Arthera's character list

A listing of characters I have made on the forum, for easy access, in case I lose links to older threads containing them.

- - - Updated - - -

From defunct The Knights of Ancarth

Name: Luna Andreasson
Order: Order of Lionell
Apply for Circlet: No
Gender: female
Age: 23
Appearance:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ndril/Luna.jpg

Not prone to showing off, Luna wears a knee-length one-piece dress of simple black and off white colors, with little to no accessories but for small stylish tassels of bronze color that her mother made for her. Her garment is long sleeved and sports a high color as well, lessening the amount of shown skin even more. She wears knee-high black boots to avoid skinning her knees when she inevitably has a dizzy spell and falls down. She keeps her light hazel-colored hair long, partially held back by a black ribbon, a gift from her father before she left home. Her pale complexion, clothing and hair color make her otherwise regular blue eyes stand more, drawing attention to her soft features and easy smile. Although opinions on her looks vary, most agree she is easy on the eyes, enhanced by the easily obtained blush with a compliment or two. She is thin by the combination of training exercise and diet, perhaps partially due to her health issues, but not enough to have problems with that side of the weight scale either, having veritable hawks watching over her to make sure she remains fit and as healthy as possible. All in all, she easily passes as any young adult female seen anywhere, coupled with her rather short stature at 5'5", she could easily pass as a student...until she calls upon her bow or rolls a boulder over you.

Personality:
A quiet person, Luna is not prone to outbursts of any kind. She is somewhat shy around large amounts of people, her habit of chewing on her lower lip being a prime example of stress or unease, but never refuses friendship when offered. Easy to get along with once you take the time to know her, she is a good listener and always manages to have the right word for the occasion. Her condition sometimes makes her lose focus in what she is doing or saying, and it is not to be mistaken for being haughty or aloof, but simply trying to catch her breath or get over a dizzy spell. With a life filled with medical examinations and countless hours spent working details in her craft, Luna is patient and calm, never above taking that little extra time to solve a problem or explain an issue. Dire is the situation that makes her hasty, although she is still quite capable of thinking on her feet when they do occur, something all operatives learn as part of the Order.

Although trained and raised to be a Knight, Luna is not a combat-minded person and will try to resolve issues peacefully when able. She will not charge head first into a situation without weighting the possible options at her disposal, before committing to the fight. Of course, a demon or other threat is less likely to receive that treatment and she is not above shooting a known problem should it threaten her or her friends. Of course, given the chance, she would prefer to avoid the fight altogether, but that is rarely a luxury she can have.

Bio:
She started out as a common child to an average family, with common wages in an equally nondescript neighborhood. Her mother was a history teacher while her father was an accountant, both loving and attentive, raising their single daughter as best they could. She started ballet young, her mother taught her sewing and told her stories of mythological heroes before bed while her father would cook with her and drive her to sleepovers. Everything a young child would normally do and none would be the wiser about the secrets held. You see, her parents KNEW. They were part of those that supported the knights in their tasks. Not fighting in the front like their ancestors did, but now forming what little backbone the disjointed organizations could muster to supply and communicate with themselves. They did not want their daughter to grow up like them, knowing that the things in the night, monsters and demons, that those stories were real. They wanted her to live oblivious, happy, unafraid of every shadow... It was a selfish wish and they knew it. The closest Order that had members in their city, Praetor, wished to screen every child of even the most remotely linked to one of the ancient families, to see if they could be groomed for the coming times.

As Luna was still young, she was to be gently tested in various ways to determine what potential she had, if any. She was agile, but not overly so. She did not seem to be particularly devout or interested in the occult and it did not seem she would be of any worth to any order, other than as a supporting role, as her parents were. She was to be dismissed to the relief of her parents, when a patrol group returned to the Order's hideout. One of their number unsummoned one of his weapons, not knowing or caring that un-initiated civilians were present. Luna, seeing this magic for the first time, immediately beamed at the sight and started yammering about magic tricks and random bits of legends and lore her mother had told at her.

