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*He also wears black round-framed glasses. Clothing consists of button-up shirts of cotton, cotton trousers, and various vests. For this expedition, Adal has allowed himself to dress in leather boots (as they would last longer), but he feels most comfortable in his more formal wear that he is used to in the capital. He stands at about 5 feet 11 inches in height with merely a toned body that can handle weary travel, not full blown battles.
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[hider=Adal Description]
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Adal Northrup
29 years
One wouldn’t expect that the expedition’s leading researcher and strategist would be a man with the air of respectful nobility who rambles about discoveries and breakthroughs like an obsessive, ancient lab technician. On one hand, Adal is a gentle, kind soul who works hard to ensure the safety and well-being of others. His patience seems unlimited, tested by years of work with the capital’s most impatient, assertive scientists. He can come up with a witty remark or two and adapts well to different types of people in most situations. A sense of confidence (not the excessive, obnoxious kind) puts a lot of people at ease, and he is often very aware of this fact as he leads his comrades on the expedition. He’s proud of the work done by his ancestors in building a peaceful nation, so reverent in fact that he takes time to thank them when he can. This can be taken as naivety, even pure ignorance, of the scars in history made by those very same people. And due to the privilege of seeing only the good in his people, he is quick to believe in the bad of others not from his home.
On the other hand, he’s been raised in a land that had been primarily without violence. Such a pampered lifestyle would, of course, make it hard for him to face the dark realities of the realm outside his home, including facing tragic deaths to violence and accidents. The fears of dying and the unknown shake Adal to his very core, washing away the positive, exuberant personality that he puts on. He can be like scared prey, running from that which he cannot face. He can also lose composure and spiral into negativity, though this has yet to be seen by his friends. Adal can lash out in these times, impatient and selfish to seek refuge from his fears. This takes a bit of time on his part to remedy, but when he snaps out of it, he most often appears as unshaken as he was before.
Adal’s beginnings are very mundane, to say the least. He was born to a farmhand in a village by Aysel’s capital. He grew up with five younger siblings, whom he often had to care for. As the boy went through his schooling in the quaint town, it turned out that he had a passion for learning and instead of partaking in social activities or even resting, Adal often studied or took notes on wildlife nearby. He was one of the most brilliant children to grow up in the town, which spurred his parents to send him to Kiran for tutelage under researchers at the age of fourteen. His tutors often found his bright attitude and drive a redeemable quality, but still put him through harsh training and studies for the next ten years of his life. As soon as this was done, he became part of a league of scientists whose purpose was to advise the Council of Aysel and lead the empire to great discoveries. And for the previous five years, he joined in various, short-lived expeditions to uncover great mysteries and find a source of power for Aysel to thrive on. Adal visited his family many times during his schooling and sends a good portion of his income to them, to ensure their well-being. But in the past five years, he hasn’t been able to do so and misses them dearly.
-	Revolver and dagger: Adal is not a man of great strength who can take on use of a rifle, nor steady of hand to take on a sword, but he is capable with the bare essentials for a researcher on the expedition.
-	Observation and Deduction: As a reknown researcher, he has a mind that is quick to judge and built to comprehend situations in a manner to minimize damage or adapt to problems. This sometimes may mean saving himself before others, however, if he deems it the best temporary solution.
-	Quick-footed: The name implies all; he’s quite fast, thanks to his longer legs. 
Strengths: Adal is very quick to finding solutions to problems, thanks to vigilance and a level head. He is much better with strategizing and using logic to find a way through, rather than using brute force or command. He puts a lot of trust and pride his nation, his work, and his comrades, so he usually puts on a confident air that allows others to trust him most. Other than this, he has trained himself to use a revolver decently well (enough to protect himself) and prides himself on capable of finding the best hiding spot when need be. He may be nimble, but he knows usually what battles he can and cannot take on. 
