particularly strong-willed can resist this effect.
- In her offensive phase, Ethel spreads her wings, revealing a fierce angelic figure. Fluffy down falls like snow in a wide area around her, and all within moves slowly as if affected by Featherweight, though no wind will penetrate. Any feathers she fires from her bow, in addition to their normal effect, will automatically sap memories as if she were channeling Bliss, specifically using the first of the approaches listed. (Note: this phase is very draining, and Ethel will fall promptly to sleep after using it.)
Powers:
- Featherweight. Ethel is able to alter her momentum by reducing either her velocity or her mass. This could manifest, for example, as her slowing her descent whilst falling, or by becoming light enough so as to be blown away by the wind.
- Drowsy down. Feather arrows fashioned by divine essence, they fly faster and punch harder than Ethel's bow's draw-weight might imply. Should they pierce armour to the flesh behind, they will leave no physical mark; instead, any injuries they would have inflicted are converted to fatigue. A lethal shot, such as to the heart or head, will put the target immediately to sleep. The arrows fade after an hour, or they may be removed by force.
- Bliss. A channeled ability, she is able to erase memories from a sleeping target's mind, at a rate of about one day's worth per hour. There are three general approaches she can take:
- Erase memories working directly backwards from the moment the target fell asleep. This is of course time-consuming, but requires no knowledge of contents.
- Search for and erase memories that she and the target share.
- Increase the time it takes for the target to recollect anything relating to a particular subject (concept, person, place, etc). Much faster than actually erasing memories, but its effectiveness is reversely proportional to the target's familiarity with the subject.
[/hr][/fieldbox]
- Siren Song. It is unclear if Ethel's talent was at all influenced by Vesjalla's presence, but her voice has a captivating quality; slow, sad, and vibrant. For individuals with whom she is particularly familiar, she can even tailor her lament to draw out pangs of emotion.
- Trueflight. After years of training, her aim is such that regardless of rain or wind, her arrows fly true. Were it not for her divinely enhanced ammunition, however, she would not be able to pierce anything tougher than a deer's hide. As it is, breaking through plate or chainmail is beyond her ability.
- Featherfoot. Very nimble on her feet, Ethel has little difficulty getting to hard-to-reach places; and her light frame and precise balance allow her to move quickly across the most unorthodox of terrains.
- Bird-brain. Educated by her parents, Ethel can read, write, and perform simple arithmetic.
Less formatted version:
[spoili]Name: Ethel of Oisin
Age: Sixteen.
Origin: Verdigris
Personality: Soft-spoken and kind-hearted, Ethel is not properly disposed for conflict, favouring the time-honoured tactics of retreating from or pacifying her aggressors. That is not to say that she is shy, however; to the contrary, she is naturally curious and interested in the affairs of others. She seeks to improve the lives of others, and where possible, foregoes judgment in favour of mercy, not trusting herself to important decisions.
Biography:
Nestled between the chilly woods and the coast, Oisin was a small town—only yet large enough that familiarity between residents was not guaranteed. Her parents work at a traveler's inn, and they had raised her lovingly therein, teaching her what they could despite their relative low class standings. Though without siblings, she formed tight bonds with other girls living in the area, many of whom came to her for guidance when in need. It was not long before she was old enough to serve the inn's guests alongside her parents, and she took great pride in her work. It was not unheard of for her to tend to the children while the adults lost themselves to the drink.
She does not remember the exact day that Vesjalla came to her—if anything, it was a gradual revelation. With it, however, came peril, as she grew increasingly wary of the knights of Baelwill that occasionally visited Oisin. After a few close calls, she resolved that her continued presence would only bring strife to her family and abode. It took nearly a year of preparation to bury all memory of herself from her parents and closest friends, but she left that town a stranger.
For about two more years, she wandered from town to town in Verdigris, bringing comfort to those in need and hiding her tracks as best she could. Alas, her caution was not sufficient. One day, she took pity on a Baelman who had lost a friend to the chilly nights, and the very next morning she found herself captured and led away by a consortium of knights.
