Albireo

[Albireo]

------ Secret : Name: Albireo Race: Ethaefal of Leth, Vantha Human Day of the Fall: Winter 77th, 510 AV By day she’s a Vantha with black hair like silk and almond-shaped eyes of ever-changing colors. They reveal her moods as accurately as shadows track the passing of the sun through the sky, although it takes special knowledge for others to read them. Her skin is light olive, her limbs delicate and fragile. She’s neither tall nor bulky, just an ordinary Vantha girl at first sight. Though her body, being a mere shadow of a truer and more secure life, isn’t as well-fed now as it was then. By night she becomes more, better. She dresses in robes and flowing fabrics, preferring dark colors, although those cannot fully conceal the reflections of moonlight dancing on her skin. That coupled with an improvement in height and the glassy horns growing from her temples add an otherworldly quality to her appearance. Her features are softer, yet more refined. Multicolored eyes harden and darken to cobalt. Ironically, hair and horn color changes with the seasons as follows: Spring: lavender gray hair and white horns Summer: black hair and grass green horns Fall: pale gold hair and yellow horns Winter: white hair and black horns When she fell, a whole world full of unknown horrors and sources of danger stared her into the face. The first thing she learned about the modern Mizahar is that she knows nothing. Therefore she tries to regain knowledge by recording thoughts and epiphanies in a journal, although running from shadows (sometimes her own) leaves little time for quiet bells. She tries to conquer her fears of the foreign world she stumbles around in – the words aid and urge her to keep trying. She is withdrawn and radiates a silence that others might think arrogant when in fact it is fear and doubt paralyzing her. When she speaks, she often does so in tales and metaphors. Words are precious and only used with significant meaning, chatting about everyday matters is beyond her. They protect her and whisper of hidden meanings she tries to decipher. During Syna’s reign even fewer words pass the gate of her lips and if they do, they’re harsh and clipped. When her eye colors are in motion, she’s sullen and mistrusting – a result born from her weaknesses being as apparent as Syna’s gaze at midday. However, she is also more inclined to tell the stories of her ancestors, or rather, bits and pieces she scrapes together. The center of her world and her truest love is Leth. She respects Him, believes in Him, clings to Him, accuses and doubts Him, but always returns to Him in thought. He’s always there, keeps her company in thought – although she longs for some sort of proof that He’s still by her side and willing to return something for the faith she sacrifices. Shortly before the Valterrian, she was a Vantha storyteller and admirer of Leth living in Avanthal – distant enough to bathe in relative safety, but close enough to witness relationships between Suvan and Alahea burn to ashes. Her memories are few and far between, most pieces of the puzzle went missing between heaven and water. Towards the end of Winter 510 AV, a child of Leth plunged into the Suvan Sea and was washed upon the wasteland shore of Eyktol. With the Celestial language rapidly vanishing from memory, words and names to describe slipped through her fingers. While camping near Eloab, Benshiran shepherds shared tents and a healer with her, a girl made for snow and ice during Syna’s and for lost heavens during Leth’s reign. The mental damage was beyond healing capacities. When the shepherds left, she remained, gazing at the structures of a forsaken city – reflection of her story, a mere fata morgana. A vague goal of finding civilization accidentally led her to Hai. Lacking strength or cunning, she ended up surviving on her body under the label of Nikallum. Luckily, a benevolent knight, as she perceived it at that time, set her free and threw her out into the unwilling desert once more. Sand transformed into grass. Glassbeaks and Zith ensued, but once again she was lucky enough to stumble across hunting Akalak and find shelter in Riverfall. For once they left the decision to her – she chose the next merchant ship. Alvadas assaulted her senses with color, texture, emotion and jokes that only the God of Illusion and Its followers understood. The Ethaefal felt uneasy, forced to tolerate what felt like the tantrums of a spoiled child. And then the city gave her a chance encounter with Carnelian, a child prostitute on the run from her pimp. Even though she obviously relied on her looks and innocent charm to