The elders and her parents shrugged, already spinning a story on how they could explain this to the girl, that was not a problem since she was young and would forget eventually. They changed their tune when Luna made the man's weapon reappear, to clatter on the ground to the surprise of all. There was an awkward silence as everyone looked at Luna trying to pick up the man's sword and hand it to him. The young man, likely thinking she was already part of the order, bent down to take the sword and ask her: "Why thank you for returning my sword, do you have something of your own that you can call up and show me?" The innocent request made Luna ponder, thinking about everything she owned but not finding anything that was as heavy or impressive as a sword. Then she figured she could just make one up! Or better yet, call up the sword of one of those legendary people. That would be an impressive sword! Before anyone could understand what was happening or what Luna was mumbling about, she did just that, summoning forth a sword out of thin air, more detailed and intricate than anything those in the room had ever seen. Then Luna collapsed with the sword falling next to her.

She was rushed to the hospital, and only later were her parents told she had anemia and was receiving a transfusion. The thing was, Luna never had anemia, it was not a family problem nor had she other illnesses that would cause it. The timing was not a coincidence, and her earlier "trick" was clearly the cause of her sudden ill. It was one of the elders of the Praetor that shed some light on the matter. Being a master smith and quite knowledgeable about weapons and their lore in general, he did some research on what Luna had actually materialized. Turns out she had called forth something that was thought not to exist outside of myths. Gram, the sword of the sun wielded by Sigurd in the ancient Völsunga saga, a sword that had enough legends on it to have details only the original would have, which the blade processed. This sudden manifestation, not unlike the Lionell ability to call forth objects, was what had caused her sudden illness and repeated use of such uncontrolled power would kill her.

It was from that day forward, a week before her 8th birthday, that Luna was to be a member of the Order of Lionell, for training and supervision. Her innate ability to use the Order's power was not unheard of, but her level of ability with it was something else. That first dramatic conjuration she did would leave her anemic for the remainder of her life, leaving her frail and prone to sickness. Her current caretaker and supervisor is a certain Oswald Haverty, who would sooner lock her up in a padded room than let her outside where she may get sick or faint without help nearby. To this day, she has been trained to control her thoughts to prevent such outlandish use of power and to hone all the latent skills that were unlocked since. Luna developed an affinity to earth magistra, and has learned to use her conjuring and magistra together to create marvelous items too dangerous for her conjuring alone and impossible for regular magistra to replicate. It was from her combined talents that she made her companion item which she carries to this day.


Companion Type:
- Enchanted Clothing
- Enchanted Yumi-type bow
Companion Name:
- "Golden Fleece" Armor
- "Gae Dearg" Bow
Companion Abilities:

- The former is named after the key object in the epic of Jason and the Argonauts. It is a set of clohing, including a white and black dress, high black boots and simple ornaments. She made the clothes herself, slowly and evenly imbuing the clothing with magistra while conjuring the powers of the legend. These clothes can change appearance and coloring, but will never become a suit of armor or a negligible piece of cloth. It can change into pants and shirt for example, change color and detail, gain the rigidness of leather or the softness of silk. Beyond these meager abilities and more in line with the legend, the suit can make the wearer float, bearing one aloft like the Golden Ram did. It is not flight, can only bear one aloft a few feet off the ground and cannot be used extensively, but it grants the normally frail Luna a chance to skim around swiftly and dance as she used to when young, to escape ground-based obstacles like ice and lighten her body to compensate for a heavy load.

- Her low stamina and frail constitution preventing weapons requiring strenuous activity, Luna has trained in the use of a bow and has been given an enchanted weapon when she passed initiate levels. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...i-p1000624.jpg Her aim is true with her chosen weapon and coupled with her ability to change the terrain to suit her needs, she is a deadly opponent. She named it after a spear used by Diarmuid Ua Duibhne of the Fenian Cycle, that is said to be able to bypass all enchantments on contact. Shots fired from the bow, no matter the origins of the arrow, are able to penetrate magistra-enhanced defences as if they were not there, dispelling them for as long as contact is maintained, forcing defenders to use their skill and the original defensive qualities of their armaments. The arrows have increased impact as well due to reinforcement, but are unlikely to pierce thick slabs of iron, although regular plate armor fares much worse. The bow itself is reinforced with her own powers, able to withstand blows as would a solid steel rod.

- The last item, the one which caused her life to change, is of course Gram. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ndril/Gram.jpg Although she did call it forth, she has no real skill with swords and currently does not have it in her possession. It is said the weapon is in the hands of the Circlet, who are to determine the use of such a fabled weapon and who should be the one to wield it. Luna does not expect to be chosen to wield the blade in all honesty. It is said to be the greatest of enchanted swords rivaling the greatest of holy blades...