Weaknesses: As mentioned above, Adal is not a man to use force or violence. This is mostly because he really can’t; he’s a scholar and researcher, not a fighter. He’s quick to succumb to fear, with a queasy stomach to boot. Only such fears of mortality and darkness waver his faith in himself and his countrymen, shattering his assured demeanor to reveal a spineless, book-savvy traveler. Another weakness (often debated as a strength in and of itself) is his curiosity and thirst for knowledge. Though he lovingly takes notes about the world around him in a pocket book, Adal tends to get lost in his thoughts and, in that instant, cares little for others and puts his studies before all.
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*Her eye color is a bright hazel, appearing muddy brown in dark lighting. Her height is about 5 feet 4 inches, with a slight but capable build. Her skin is hardly marked and soft, yet cool to the touch (almost like a cavern). Her wardrobe is that of a noble, consisting of flowing skirts bathed in floral-like colors and dresses of the finest embroidery. But most of the time, Mira goes without shoes, a practice that is frowned upon by her family. 
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Mira Izohir
25 years
[Personality Description] Much of the princess’s personality is hidden by the mask of nobility that the family upholds. The public believes that she is righteous and a very articulate speaker, with a gentle demeanor that makes her dear to all. But that is what is revealed to the people, not what Mira believes is truly herself. 
Though she is of a noble class, she is very bubbly and inquisitive. As an introverted woman, Mira is a little odd at times, spending most of her time in the forests or in the caverns to get away from the castle’s confines and stone-faced guardians. Her love of nature is strong and she is very careful to always respect the wildlife on the island. This gives her a close connection to their guardian dragon, as her values line up naturally with his, giving her a bit more power than her ancestors. But even so, she is powerless in the fact that she often feels lonely and apart from her family. She is stubborn to let up her ways and try to approach socializing in a different manner, believing she’s simply no good with people.
However, when faced with hardship, her emotions may tend to go haywire. She bottles up much of her frustrations and her sorrows that she physically becomes fatigued. With this fatigue comes eventual illness, shutting herself away for a few days in her room until she is better. The emotions, however, remain burning in her chest. Mira, although very articulate, can never truly elaborate how she feels to anyone.
Mira is born of the noble family that are descendants of Izohir’s most trustworthy followers. As an only child (and a girl at that), she was trained to become like a king by her parents and uncles and aunts and grandparents. She took this well and educated herself to be much like her ancestors, but with such seclusion came her awkward social interactions that she simply could not handle. But Mira faked her way through it, using books on proper etiquette and conversation to get by. 
-	Cutlass (or really any sword) and spears: Pretty self-explanatory, she’s been trained from a young age to wield a blade and spear. It’s not fair to simply say she’s good; she’s skilled in the art. But oftentimes, she is limited to only testing her strength on dummies and the occasional castle guard.
-	Instinct: The fact she is in-tune with the nature of the island and most of its wildlife aids her in following her gut and pointing her in the right way. She never needs a map to get home when lost, she allows what she feels to guide her.
-	Rock/Crystal Manipulation: The royal bloodline’s power is to control earth and rock like their guardian. Not to the extent of making earthquakes or moving whole islands, but moving and shaping rock to fit their needs. Mira’s specialty is to work with the crystals that dot the entire island (dubbed “Izohir’s Tears”). She can rearrange them for deflecting attacks or using them as defense. Her most trademark use of it as ground up particles. Once caught onto one’s clothing, she can will the structures to grow and hinder the movements of a foe.
Strengths: Mira is a strong woman, though she may not appear so. She has magical prowess and a good handle on hand-to-hand combat. She is also well-versed in diplomatic endeavors and the art of conversation. It is this noble training that has allowed her to hold back emotion when need be to help her homeland, allowing her to earn the respect of most (if not all) her people. Aside from this, she is authentic and genuine, often straight to the point when speaking with others casually. She’s not easily deterred, striving only to do what is right. It’s these qualities that allow her to face the unknown and protect her home and people.
Weaknesses: Well, first off, she can’t really take a joke; Most jests fly over her head or she takes them too seriously. She doesn’t have many friends because of her lack of normal interaction, so she can be stiff and hard to read. Mira is also a little bad at comprehending her own emotions, shoving them aside often to deal with what she believes is important. Lastly, she is very stubborn and stuck-in-her-ways. When she believes she is right, she is difficult to convince otherwise.
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