survive, Albireo offered her half of the guest room and an open ear. Throughout the season a well of stories and street wisdom sprang up between the two. Working together, they came up with the funds to join a trade caravan headed for Lhavit – Carnelian following the fascinating Ethaefal to where the Moon Lord’s voice was strong. Upon ascending to mountain peak city, Albireo felt that she could touch the Ukalas and her God if she only stretched high enough. After running from one threat to the next, she finally took a deep breath and looked up – into the face of questions she had swallowed until then. Carnelian (Human, 16) NoteStationary NPC in Lhavit. Permission to use her in Albireo's history granted by Legion. She’s a former child prostitute who, after escaping her pimp, bumped into Albireo. The Ethaefal sensed that the bruised girl could be useful and took her in. Carnelian in turn found the savior fascinating and studied her like a rare animal species. While living with her, memories of a happier life before her downfall came back and whispered her father’s lessons of Morphing into her ears. Soon Carnelian had trained up to her previous skill level – however, by then passion for magic had been ignited. She wants to better her craft by studying Albireo until she’s able to copy her appearance. At the same time she knows how to lure men in and milk them for a few golds here, a tip there. Through augmenting her natural beauty by magic she managed to amass quite a fortune – enough for them to eat and sleep well and travel with trade caravans, enough for her to follow Albireo’s ideals across barren and dangerous lands. She doesn’t care whether she ends up in Denval or Ravok – all she needs is an object to practice her Morphing with and men to make a living off of. She secretly dreams of becoming a great wizard, respected and feared by everyone. Because of that she’s lucky to end up in Lhavit where magic is accepted and taught. She wants to get a job at a teahouse or something while taking further lessons in Morphing and probably other disciplines. Astronomy 10 (10 RB) Calligraphy 5 Drawing 1 Meditation 3 Observation 5 Painting 1 Philosophy 35 (26 SP) Rhetoric 3 Running 1 Socialisation 6 Stealth 1 Storytelling 37 (24 SP) Writing 11 Anxiety Attacks Belonging to Leth Calligraphic Exercise, Beauty of the World in the Word Chandra, Basic Dalaya's Jealousy Denval, Basic Ethaefal Abilities: Aging by Touch Ethaefal of Syna Fonts Used in Calligraphy Hiding From Danger How to Meditate How to Observe Leth Human Angst and the Gods Johanne the Dreamer Lhavit: The Wishing Bridge Lhavit's Scenic Locales Olyrea, the Beautiful Priestess Polaris, the Uncompromising Ethaefal Prayers to Leth Recognising Symenestra Story of Leth and Syna (SP) The Djed Geysers of Lhavit The Familiarity of Dreams The Futility of Faith The Incongruence of Materialism & the Divine The Misty Peaks, Basic The Obscurity of Dreams The Sun Always Rises The Systems in Calligraphy Vantha Storytelling (SP) Watching A Child Be Stolen Common (fluent) Vani (basic) 1 clothing set (midnight blue coat, black tunic, black pants, leather boots) 1 linen dress (white, grass green decoration over hips and skirt, knee short) 2 silk dresses 1 waterskin 1 backpack (set of toiletries, food for a week, eating knife, flint & steel) 1 apartment in Lhavit (The Lone Windowsill) 1 black leather journal with a silver moon shape on the cover 1 brown leather notebook 1 quill 1 reed pen 8 black ink vials 10 ink sticks 20 charcoal sticks 30 paper sheets 100 gm - 2 gm for 1 ink vial - 5 cm for 1 quill + 1 kina for storytelling * - 45 kina seasonal expenses (Spr 511) - 30 kina for dress (off-screen) + 120 kina salary (Su 512) - 135 kina seasonal expenses (Su 512) + 273 kina salary (Fa 512) - 135 kina seasonal expenses (Fa 512) - 10,02 kina for writing supplies * + 25 kina + 138 kina seasonal balance (Sp 513) 299,93 kina 513 AV, Sp 54: Cold and Clear. 513 AV, Sp 23: Mid-Day Research 513 AV, Sp 15: Carnival of Words. 513 AV, Sp 80: Invocation 512 AV, Su 12: In Your Wake. 513 AV, Sp 50: Charms and Wishes. 513 AV, Sp 19: The War of Spears and Sparrows 513 AV, Sp 2-49: Ceremony for the Word 512 AV, Fa 80: At Long Last 512 AV, Fa 69: Friends of Fall and Winter. 512 AV, Fa 6: The Tale of Fools. 512 AV, Su 70-71: Are We Illegible. 512 AV, Su 60: Bones Do Not Keep Secrets 512 AV, Su 56: Moonface met Fangs in the Deep. 512 AV, Sp 86: Red and Yellow 512 AV, Sp 80: No Colors on our Skin. 512 AV, Sp 50: This isn't what I signed up for 512 AV, Sp 44: Gardens Under Ice. 512 AV, Sp 16: Unbounded Universe Above. 511 AV, Wi 72: The Hypnotism of Quicksilver.