Knight Magistra: Earth Elemental powers.
Luna has the ability to control earth and earth-like matter in a localized area. Turning ground to mud, raising small hills, walls, throw rocks and make items from earth is her calling, which she uses in crafting or to enhance an item's natural qualities. Iron can be be made more dense, steel to weight less or mud to be stickier.

Order Magistra: Conjuration
A natural at invoking the Order's power since a young age, despite not having any prior training. She is able to summon mundane items like forks to complicated objects like clocks and into the large category such as motorbikes. Although she has not tried to call forth another mythical weapon, Luna is quietly certain that she could once more, although the cost could possibly kill her...

From defunct Adventurers Unlimited - The Factory Job

Name: Milori (Me-Lo-Ree) Da'Alvan
Nickname: Millie (Me-Lee) or Kitty (for the very close friends and family)

Age: 140 (Not sure on your elf years, but in human years, 25)

Class:
- Primary: Tinkerer(Custom, DM approved)
"The ability to create field items and modifications from assorted materials at hand, in a timely fashion."
- Secondary: Vehicle


Appearance:
On the short side for an elf, Milori stands only at 5 feet and a half, with the weight of wet cardboard to match. She dresses herself in loose-fitting clothes, mainly unoriginal black coveralls, with a plain white tanktop underneath. She is actually quite pretty should she ever get out of the stained and tool-laden garment, having delicate facial features, pale complexion, almond-shaped green eyes, straight waist-length blonde hair tucked in a chignon, complete with messy locks poking out.

Of course, she seems completely unaware, or at the very least not paying attention to, her looks, often seen with grease or dirt stains on her face, due to the dirty factory gloves she always seems wears. Her ensemble is completed with sturdy workshop steel-toe black boots, negating her natural bouncy step with their weight. Her whole outfit bears small scorch marks, grease stains and the odd splash of multi-colored paint.

Should she don her red-tinted goggles and aviator-like leather cap, it would be hard to determine from a distance she was female at all, until she gave you a hug, then it is quite obvious she is a woman.


Personality:
Milori is, and always will be, a cheerful and energetic person. She likes to meet people, make friends, talking for hours on end and can liven up all but the dreariest places with her bubbly presence. People quickly learn she likes giving hugs, unless you happen to be on fire, and has a seemingly unconscious desire to give everything a cute nickname. Milori will not force others to use it, but will likely refer to others by it unless feeling it is REALLY out of place. She is easy to get along with really, mainly due to her understanding nature and general kindness. Despite all this, she is not naive by any stretch and will not trust others simply because they play along with her antics or appear nice, but sees no reason not to be nice and polite to others.

In contrast, she is serious and focused at work, feeling focused and calm when creating or repairing things. On the downside, she sometimes suffers from "Attention Deficit Oh Shiny!" moments, mainly when seeing something new or particularly impressive, and needs to be dragged, forcefully, away. She will get somewhat irked then and voice it loudly, many times, but will not hold it against the obstacle overly much or for too long. Although it does take some work making her angry, once conditions are met, woe to that person, and everyone's ears in a generous radius. As they say: "Hell hath no fury like Milori's scorn." or something...


History:
Hailing from a rather non-descript elven settlement, Milori was initially raised to learn the magical arts, as she had an affinity for it not unlike other children in the village. Unfortunately, Milori was not interested in vague mystical forces, the prospect of calling on nature and all that. She was always a physically-oriented person, swift, dextrous, nimble-fingered and had a natural liking for all the wondrous things the gnome merchants always brought along, despite all her parent's efforts. She had a font of creativity and a grasp of technical aspects that both perplexed her parents and amazed the gnomes.

After years of this knowledge tug-of-war, her parents finally decided they could not hold their daughter back from what she liked. They were understanding and really only wanted to make her happy, no matter what bizarre choices she may be doing. Her parents accepted that she apprentice with the industrious little people in the nearby community, who were delighted to spread their technical knowledge.

