”I… don’t know why I survived, but I shall not waste this chance!”
Name:Ranni Soleil
Age:23
Appearance:Standing 5'6” tall, Ranni is nearly the perfect image of her twin, Dyna. The blonde girl leaves quite the impression and draws plenty of desiring looks from those around her. With a fair skin tone and pleasant features that seem to almost welcome others to approach, she typically has a gentle smile on her features. Of course, there is a certain confidence that comes from a girl who knows her beauty, even if she is trying not to flaunt it. A confidence so many only find all the more intoxicating.
Her body, while not muscled like her twin, is smooth and still of an athletic build. Showing that the young Priestess keeps healthy. More generously shaped than her twin, even her casual clothing fails to fully conceal her shape. Ranni typically chooses to wear more modest robes or tunics, favoring lighter colors and shades of blue.
Even the parts of her changed by the Blight fail to ruin her night-unworldly beauty. Pointed ears akin to that of an Elf or Daemon of fantasy. Black horns protrude from her forehead, one above each eye, and extend upwards four inches, leaving about half their length sticking up into the air. Violet eyes that still carry that hopeful, gentle look about them while enrapturing others with her unique gaze. A long, thin, black tail that ends in a dagger-like point and is just barely longer than her legs. All drawing attention to the young Priestess, yet none of it marring her beauty.
Beauty which, admittedly, Ranni takes some joy in showing off.
Race:Blight-Born
Blight-Born Traits:- Physical Appearance Traits: Ranni has been mostly physically unaffected by the Blight’s changes. Her ears have changed to become more pointed, akin to that of creatures of fantasy such as Elves or even some daemons. Her eyes have changed to be a violet color, which glow when she is ‘feeding’ or using her psychic abilities. In addition, she now has a jet black, long-yet-thin prehensile tail sticking from her tailbone and being just a hint longer than her legs so she must curl the end to keep it from dragging along the ground. At its end, the tail forms a triangle-dagger-like point. As well, two little black horns stick up from her forehead. Each located just above an eye and long enough to have about half their length (2 inches) sticking into the air above her head.
- Physical Ability Traits: Like all other Blight-Born, Ranni possesses blinding speed and formidable strength, albeit to a lesser extent than some of her fellows.
- Psychic Abilities: Ranni now possesses Psychic Abilities that she did not previously. Telepathy and Telekinesis, albeit these abilities are within their infant-stage. She doesn't know how to control them, and much like a muscle, would need to exercise them to build both strength and control.
- Weaknesses: Ranni, like all Blight-Born, is highly intolerant of Sunlight. In addition to this, anytime Ranni uses her magic or her psychic abilities, she grows tired significantly quicker than her counterparts would. Requiring her to ‘Feed’ sooner, and more thoroughly, than her fellows might or she risks death.
A small note, however, is that being the Priestess she is and her upbringing… such manners as she has to feed are difficult to stomach for her. Believing in a need to remain ‘pure’, and often trying to avoid it if she can… until reaching a level where her instincts start to override her own control. - Type of Blight-Born: Sexual
- Overfeeding: If Ranni engages in Overfeeding for what is required, she can store this extra energy to enable her to use magic/abilities for longer before needing to feed again. Even if she stores enough, to cast more potent spells despite the lack of sun. However; the more potent the usage of her magic/abilities, the faster her stores of energy drain.
Kingdom:Aurelia
Role:Priestess of Aelios/Healer | Story-Teller
Magic:Ranni is capable of three types of Healing Magic:
- Cure Wounds: Ranni can cast a basic healing spell to fully mend minor injuries, or accelerate the natural healing process of bigger injuries. More healing means more energy expenditure.
- Cleanse Body: Ranni can use her healing magic to help beat back illness or poison within a patient, however the harder she has to fight to cure her patient then the more energy she uses.
- Fight on, O Warrior Mine!: Ranni can cast a spell that channels her healing magics into another, temporarily making them stronger, faster, and more resilient than normal! Though this spell requires quite a bit of energy to use, and she hasn't been able to cast it for a long time.
Ranni is capable of casting one type of light magic:
- Light of Aelios: Ranni creates a ball of light in her palm. This can be used to illuminate an area at low energy cost. Higher levels of this spell can illuminate traps, or even burn away creatures of shadow. Though she has been unable to cast the higher level version of this spell for a long time.
Non-Magical Skills:- Religious & Historical Knowledge: As a trained Priestess of Aelios, Ranni is quite versed in Historical and Religious knowledge.