Patron Goddess:Vesjalla, Siren of OblivionBirds Forgetfulness Sleep
Patron goddess of widows and orphans, she is oft depicted as either a motherly angel or a great white bird. Kind-hearted and deeply empathetic, she comforts the freshly-grieving to ease the pain of loss and help them move on to a more hopeful future.
Inspiration:
When calling upon divine influence, Ethel can take on one of two stances—or perhaps, more aptly, two phases.
Powers:
- In her defensive phase, two massive wings sprout from her back, encompassing herself and one or two others (dependant upon size) in a protective feathery cocoon. Throughout the duration, those trapped within will relive traumatic memories of pain and loss, with Ethel as witness. Any who look upon the cocoon from outside are wont to forget their purpose, and any who look away will just as quickly forget they ever saw it—though the particularly strong-willed can resist this effect.
- In her offensive phase, Ethel spreads her wings, revealing a fierce angelic figure. Fluffy down falls like snow in a wide area around her, and all within moves slowly as if affected by Featherweight, though no wind will penetrate. Any feathers she fires from her bow, in addition to their normal effect, will automatically sap memories as if she were channeling Bliss, specifically using the first of the approaches listed. (Note: this phase is very draining, and Ethel will fall promptly to sleep after using it.)
Talents & Skills:
- Featherweight. Ethel is able to alter her momentum by reducing either her velocity or her mass. This could manifest, for example, as her slowing her descent whilst falling, or by becoming light enough so as to be blown away by the wind.
- Drowsy down. Feather arrows fashioned by divine essence, they fly faster and punch harder than Ethel's bow's draw-weight might imply. Should they pierce armour to the flesh behind, they will leave no physical mark; instead, any injuries they would have inflicted are converted to fatigue. A lethal shot, such as to the heart or head, will put the target immediately to sleep. The arrows fade after an hour, or they may be removed by force.
- Bliss. A channeled ability, she is able to erase memories from a sleeping target's mind, at a rate of about one day's worth per hour. There are three general approaches she can take:
- Erase memories working directly backwards from the moment the target fell asleep. This is of course time-consuming, but requires no knowledge of contents.
- Search for and erase memories that she and the target share.
- Increase the time it takes for the target to recollect anything relating to a particular subject (concept, person, place, etc). Much faster than actually erasing memories, but its effectiveness is reversely proportional to the target's familiarity with the subject.
[/spoli][/spoili]
- Siren Song. It is unclear if Ethel's talent was at all influenced by Vesjalla's presence, but her voice has a captivating quality; slow, sad, and vibrant. For individuals with whom she is particularly familiar, she can even tailor her lament to draw out pangs of emotion.
- Trueflight. After years of training, her aim is such that regardless of rain or wind, her arrows fly true. Were it not for her divinely enhanced ammunition, however, she would not be able to pierce anything tougher than a deer's hide. As it is, breaking through plate or chainmail is beyond her ability.
- Featherfoot. Very nimble on her feet, Ethel has little difficulty getting to hard-to-reach places; and her light frame and precise balance allow her to move quickly across the most unorthodox of terrains.
- Bird-brain. Educated by her parents, Ethel can read, write, and perform simple arithmetic.
This is still a work in progress, but the only thing I am really missing is the personality and bio. Both of them will be pretty much 'standard village girl #98', so not a lot that can go wrong there... probably. Regardless, here is my attempt at a character.
Appearance:[spoili][/spoili]
Name: Hirja
Age: 18
Origin/Birthplace: Verdigris
Personality: A tad reserved, but dutiful and hard-working, Hirja is an almost stereotypical village girl. She is hesitant to approach strangers on her own volition.
Biography:
Patron Goddess:
Thema, the Goddess of Fertility, Celebrations, Desire and Cardinal Directions
Thema is seen as a beautiful woman with a hourglass figure. She is either smiling or taking a vivid bite from an apple in her depictions. She is often painted with long, blonde locks of hair and blue eyes. Her light, silken robes show just enough skin to remain tantalising and are decorated with images of wheat. Thema is seldom portrayed alone. She usually watches over some sort of festivity, raining her blessings on the crowd, or takes on the guise of a common woman to enjoy the celebration as though she were a mortal.