And so began Milori's tutoring in things usually left to the small people, crafting objects both mundane and intricate. She was always good making what she set out to do, sometimes with left field ideas that required creative construction methods. She often knew what to make to meet her needs but no formal idea on how to properly make it, so she would tinker something together that had the same use in the end, often making her teachers cringe at the odd-looking contraption. But the results were undeniable, they worked. She did make an effort to learn as much about the proper, or at least formal, ways to make certain items, but always had her own creativity to draw from.

In time, she traveled to various cities to sell her wares, find work with her skills or seek apprenticeship from some famed local mechanic. Milori met with a lot of people due to this, became a connected individual, because of the quality of her work and her personality, and kept getting better and better referrals. It eventually landed her in Arxie, where she started taking jobs left and right from contacts and "friend-of-a-friend". She naturally poked her head in the local job-finders guild and made good use of it's services, working hard to not tarnish the guild's and her own reputation. It has been some time now that she has not moved on, currently having more than enough work and friends in town to making dropping it all and leaving not a worthwhile endeavor. As of now, she has a lot of offers for her services still pending, Milori will have to sort those out


Equipment:
Generic
- Basic Toolbox (wrench, screwdrivers, pliers, hammer, nuts&bolts, nothing fancy)
- M1911 pistol
- PPS submachine gun
- Grenades: 1 Smoke, 1 Incendiary, 1 HE and 1 Frag.
Vehicle:
- Vehicle tools (larger wrenches, basic socket wrench, clamps, bigger hammer, )
- Small welding torch
Tinkerer:
- Scissors, Lenses, wire cutters, Wire Spools, Duct Tape, enhances basic set in short.
Magic Item:
- She has goggles that, when worn, allow close range visibility (arm's length) in low light situations as if in bright lamp light. Further darkness brings decrease in lighting provided to user.


Notes on character history:

Here are the other job offers Milori currently has access to in Arxie. She has no knowledge of what they need exactly, but they know of her and she has heard of them somewhat:

- Meren Royas, a human adventurer from the Guild. A friend of hers, nicknamed "Roy". Soldier by trade.
- Dorlain Grindstone, a dwarf in the Hold. Grumpy friend, nicknamed "Dorie". Blacksmith by trade.
- Captain Veyers, a human in the Military District. First job offer, no nickname. Vehicle Division.
- Fenderil Enethterion, an elf from a High Born club in the Market District. First job offer, no nickname. Unknown trade.

From Exalted

Name: Anya Wildfang
Caste: Changing Moon
Lunar Name: Moonlight Dancer
Age: 129 (Looks to be around 20)
Picture reference: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ndril/Anya.jpg
Spirit Shape: Winter Lynx
Tell: Pointed feline ears
Anima Banner: A swirling aura of phantom leaves, with predator cat eyes gazing through.
Motivation: Become a protector goddess of her village.

Attributes

Physical: - Strength: 3 - Dexterity: 5 - Stamina: 4
Social: - Charisma: 3 - Manipulation: 3 - Appearance: 4
Mental: - Perception: 2 - Intelligence: 2 - Wits: 3

Abilities

- Archery: 1
- Athletics: 3 (Specialty: Leaping)
- Awareness: 3 (Specialty: Wilderness)
- Dodge: 3
- Linguistics: 2
1. Riverspeak (Free)
2. Skyspeak (Base)
3. Forest-Tongue
4. Tribal Tongues (Two North dialects, one NE and one E)
- Lore 1
- Martial Arts: 5 (Specialty: White Reaper Style +2)
- Occult: 1
- Performance: 1
- Presence: 2
- Resistance: 2
- Socialize: 1
- Stealth: 3 (Specialty: Moving Silently)
- Survival: 3


Background:

Artifact: 3 "Shifter's Staff"
Artifact: 3 "Robe of the Wary Traveler"
Cult: 2
Hearth's Blood: 3 (11-20 extra forms)

Flyers:
- Bat
- Crow
- Eagle
- Robin
- Seagull
- Snow Owl

Swimmers:
- Cod
- Salmon

Ground (Small):
- Groundhog
- Hare
- Mouse (Field)
- Snake (Grass)
- Squirrel

Ground:
- Black Bear
- Dog (Husky)
- Elk
- Horse (Arabian)
- House cat (Dark Grey)
- Wolf

Virtues:

