Laurelai Keryl, Blackbird of Marth

[foxandwarlock]

DISCLAIMER: Okay, a little background before I post her. A few years back, I played a very enjoyable D&D solo campaign with a half-elven fighter who was struggling with the elven side of his heritage. The elves of that world were TROS fey or BW's Firstborns - not D&D elves. The character would eventually be reunited with his mother (a matron of an elven community), only to discover that he had been born to fulfill a prophecy and delivery them from harm. The fulfillment of the prophecy was the campaign itself and ended with the character being married to one of the elves that his mother had exhiled many years ago. His wife died in childbirth bearing their daughter (who has been created in a multitude of systems, never with much success before now.)

[foxandwarlock]

"Focus."

She hated the word.

So often had she heard it that it sounded the same in both the High Tongue and Common. Its utterance in her presence was countless - it had long since ceased to have meaning to her.

It came from her father, over the blunted edges of training swords. Not yet ten, standing in the practice yard of her father's free company; face blushed, frustrated and tired in the sun. "Focus"

It turned once magical Winter visits to her grandmother into tasks. Where once she was free to roam The Silver Lady's chambers, now she poured over books and recited words which should summon magicks but did not. "Focus"

So the years passed, blade in the summer, book in the winter - but her mind wandered, magick passed her by, the finer points of the blade escaped her. But still she smiled when the sun shone and she was free of instructor - free to write her own tales and tell them to those who would listen - her imagination ran wild.

When she was of age her father granted her a post in his company, The Company of The Flaming Rose and gave her the belt that her mother had worn in its service many years before. Its buckle was delicately carved in the shape of the company's insignia, a rose in full bloom, its head shrouded in flame.

Years passed, those that she had come to love as friends and brothers, fell in battle and died from wounds. One became two and two became many, and with heavy heart and untold grief, she left her father's company. And for the first time in her life, felt freedom - travelling where she would and telling tales at inns and campfires to make her keep.

Description: 5'10" with smooth tan skin, stunning green eyes, and long black hair.

Lifepaths:
Born City
Sorcerer's Apprentice, Lead to Outcast
Free Companywoman
Itinerant Performer

Age: 26

Stats:
Pe: B4, Wi: B4, Ag: B5, Sp: B4, Po: B3, Fo: B4

Attributes:
Re: B4, Ste: B5, He: B4, MW: B9, Hesitation: 6

Skills:
Calligraphy: B2
Intimidation: B2
Mending: B2
Read: B4
Sword: B3
Sorcery: B2
Symbology: B2
Haggling: B2
Taletelling (Oratory): B5
Persusion: B3
Falsehood: B2
Astrology: B2

Gear:
Arming Sword (RoTM, 5rp)
Clothes (1rp)
Boots (1rp)
Traveling Gear (Backpack, Bedroll, Waterskin, Earthware Cup & Mug, 1rp)
Leather Armor (3rp)
Tyra's Swordbelt (Mother's, 5rp)

Associations
Company of the Flaming Rose (Outcast Group, 7rp)

Contacts:
Lady Eledwyn of the Autumn City (Grandmother, Powerful, 8rp)
Serason Keryl (Father, Loyal, Important, 3rp)
Versham (Traveling Merchant, Insignificant)
Kendrin (Itinerant Performer, Insignificant)

Traits
Sucking Up (Apprentice)
Skulking (Apprentice)
Broken Woman (Itinerant Performer)
Glib (2)
Easily Bored (1)
Keen Sense of Humor (1)
Fey Blood: Essence of the Earth (3)
GRIEF: 1

Beliefs
1) I am neither swordsman or sorcerer but I am my father's daughter.
2) Answer to no master, live free.
3) Every man deserves a chance to be judged on his actions.

Instincts
1) Always have a story to relate to the situation.
2) When bored or traveling, make conversation.
3) If you have coin, spend it - live life.

I am aware the humans do not suffer grief but since her Fey Trait is one of the most "elven" traits, I thought it fit great into her grieving - it was so deep and disturbing that her father and those around her didn't understand. She was so heavily affected with each death that she simply couldn't stay - so she had taken up a new life in order to avoid more grief (or Grief).

[Manicrack]

wow, this is a happy positive character.
I never manage to get something like this, my chracters always end up being either evil, disturbed or have very bad experiences.

but i have one question:
Is she one of the daughters, and when yes, wouldn't he then be 3/4 elven?
Meaning, shouldn't she take elven lifepaths?

-Crack

[foxandwarlock]

EDIT: I added her free lifepath traits as well as changed some of the others around after some thinking about her. I also changed one of her Beliefs after some analysis.

I spared you guys the crazy long-ass history all legacy characters have but to answer your question, Mani, yes, she is the daughter of Serason Keryl (my old character). She was really raised among the humans of her father's mercenary company with very little Firstborn interaction - except during the Winters when her Grandmother would take her to instruct her in the sorcerous arts. She's much more "human" then fey in terms of her perspective and thoughts.

[luke]

She's immortal. She's going to need that Grief to get by...

Rockin, meng.

I love the fact that she's got no Gifted trait! But she'll be all obsequious to the sorcerers!

What's up with that 5 rp belt?

-L

[foxandwarlock]

So it goes like this...

Serason Keryl was about to undergo a huge field battle with this rag-tag army of bandits and mercenaries he had put together. He had two "seconds", Tyra (the elven exhile whom he would later fall in love with) and Chatralon (a human assassin-turned good, whom he had literally reedemed in the course of play).

So to comemorate the first battle of the group that would become The Company of The Flaming Rose, Serason had a belt buckle and a medallion crafted with the insignia on it. The buckle went to Tyra because she always wore her weapon belt (silent killer type) and the medallion went to Chatralon so that he could hide it when necessary. Both items were extremely pricey in D&D terms- crushed ruby dust glued in place to simulate the flames around the rose's head.

And so I was trying to convey the value of the piece by spending a significant amount of RP on it. In the end, I felt like if the buckle was sold it could certainly pay to outfit a man with whatever arms he needed.

And as for the casting, I mean she'd tell you to look at all the work...I mean you've got to read the stuff, and then you have to memorize it, and then you've got to sit around all the time practicing it and making sure it works right and that its controlled. I think I'll just go over here and fall asleep in the sun under this big tree - that sounds good.