- Medical Training: Ranni is trained in how to identify, triage, and treat various ailments and injuries. Be it via magical or physical means.
- Personable/Charismatic: Ranni has always had a natural gift for Empathy, and generally being rather likable and easy to talk with. Thus, she typically found herself trying to defuse tense situations or mediate arguments, as people tended to be willing to at least listen when she spoke.
- Storyweaver: Ranni loves to tell stories to entertain others, typically for children. Stories ranging from classics she's remembered to ones she's made up on the spot, but all share reinforced lessons to be a better person and loosely associated lessons of Aelios.
- Songbird: Ranni has an incredible singing voice, and finds herself to quite enjoy a good song. Often times singing for her companions late at night to wind down, or joining in to sing along with a bard playing a familiar tune. She's yet to receive anything but compliments on her voice.
- Dancing: Both Ranni and Dyna loved to, and are rather skilled at, dancing.
Short Bio:Ranni and Dyna's lives started in a way much similar to most. Born to two loving parents, merchants by trade, the infants were not left wanting for much of anything. Plenty of attention from doting parents, a warm blanket within a safe and equally warm home... it was about as much of an idyllic start as any infant could wish for. Unfortunate, then, that the girls were much too young to remember this life. As the twins were barely even a year old when this life was brutally torn away from them. All either girl knows is that their parents were killed on the roads outside the village they grew up in; a robbery gone awry. With no other immediate family, the two Orphans were quickly taken in by an acolyte of the Church of Aelios. The young woman finding herself unable to avoid the call of the two infants in desperate need of help.
So began their lifelong association with the Church. The two girls grew up knowing the Church as their home. The Acolytes and Priests as their family. While having been told the truth about where their parents were... neither girl had any memories to hold dear. Instead, they found faith. It had been the church, and by extension Aelios, who had been there when they most needed it. As they grew older, their skills and talents developing alongside them, the paths of the twins finally split... ever-so-slightly. While Dyna showed herself to be physically adept, Ranni quickly began to excel in her studies. As such, she was soon selected for training and induction into the clergy; to become a priestess of Aelios.
For years, Ranni spent hours upon hours studying sacred texts and practicing sermons. Eventually, she passed her trials, and was inducted into the clergy, a Cleric of Aelios. Shortly after, she was given her first assignment as a priestess; travel to a remote village on the outskirts of the lands still untouched by the blight to offer sermons and teachings of Aelios. Her Champion escort for her assignment? None other than her beloved twin, Dyna Soleil. It was a relatively easy first mission for the two, but one that both Ranni and Dyna found themselves eager to set out upon. To prove themselves to the Church that had given them so much in their lives, and to enjoy a little adventure together as sisters.
Yet it would not go as such. The trip to the village was relatively quiet and uneventful. Albeit a bit strange to make a days-long journey in total darkness... even if the two were used to the lack of sunlight by now. Even the first two days that the twins spent in the village were uneventful, yet pleasant. The village folk were friendly and eager to hear Ranni's words, while many of the younger ones wanted to hear tales of Dyna's exploits as a Champion. Meals and gossip were shared between the twins, and Ranni even teased her sister about the looks that Dyna was getting from one particular young man... along with the looks Dyna was returning his way. On the third day the two were in that Village, Ranni's life was abruptly cut short.
While the two were out exploring the lands around the village, Ranni found a piece of torn cloth on the road. Then another a bit further ahead. As if clothing or the sort had been torn and left behind, earning a look of confusion from both girls. At Dyna's urging, the two moved along in search of more clues to the strange sight. Finding a couple of more torn clothing items, the final of which seemed to have a hint of dried blood on it.
"Perhaps it would be best to head back, sister. I don't like the looks of th-" She said, but was cut off as Ranni had already moved forward to another soaked chunk.
"It looks like... teeth. The pattern of the tears. Somebody might be injured ahead, we have to hurry!" Ranni explained, a selfless drive in her eyes overriding the obvious concerns she felt about the situation.
So they set off, going further and further into the night. Until finally, Ranni stopped just past where the treeline had cut off at a strangely uniform line.
"I see someone, I think!" The girl cried out, racing forward towards a limp shape ahead without even a second of hesitation. As she neared the shape, Ranni dropped to her knees and kicked up little stones and mud as she slid the last few feet. So focused on saving the poor soul, that the girl had never even processed her sister’s warning of caution. When she arrived at the poor bastard, Ranni’s eyes went wide as the hope she’d been feeling before suddenly fled from her. There wasn’t an ounce of life left in the man. Next to him, a wolf with bloodied jaws lay equally still… a sight that caused concern to race through her mind even as she heard her sister’s strangled cry.