Compassion: 3
Conviction: 4
Valor: 2
Temperance: 1

Great Curse: Deliberate Cruelty

Charms and Knacks

Knacks
- Humble Mouse Shape [free]
- Changing Plumage Mastery [free]
- Deadly Beastman Transformation ([Ess]+4 = 7pts to spend)
A. All Physical Stats +1
1. Affliction: Thick Skin (2pts)
2. Affliction: Inexhaustible (2pts)
3. Affliction: Gazelle's Pace (2pts)
4. Pox: Night Vision (1pt)

Charms
- First Dexterity Excellency [free]
- First Charisma Excellency [free]
- First Manipulation Excellency [free]
- First Appearance Excellency [free]
- First Stamina Excellency

- Graceful Crane Stance (Dex)
- Golden Tiger Stance (Dex)
- Wary Swallow Method (Dex)
- Wind-Dancing Method (Dex)
- Flowing Body Evasion (Dex)
- North Mastery Technique (Sta)
- Relentless Lunar Fury (Sta)
- Bruise Relief Method (Sta)
- Halting the Scarlet Flow (Sta)
- Hide-Toughening Essence (Sta)
- Hide of the Cunning Hunter (App)
- Dog-Tongue Method (Cha)

- White Reaper Style [MA]
1. Falling Scythe Flash
2. Revolving Crescent Defense
3. White Reaper Form

Base Values:

Essence: 3
Personal Essence: 17
Peripheral Essence: 42
Willpower: 7

Soak:
- Non-Deadly Beastman
Armor (9B/10L/10A) + Stamina Mod. (4B/2L) = 13B/12L/8A and hardness 8B/8L
- Deadly Beastman:
Armor (9B/10L/10A) + Stamina Mod. (5B/3L) + Tough Hide (3B/3L) = 17B/16L/8A and hardness 8B/8L

Base Dodge DV
- Non-Deadly Beastman
[Dex (5) + Dodge (3) + Essence (3)] /2 (Exalts round up) = 6
- Deadly Beastman:
[Dex (6) + Dodge (3) + Essence (3)] /2 (Exalts round up) = 6

Parry DV
- Non-Deadly Beastman
Scythe: [Dex (5) + Parry Skill [MA] (5) + Specialty (2) + Weapon Defense (2)] /2 = 7
Spear: [Dex (5) + Parry Skill [MA] (5) + Specialty (2) + Weapon Defense (4)] /2 = 8
Staff: [Dex (5) + Parry Skill [MA] (5) + Specialty (2) + Weapon Defense (4)] /2 = 8
- Deadly Beastman:
Scythe: [Dex (6) + Parry Skill [MA] (5) + Specialty (2) + Weapon Defense (2)] /2 = 8
Spear: [Dex (6) + Parry Skill [MA] (5) + Specialty (2) + Weapon Defense (4)] /2 = 9
Staff: [Dex (6) + Parry Skill [MA] (5) + Specialty (2) + Weapon Defense (4)] /2 = 9

Base Dodge MDV
[Willpower (7) + Integrity (0!) + Essence (3)] /2 = 5

Base Accuracy:
- Non-Deadly Beastman
Scythe: Dex (5) + MA (5) + Specialty (2) + Weapon (4) = 16
Spear: Dex (5) + MA (5) + Specialty (2) + Weapon (4) = 16
Staff: Dex (5) + MA (5) + Specialty (2) + Weapon (4) = 16
- Deadly Beastman:
Scythe: Dex (6) + MA (5) + Specialty (2) + Weapon (4) = 17
Spear: Dex (6) + MA (5) + Specialty (2) + Weapon (4) = 17
Staff: Dex (6) + MA (5) + Specialty (2) + Weapon (4) = 17

Base Damage:
- Non-Deadly Beastman
Scythe: Str (3) + Weapon (14L/4) + Acc = 17L/4 (2,O,P,R)
Spear: Str (3) + Weapon (8-12L) + Acc = 11-15L (2,L,R)
Staff: Str (3) + Weapon (7B) + Acc = 10B (2,R)
- Deadly Beastman:
Scythe: Str (4) + Weapon (14L/4) = 18L/4 (2,O,P,R)
Spear: Str (4) + Weapon (8-12L) = 12-16L (2,L,R)
Staff: Str (4) + Weapon (7B) = 11B (2,R)

Description:
No matter how one looks at Anya, she seems on the harmless side. A moderately tall willowy frame, barely the weight of a bundle of wet clothes by the looks of it, a chin-length wave of flowing blonde hair, framing a delicate face, small nose, lush lips often forming a faint smile, nothing that would indicate she was anything but harmless. Anya has doe-like emerald-coloured eyes that seem to always dart left and right, but can pierce right through you when they decide to focus. The rest of her body is no less captivating, being blessed by nature in what the wild tribes describe as proper child-bearing traits. Her smooth and fair skin is unmarked, no traces of duress or wounds to mar its surface despite the normally harsh conditions of life in the wild.

