**Name:**
His native people would call him Silhainlé, or 'the nights song leaving the burrow'. Before he left his warren he was known as Hainlé, or 'the nights song', but as is tradition his name was altered to signify his departure from his people. Some humans find his name cumbersome and frequently bestow nicknames upon him, the most common of these is to shorten it to 'Hain'. (which is fine in posts because I know the 'é' might be a pain to some people.)
~
**Description:**
Silhainlé – as a Lessir – has human and hare features. Lessir do age similarly to humans (however their age of maturity is 15 years) and Silhainlé is 20 years old. His skin is a soft, tawny, orange-brown colour, however his complexion is imperfect. He has multiple dark spots dotted around his body, best likened to beauty marks, and his hands and feet are a darker shade of brown, closer to that of dirt. He has no fur or tail – he says it is a misconception that Lessir have any – but his skin is tough to make up for this. His eyes are large and dark, appearing to have no iris at all, and they are spaced a slight further a part than a regular humans. His nose is small, upturned, with long, thin nostrils, which twitch frequently. His mouth appears normal, but his teeth are far tougher than a humans and he has slightly fewer. His hare ears match his skin tone and extend roughly a foot from their base on the sides of his head, level with his eyes. The insides of them are furred with small, white hairs. He has a head of tussled, copper red hair, cut short around his neck and ears.
His build is very thin and lanky. There is little muscle in his arms at all, but in place of upper body strength his legs are formidable. His feet are long, tipped with small but sharp black claws. They are those of a hare and are his most powerful asset. If he were to stand to full height he would measure at around 6”3 (excluding ears) but he never does this as the position is uncomfortable. In his more natural crouched position he stands at 5"3.
~
**About Lessir:**
The Lessir are a race of rabbit or hare people, identified by their long ears and strong, animal legs. They live mainly on remote flatlands, in large societies known as camps. In these pastures they dig a complex maze of tunnels, with expansive halls and levels. On the surface the excavated dirt is used to cover basic wooden structures which signify the entrances to the burrows. They live quite isolated lives and their crafts and culture are rather primitive. Although the Lessir do prefer to keep to themselves they are not against communication with humans and other species, as long as it is peaceful. Lessirs are typically vegetarians, and it's very unusual for them not to be. If there is an exception to this then it will apply to a whole warren rather than an individual, but these instances are very rare. If a Lessir decides to leave their warren for good they are called a 'Silarfa' or 'one who roams from the burrow', and their name is affix with the Sil- prefix upon their leaving. This is not necessarily a punishing or derogatory act, more simply it is to distinguish those who have left on a more permanent basis from those only temporarily travelling for trade or social reasons. Overall the Lessir are a relatively peaceful race, preferring their solitude from the rest of the world.
~
**Backstory:**
Hainlé was born in a warren many, many miles from Belencrest, and had a perfectly regular childhood for a Lessir. His father was a trader who frequently travelled to the nearest town to exchange detailed, decorative carved tokens and statues for necessities. Once he was of a matured age he accompanied his father on these journeys. He became fascinated with the human society, curious of their customs and how they differed from his own. He gained a particular fondness for maps as he became more and more curious as to what the world beyond what he knew. By the time he was 18 he was spending less time helping his father with the trade business and more simply observing the workings of the town and market. Eventually his father asked him to either commit himself to the trade business or to choose his own path. Hainlé chose the latter and made his decision to leave the warren, taking on the name Silhainlé.
He began his journey at the same town that had first fascinated him. For a year or so he managed to find work with a delivery service, who were keen to make use of his birth-given ability to run at high speeds. He stayed in their employment for several months, able to save up enough money through diligent work to afford a leather pack and provisions. Silhainlé set off westwards, and eventually drew close to Belencrest. However before the reached the city itself he was set upon by a small group of the greyskinned barbarians. In a moment of fight or flight he bolted from danger, managing to make his escape unscathed but a bit spooked. He had never personally been trained to fight but he reasoned that now that he was outside the safety of the burrows it may be in his best interest to learn. He learned of the White Guard and made an appeal to them; he asked to be trained in combat in exchange for his service and Lessir abilities, such as his sensitive hearing. After some debate and discussion he was excepted and has undergone vigorous training since to give him satisfactory experience in combat.
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**Goals/Fears:**
He wishes to see more of the world from the burrow, to learn and explore things beyond his current understanding.
He has a particularly potent fear of death, although this is quite common in Lessir. Since leaving his warren he has learn of archery and has since developed a fear of arrows, knowing that a good shot could mean the end of him.
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**Mastery:**
The advantage of having Silhainlé in the group is for his alertness and speed. He fills the role of reconnaissance and safeguard, often keeping watch or scouting ahead for danger. In more covert situations he alerts the rest of the group by thumping his foot against the ground, as a Lessir would in its warren. Lessir also possess some of the instincts of their animal counterparts, most notable very keen hearing, which he makes great use of in his role within the team.
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**Equipment:**
Silhainlés surcoat is cut shorter than a normal one, so as not to drag along the ground or obstruct his movement, thus is covers just his chest. He wears some basic cloth pants, lightweight as he prefers it. He wears little armour despite what some people have told him about proper equipment for the field of service. He outright refuses to don chainmail, disliking it's weight. Instead he settled with some basic protection, favouring the lighter materials over anything else. Commonly he wears leather greaves and vambraces, and in situations where they expect conflict a pair of pauldrons. With some convincing he could be persuaded to wear a cuirass, but not without some complaining. The armour he is is very plain, without any décor or distinguishing features.
He is able to wield a sword and was given training, but has a preference to smaller weapons, such as daggers, knives and even shivs. He usually carries a pair of twin, steel daggers with him.
~
**Personality:**
Silhainlé in quite cunning, proficient at tricking enemies with his quick movements in order to escape from otherwise dire or dangerous situations. He is highly curious and eager to learn, especially of other societies and customs. As such the totems interest him greatly, although he does not have much of a talent for them. Aside from his considerable leg strength he is quite weak physically, but his swiftness is what gives him the edge over his opponents.
While his Lessir nature does give him many gifts it does have it's disadvantages. Most notably he is not the bravest of creatures, although he does his utmost improve on this, and not let it show when he is scared. Despite this, his fear does get the better of him, and like a hare or rabbit, he can become paralyzed or frantic with fear, however that would only occur in a sever situation. His main weakness in combat would be becoming confined, trapped or having his legs rendered useless by some means.
~
**Totem:**
Due to their relative isolation from human society Lessir are very unfamiliar with totems, although from word of mouth they know the basic concept. As such Silhainlé is unable to use totems himself, however they do intrigue him and he enjoys learning more about them.
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I figured with him being Lessir and the nature of his upbringing it would make sense for him to not yet have a totem. Perhaps he could learn/discover one in time, we'll see how things go.
Also a lot of Watership Down inspiration here.