Powers:
Regent of Fertility: As the chosen of Thema, food and food sources are at Hirja's mercy. She can make grain bloom or rot in seconds, spoil meat or keep it fresh, stop hens from laying eggs... The possibilities are endless. She can control even human fertility to an extent, though that takes a lot out of her. When in her Inspired form, this ability does not increase in power. Rather, Hirja gains an inherent understanding of how a particular change will affect the next year's festivities.
Fish and Bread: By channelling a great deal of magical power, Hirja can conjure food and drink out of thin air. At most, she can make enough to feed a few people for a meal or a single person for a couple of days. When Inspired, she can create a small feast.
Festive Blessings: Let it be said that Thema is never stingy when it comes to wine. And sometimes... occasionally... often... almost always... encourages people to drink too much. When Hirja channels this aspect of Thema, she can turn her opponent blind drunk in seconds. With enough magic, she can even kill them via alcohol poisoning. If she wishes, she can also conjure large amounts of wine. This power is treated as separate to her 'Fish and Bread'.
White Lotus: As the Goddess of Desire, Thema has a great deal of control over the hearts of men and women alike. While Hirja inherited only a fraction of this power, she can still make most people put down their arms when try to attack her. Sometimes, she even manages to incite them to celebrate, though that is more by accident than design. If she focuses, she is also capable of making herself appear more attractive. If she focuses this power on a single person, their mind will literally start to warp and they will become utterly incapable of resisting Hirja. She does not use this power much... but sometimes, Thema will use it instead of her much to her chagrin.
Inherent Compass: Even the drunkest of festival-goers need to find their home some time and Thema's followers are no exception. In Hirja's case, this gentle, guiding hand of Thema's manifests as a sense of where the cardinal directions are at all times.
Talents/Skills:
Home-maker: Hirja knows the chores by heart, can light a fire without magic, can sew, can bake bread can prepare food... Everything that a household would need. She is quite proficient in them, too and can whip up one hell of a meal even from few ingredients.
Inspiration: When under the effects of Inspiration, Hirja's hair becomes blonde and much longer than it already was. She gains an inner radiance of sort that makes her glow in the eyes of others. Her clothes become akin to her patron Goddess' robes, tempting the eyes of men and women alike. A subtle stream of music and merry-making also tends to follow her along in this form.
Right right. Well awesome! I'll pick up the pace and have something tonight for ya then.
Pfft, they're easy to dodge if you know what you're doing. Alternatively, just wear something shiny and reflect most of the damage.
Well that took longer than expected. Here's the CS pending any necessary revisions (forgive me for any obvious problems, it's 5am and my eyes are noping out on me, but I PROMISED TONIGHT, so tonight it is).
...minus the adorable little creature on her shoulder.
Name: Hira (family name here)
Age: 13
Origin/Birthplace: Rokon
Personality
Likes
- Solitude - To be left alone, and not bothered by loud, highly-energetic people.
- Books - To read about the cool new scientific discoveries about the world.
- Art - To draw, color, rearrange, and beautify.
- Warmth - To be embraced by the comfort of sunlight, or another source of warmth.
- Rokon - To tell stories of her beloved home and (ideally) remain there.
- Aureola - To be comforted by the presence of a perpetually silent friend.
Dislikes
- People - To be constantly nagged for attention and/or crushed with expectations.
- Cold - To be even the slightest bit chilly.
- Rain - To be anywhere near the cold and wet sky water.
- Romance - To suffer through watching other people's awkward relationships.
- Betrayal - To have trust or kindness betrayed, even on small matters.
- Drama - To see people get hostile for stupid reasons… which 'obviously' doesn't apply to her, because all her accusations have solid reasoning to them.
Biography
As the daughter of Prikta - and potential successor to the Rokon throne - Hira's life was filled with lofty expectations. The expectation for her to grow up strong, for her to study up on foreign policies, and for her to truly strive for the title of queen.
Unfortunately - though she'd never admit it out loud - as Hira grew up, she quickly came to hate the path she was on. It sounded like a dull, boring life of constant political decisions. Contrast it with all the fun things: like glassblowers making beautiful goblets, or scientists learning how the world worked, and the throne just looked like a trap. A dull, monotonous trap, that would hold her hostage forever. But how could she admit it? She couldn't. Even the thought of her mother's disappointment was enough to drive the thought away.