Anya usually allows anyone a good view of her skin most of the time in any case, preferring to dress revealingly when gracing the tribes with her presence, short and revealing fur tops, loincloths and other limited types of garments that match the wild habitats she frequents. She ornaments herself with tribal fetishes and talismans at all times, which hang from her clothes or adorn her neck and arms, causing a faint tingling sound, like chimes in the wind, despite the lack of any. At other times during storms she would not cause a single sound to be made from her array of tokens, despite them visibly moving. Despite her preferences, Anya can also be seen wearing more “civilized” clothing when needed, matching the local preferences, be it pants, shirts, skirts or robes. She is never caught wearing armour of any kind above bracers or the occasional anklet on the other hand, even when travelling in cities, often citing they feel “stuffy” and covering her overly much. On the other hand, pouches and small bags she does carry on her person, usually cinched at her waist, to carry her few belongings. In her hands she holds a rather detailed wooden staff, with leaf and flower motifs carved along the length, used as a walking stick often.

Of course, all the above is only when she is in her human guise and is hiding her true colors. When she reveals her nature, one can easily notice the extensive silvery array of tattoos covering her skin from the top of her feet to the knuckles on her hands, twin lines of arcane script winding up her lithe frame from each side. If able to pierce her obfuscating veil further, one can see that Anya has large pointed feline ears of white-like fur atop her head, which are actually her real ears. For all her apparent harmless outlook, the girl could easily rip a man in half while smiling, for she is a Lunar, a shapechanger, able to transform into terrifying beasts and creatures.

Her favored shape is her lynx form (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lynx_lynx_poing.jpg), her spiritual totem animal which represents the core of her being. A small animal, merely 3 feet in length and about a foot tall, Anya’s form has short golden brown fur with darker spots mixed in, often turning to a beige-white color in the winter seasons. Her cast tattoos can be seen as a thin pattern of paler fur running along the sides and legs of her form, if one actually manages to detect them at all. With cat-like proportions and features, Anya can often be found napping in this form in the wilderness, despite the ability to change shape into something more impressive to not be bothered. Impressive is attained by merging her spiritual form and her human form so that she can assume her beast transformation, a hybrid cat-like creature taller than any northern man by a head. Short cropped gray fur, sleek and powerful muscles, with claws on her hands and feet that could shred wood and rend stone were she not using her preferred implement most of the time, an exquisite weapon able to change into the shape of a large scythe or spear at her command.


History:
Anya barely remembers her early childhood; she has lived in the wilds for so long that even had she been born to city dwellers, the wilderness is her only true home now. She recalls having a father and mother at the same time, but their features are fuzzy when she tries to recall them. An attack by something or someone along a snow covered road during the night, screaming, a desperate run in densely packed woods for hours, the memory of biting cold and gnawing hunger are her real first memories. Wandering into a tribal community, Anya survived her ordeal but never knew what had occurred to her parents; she did not even know where she was or how to go back. The tribe took her in and raised her as their own, giving her a new name for her new life, teaching her their skills and lore, their rites and their beliefs. All things considered, there was much, much worse to cross in the wilds than a benevolent tribe of “barbarians” and Anya would always recall their benevolent reception of her.

It was only years later, when she was in her twentieth winter, that she truly became what she is now. Another winter night, an attack from mysterious attackers, men unwell of form and mind swarmed the encampment. This time, Anya did not run, she did not desire to lose another family, this was the time to stand and fight and she would die before she lived through loss such as she had felt again. She fought with a fury her friends and family had never seen in her, she refused to give in to her wounds and fought on well past the point her body should sustain. And yet she was standing when the last wild man fled. None could say she did not give her all for the tribe, she was as a legendary forest goddess of the tribe, a staunch defender. Anya’s wounds were severe on the other hand and as she finally collapsed, the tribe gathered to honour her last moments, to recall her bravery and make certain she knew the tribe was safe. They vowed to write stories and retell the tale of this night to their children, passing her name down the ages.