"R-Ranni!The tone of her voice finally tore Ranni’s singular focus away from the corpse, and onto the light emanating from her sister’s shield. Onto the sickly purple miasma that wept from the earth on all sides of her, and outside of the bounds of which her sister watched helplessly.
The blight.
Immediately Ranni’s eyes went wide as she climbed to her feet, seemingly intent on escaping in a desperate hope that she’d avoid the Blight’s horrid grip.
A vain hope.
Ranni hadn’t even taken a step when pain suddenly shot through every ounce of her body, as if something were stabbing her everywhere all at once. She fell to her knees, as her throat seemed to close. Strangled in her own body, desperately clutching at her own neck as her vision started to swim in tears and black dots. Strangled pleas fled her lips, even as the pain started to turn itself up to a deafening cacophony in her mind.
”Help me! Sister, please! I don’t want to die!” Another flash of pain; a warm and crimson liquid being spat out onto the dirt as she started to crawl… the only strength she could muster.
”Idon’twanttodieIdon’twanttodieIdon’twanttodieIdon’twanttodieIdon’twan-” Her desperate pleas failed into a strangled gurgle as she collapsed onto the ground. Mud splattered her features, interrupted only by tears as she reached out a desperate hand towards her sister… even as she knew that there was no saving. She was gone. She mouthed a final plea to her sister, knowing her life was forfeit…
Live.Then the world went black. Everything fell away, as Ranni’s life faded away and she joined the very corpse she’d come out here to try to save.
Everything was cold. Everything hurt. Everything was loud.
Sensation suddenly flooded throughout her body, and her eyes slowly cracked open. Several attempts to blink later, and she realized the darkness around her wasn’t due to her eyes… but instead due to being
buried. Pushing hard against the ground, she slowly rose and pushed off the layer of snow that had covered her. All around, she could see white powder covering the earth and a dreadful purple miasma slowly creeping up past it. Fear once again gripped her heart, but faded moments later as she realized that the painful memories weren’t occurring again. Somehow, the Blight wasn’t affecting her now. The young Priestess looked around, trying to grasp how she’d manage to survive the Blight that had claimed so many. Why had she been in so much pain before, if she was to survive it? Why did everything go black? How long had she laid there, unconscious, to be covered in snow? Moreso, how’d she manage to survive the co-.
Oh.The realization had suddenly hit the Priestess with the force of a Warhammer. Enough to cause her to physically stagger. She
hadn’t survived the Blight. She had died here, on that awful night. Then, she had risen once again. Reaching up to brush some of her blonde hair out of her face as she came to these realizations, Ranni felt that her ears were now… pointed. From her forehead, she felt two horns that grew up slightly. A strange weight and feeling came from her tailbone, like a muscle twitching and dragging along the ground. A brief look behind herself revealed a long black tail that seemed to touch the grounf at the very end.
Physical changes as well?The confirmation of which set a cold weight loose within her stomach. She’d been infected. She’d become one of the Blight-Born. Panic started once more to take her, and for a moment Ranni wondered if she’d committed some terrible sin to earn such a punishment. Was she too self-indulgent during her assignment, taking time to just enjoy the adventure with her sister? Was Aelios angry with her? Had she been forsaken?
No! There is always a reason, Ranni. Your faith is stronger than this! She chided herself, before deciding she needed to find some form of shelter. Plenty of people back home would want her dead for what she’d become, Ranni knew, so she only really had one choice. Dawnhaven, that Town where Blight-Born were allowed to live amongst the humans. She wasn’t sure where the Town was, but started walking in a direction that… felt right. She couldn’t describe it, but she felt that traveling that direction would make her feel safer. As if something familiar was guiding her. A feeling that Ranni didn’t necessarily have the time to give much thought to at the moment.
So she continued, for days, trudging alone through the snow and through a vicious blizzard until she finally saw the familiar outskirts of the very Town she was looking for; Dawnhaven. Her pace picked up, even as that warm feeling from earlier carried her forward. That reassuring familiarity that she couldn’t quite describe
where it came from. She only hoped the people of Dawnhaven would be welcoming of her, no doubt she looked a mess to them. With her disheveled and mud-caked features.The white on her traveling outfit was coated in mud and dried blood, leaving Ranni to only hope that she didn’t look like some feral creature wandering into town. Even as she started to draw close, and only now that she was at the end of her journey did she start to realize just how drained she felt…