And so she continued, learning of royal traditions and foreign politics, all while diving into the latest research notes, or sketching random objects in her spare time. Then, what she still considers the greatest day of her life came along, where she was united with her strange 'soulmate.' Suddenly, she could perform all sorts of powerful magic. It was a great feeling, and - more importantly - it was useful! If no one else knew she had this power, all the better!
Not long after this, however, a band of knights from Baelwill arrived in Rokon, demanding the 'Host of Aureola.' After an unsuccessful search, they accused Rokon of hiding the Host and left with an ultimatum: if the Host was not handed over in a month, it would mean war with Baelwill. Hira - overhearing this - began to regret hiding away, and slowly-but-surely worked up the courage to do what had to be done.
Perhaps they just wanted to talk, Hira thought to herself. To give her a gift. Or to congratulate her. These thoughts - and several others like them - were what kept her going as she left home to go west to Baelwill. When Hira arrived and made it clear who she was, all the pleasant hopes fell away. She was going to die. That sharp, painful axe was going to end it all, and there was nothing she could do…
In that moment, she wished she could take it back. Anything to continue on from here alive and escape, head fully attached. As luck would have it, she was given just the opportunity…
Patron Goddess
Aureola - Goddess oflight, secrets, and loyaltyshadows, crime, and war
Aureola is a misunderstood goddess and one that usually likes to keep to herself. Although her magical domain is Light, the (very) few people she gifted with her magic more commonly used it to hide and deal in the shadows. For this reason, Aureola is publicly associated with shadows, darkness, and crime. To those who know of her true nature, she is associated with light, secrets, and loyalty.
Aureola is often just as loyal to those who follow her as they are, and is known as one of the few goddesses to have personally intervened in human conflict. As a result, she is also publicly associated with war.
Powers
Invisibility - The ability to vanish from view at will
- Certain situations can still show her position, such as a strange, human-shaped, empty spot in the rain, or footprints in the sand.
- Oddly, Hira still shows up in reflections, even while invisible: potentially the result of some history between Aureola and Bahleze.
Paravision - Perfect vision from any direction
- Hira can see by absorbing the light around her directly instead of through her eyes.
- This makes her extremely perceptive to any kind of movement and almost impossible to sneak up on.
- Paravision also doubles as a weak form of darkvision.
Illusory Image - Conjure a false image
- The illusion looks real and - if it's a person - can even perform simple actions independently of Hira.
- The illusion vanishes while there isn't a direct line of sight between itself and Hira.
- The illusion is purely visual, and has no sight, sound, feel, or taste to it.
Beam Sentinel - Summon an immobile sphere of light to blast lasers at foes
- The sentinel sphere remains floating in place and absorbs the light around it, firing a powerful beam when it has absorbed enough.
- The beams travel at nearly 300,000,000 meters a second, making them effectively impossible to dodge.
- If the sentinel is ready to fire, but has no target, it releases all light in a harmless flash. This continues in a cycle, making evasion a matter of timed ducking under cover.
- The cycle is based on the light it can absorb, and is much faster in bright areas.
Photonic Armament (Inspiration Only) - Fashion a powerful sword and armor out of the light
- The glowing light material the sword and armor are made of is both harder and lighter than steel.
- As usual, these are stronger in bright places, and weaker in darker ones.
Skills
- Politics (Baelwill excluded) - Although not up to the royal standards, Hira still has a lot of political significance in the East. This may end up more of a negative thing, depending on the situation.
- Art & Decoration - Hira's fairly good at making things pretty.
- Stealth - Hira was already skilled at sneaking around, but her magic boosts it to a disturbing level of stealth that leaves you constantly wondering if you're being watched.
- Chemistry - Rokan chemistry is nowhere near modern, but Hira has a more advanced knowledge of the topic than most of the world outside of her homeland.
Inspiration
While transformed, Hira's body ages to a tall young woman of around 18 years. Her hair instantly grows long and shifts from black to pure white. Additionally, Hira's body radiates with a bright light that illuminates the area like a giant lamp. This also empowers most of her magic, allowing her to act as if she were standing in bright daylight, even in the darkest of places.
Oooohhhhh. I see.