In answer to all this courage and ability, or perhaps because Luna already had sights on the young woman, Anya Exalted then, bathed in silver moonlight. It was a truly majestic feeling, the stories and legends of the god’s boon upon their champions came to mind. Anya healed fully a scant few moments later, instead of dying. She was changed now, her whole being felt imbued with power, her every sense suddenly showing her a nuance to the world she never knew, every feeling was like for the first time, and it took some time for her to settle in her new life, for Anya knew deep inside that it was a rebirth. The tribe did not know how to react, between wishing to hug the girl for returning to them and half between wanting to bow down in respect. It was the shaman that broke the awkwardness, indicating that Anya had to go on a quest to learn herself, and that the answers she found there would also be the answers the tribe needed.

She left for her quest then, only knowing that her new self would know what to do and trusting the shaman in his wisdom that a quest was required of her at this junction in her life. Her quest had many steps, such as when she acquired her Spirit Shape, but the turning point came when she had reached a clearing, far to the north-east, weeks after she had initially set out. The clearing was green and dry, despite the raging winter everywhere else, and it was empty but for a planted stick in the middle, surrounded by a sort of drape-like item. As she came closer to the middle, she knew she was where she was supposed to be, her senses and being had directed her, any other direction, for any amount of time, would have made her miss this wondrous place. The stick turned out to be a finely crafted staff, sturdy, dry, untouched by rot or decay despite being out in nature for so long. The cloth was a garment of some kind, far finer to the touch than the softest fur. Touching the items triggered images, perhaps visions, maybe memories, all of them carrying these very things. This was important, the reason for her quest, but she could not explain it, she needed wisdom from the village elders.

When she did return, she was received with love, but also awe, the shaman seemingly already aware of the completion of her Life Quest, and spread the news. As if a story coming to life, the tribe refused to see her as merely Anya anymore, but as the reincarnation of a legend, a living spirit. Despite all her rebuttals, recalling the hunting trips with the community hunters, the time spent with the mothers to cook meals, none of the villagers really saw her as simple Anya anymore; all interactions were tinted with awe and overly much respect. She resigned herself to accept their new devotion as it was, knowing they could not simply change their views than she could change who she now was. The only constant was the elderly shaman, he would never bow to anyone no matter their sudden transformation, and if anything else, became more strict with her than ever before.

Before she knew it, he was asking her to receive tattoos to represent her new status. The giving of tattoos was not something new to the community as such, but what she received was more than what hunters were given when they returned from a great hunt. It was more than anyone she had ever seen bear on their skin. A swirling series of designs and shapes, runes and images graced her form, circling her body, from her feet to the back of her hands, up her legs and onto her back. A boon for the tribe, the shaman said, needs symbols to represent such things. It did make Anya feel better for some reason, her mind at ease for the first time since she had risen from her deathbed. Once the tattoos had been bestowed, the shaman took constant interest in her, more than ever before. Talk of her dreams, discussions on animals, her new skills, abilities that she seemed to have gained. Although not displaying the same powers she had been gifted with, he seemed knowledgeable on a great many things, explaining that the histories of the tribe spoke of such wonders of nature and that it was a shaman's duty to assist with all the lore that was passed down.

She learned so much in those early days, managing to understand her nature and what she could do with much greater clarity. Weeks turned into months, and then years, and Anya remained, unchanging, while the tribe lost its elders, to be replaced by the younger generation, all growing up with their new protector. The elderly shaman left one day, never to return, to be replaced by a successor that was just as attentive to Anya as the previous one, but made the girl realized things had finally changed past her tolerance. Anya understood that she could not remain like this forever; she could not continue living here as if nothing had occurred, the village had grown, but it was becoming more and more dependent on her, as those who recalled Anya before her change all died. She would drive away the Wyld barbarians, talk with the spirits on the behalf of the village, she was quickly becoming too central to the community and she could not take it anymore.

One day, she announced that she had received a vision, and she had to undertake some great quest for the safety of the land. Despite her physical absence, she vowed that she would always be here in spirit to lend them courage, guide their shamans and assist as much as she could. With her gone, others would have to take up the mantle of defenders and oversee the community as it always had been. Of course, she had arranged a deal with the local forest and animal spirits before making that statement, to have them keep an eye on the village while she was gone. Anya would come to oversee her old friends from time to time, but she needed freedom and to be away from the constant prayers, despite knowing they would continue during her self-appointed exile.

She left soon afterwards, embarking on various adventures, traveling farther than she ever had before, learning things from land and sky, listening for the wisdom of Luna during the cloudless nights and learning from the visions of the past. She would always return to the community, which slowly kept growing over the years, but not too often or at least not seen too often. She had learned that infrequent sightings at critical times meant more to them now than her constant presence could before. They kept praying to her, but not exclusively anymore, asking for her courage and determination mostly. Someday, when she had grown fully into her power, she would return, helping the tribes grow safely, purging the Wyld barbarians for good.

From The Hollow Plague

Name: Laurana (Laura for the close friends)
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Class: Adventurer
Appearance:
Life on the road has been somewhat kind to Laurana over the years, contrary to her personal life. She has remained thin, weighing under 9 stones, built up an athletic frame and has not accumulated any scar that mars her visible, slightly sun-bronzed, skin. Only of modest height, she still radiates a noticeable presence, perhaps due to her appealing figure, her rich hazelnut-colored and shoulder-length hair or her similarly-colored eyes. Or because she moves with grace and elegance, well received by nobles and almost dance-like to the masses and has a good voice for song. Of course, she hides the other aspects that her lifestyle has "bestowed" upon her, such as calloused hands or the numerous scars hidden under her clothing.

She currently wears dark brown leather pants, with sturdy knee-high boots, broken in comfortably and well worn already. A pouch-laden belt adorns her waist, crossed by the one holding the scabbard of her sword. A simple tan-colored tunic over a plain corset covers her upper half, perhaps with a sleeveless black vest when the times get colder. Fingerless brown leather gloves, also well worn, and a weathered faded-black cloak round out her attire.

- Weapon of Choice:
Sword
- Equipment:
Map&Compass, Provisions, spyglass and sword (which Laurana calls Egil in memory of a long lost brother)
- Possessions:
Flint and tinder for fire starting, a bedroll, extra set of clothes. She carries a small wooden flute, carved with leaf designs and words from multiple tongues, all saying "Rest". Used for making coin as a bard.

Personality:
A gentle soul at heart, Laurana has nevertheless lived through harsh times and knows that the world is not a safe place to be. What naivete she had has long been burned away. Hardened by the truth of the world, she has learned to accept her place in it and that she cannot change everything with a kind word or a song, sometimes a sword through the gut is required. Still, she is an understanding and calm person and her personality never seems to instantly clash with others, having experience out in various realms and their myriad cultures and knowing how to get along with all but the worst kind of people. When push comes to shove, she has a deep pool of courage to draw from, able to take charge and lead others, but always preferring to let real leaders take the lead and fleeing when things are not looking good. One can live to fight another day by running, but a dead person cannot do anything.

History:
Originally from a small farming community, Laurana never thought she would end up on the road as an adventurer. She and her brother Egil, ten years her senior, had been at the river when the village got raided by bandits and only survived by running for their lives through the forest. They reached the next town over, where they took refuge with their grandparents. A few years passed before age took their guardians and left the two of them with only each other once more. Being the older one, 21 at the time, Egil cared for his sister instead, teaching her how to handle herself in the wilds once he himself started to learn such skills. Eventually, they hit the road together, determined to improve their lot, earn coin and see the world while at it.

It was working wonders for years, traveling, earning their keep, learning the roads and their ways, enjoying moments of laughter in inns and frightful moments in dark forests. It worked, until bandits decided it didn't anymore. A fight broke out, forcing both siblings to make a run for their lives, leaving much of what they had behind, including their hard-earned money. What was more, Egil had been badly hurt, worse than Laurana. They did manage to escape and reach a town to rest and recover, but as days went on and Egil's wounds got infected, Laurana had to brace for what was to come. When her brother passed away a week later, in pain all the way, Laurana could do little but bury him and carry on. She hit the road once more, working around the latest loss with a smile and joyful tune, but sharpening her skills with a blade and practicing her legs for when fight and flight were required.