[hider=Almari Lorenn] [center][h2][u] Almari Lorenn [/u][/h2][/center] [b][center] “When my mother sang, all eyes would be on her. When I sing, most often it is to keep eyes off of me.” [/center][/b] [hr][hr] [center][h3][b] 20 | Elf | Mage-Eyes[/b] [/h3][/center] [h3][u]P E R S O N A L I T Y [/u][/h3] [indent]❖ Observant ❖ Inquisitive ❖ Calm ❖ Headstrong ❖ Somewhat greedy ❖ A bit sarcastic ❖ Quick-witted[/indent] Almari has always been very inquisitive, eager to gain new knowledge and skills, always wanting to learn new information. Her curiosity often gets the best of her however, and leads her down paths that are probably unwise. She is very focused, and when she wants something she is not easily swayed until she has it. She can be somewhat greedy and self-centered. She has a fine eye for expensive items and luxuries, but she doesn’t often let herself indulge in such things outwardly, as she doesn’t like to draw attention to herself. Almari is usually quite calm in her manner, and rarely loses her temper fully. She tends to be more neutral, though all the same she can be quick to smile or add a smart or sarcastic comment to the conversation. [h3][u]A P P E A R A N C E [/u][/h3] Almari, at 5’6”, is somewhat tall for her kind, but like other elves she too is thin and somewhat gaunt, with smooth, light grey skin, long, pointed ears, and a lean build. Almari has long, pin-straight black hair that falls just above her waist, and somewhat unsettling eyes due to her forays into magic. She has sharp, if elegant, features. Almari has a long nose, high cheekbones and sharp brows. Almari prefers simple, yet well made clothing in dark colors. She often wears a plain tunic under a fitted jerkin of worn leather, and close fitting breeches tucked into tall leather boots. Like many travelers in the Tempesta, she wears a long, black cloak with a hood she usually keeps up to keep people from getting too good a look at her eyes. While most elves have eyes of solid black, the dark color of ALmari's eyes is disrupted into fragments by threads of white in a complex design like spiders' webs or a shattered mirror. The only bits of adornment she wears are the multiple silver rings and gem studs in her long ears, and a raw amethyst crystal hanging from a thick bronze chain, usually tucked beneath her tunic. [h3][u]H I S T O R Y [/u][/h3] Almari grew up in the large city of Evenwell, an underground city within the Elven Gestalt, near the city of Nicodeme. Almari’s family was somewhat poor, struggling but still managing to get by. Her father was a miner, a common profession for Elven men in the area. Her mother however was a tad more unusual, being a relatively well-known singer in their part of the city. Almari’s early childhood was quite happy, as she spent much of her time helping her mother around the house and looking after her younger sister. Their family was unusually close compared to most Elven families, and often considered somewhat odd by those who knew them. Her mother was focused on giving Almari as much education as possible, though they had few books to study from. She also taught Almari the songs she knew, and later taught her a couple of spells she could weave into such songs. They were simple, small spells at first. Almari, ever curious, was fascinated by the magic, though her mother warned her to use it sparingly, lest it warp her eyes. Still, Almari continued to practice it here and there when no one was watching. When she turned thirteen, her parents arranged an apprenticeship for her with a local fine jeweler, hoping that she would learn a respectable trade and increase her standing later in life. Almari found the work interesting, and loved being able to see the fine jewels and delicate gold and silver wire, and all the beautiful things that could be crafted out of it. For a time, things progressed smoothly, but then her father became ill when Almari was fifteen . At first it appeared to be nothing more than a passing cough, but it refused to go away, and soon worsened instead. Her father began missing days of work, as did her mother when she stayed to take care of him. Food started disappearing from the table, then what few valuable items they had were sold as his state worsened. After the first night they went without supper, Almari pocketed two jewels from the workshop she apprenticed at, quickly selling them to a small shop owner in a distant neighborhood. This act, seemingly small, started her off down a dangerous path. More and more, she would look for things to take, food or a new scarf to grab from a stall as she walked down the street. Her parents questioned where these new things came from, but as her father missed more and more work, they began to stop asking those questions. Almari began looking for larger jewels and more expensive items, driven by a desire to help her own family as well as a greedy drive of her own. She soon became acquainted with questionable figures to whom she could sell a jewel or two, and made a few deals with these new friends to pick up other skills, such as how to pick a lock or scale a wall. She even found ways in which the musical spells her mother had taught her could be used to move unseen, and sneak into places she really shouldn’t be. Things escalated for a year, with her father’s condition worsening and Almari becoming bolder and bolder in her little thefts. When she turned sixteen, several things happened in quick succession. Her father was forced to leave his job entirely, and when they discovered what medicine would be needed to treat his illness, it was not cheap. Almari had been too careless in more ways than one, and just as the people at the workshop began looking for culprits behind missing materials, she noticed her eyes beginning to change as well. The master jeweler accused Almari of the thefts, and when he could not prove it, he fired her. He had already been talking to the city guards, and Almari decided in desperation to break into the home of a wealthy merchant in the city. She almost escaped with both his wife’s fine jewels and her safety, but a misstep alerted the household and nearby guards to her presence, and she barely managed to make it away in time. Almari managed to fence the goods that night and get the money to her family, but the guards were out looking for her by then. She confessed what had happened to her family, and despite her parents’ feelings of guilt for what they saw as their fault, and their protests, she was forced to bid them a quick and tearful farewell before fleeing the city. After that she flitted from city to city in Gestalt, trying to get messages to her family when she could, and even visiting them on occasion. Over time, her continued use of magic to aid in her thieving warped her eyes fully, causing suspicious glances wherever she went. She continued to go after more and more conspicuous items, regardless of the increased risks. While at first she told herself she did what she did to help her family, her own selfish interests and desire to go after more and more did not help her. She liked the bits of luxury and the thrill of taking risks and trying to increase her skills at lifting a purse or climbing through a window unseen. When it seemed like trouble was about to catch up with her, she decided to leave Gestalt altogether, ensuring that her actions wouldn’t get back to negatively impacting her family and that she would stay out of prison. Since then she has rarely stayed in one place long. Almari was not completely unused to humans, but she was not yet comfortable living among them, especially above ground, where activity took place in the light of day. She continued to wander, plying her trade and then leaving when her activities or the fact that she was an elf with mage eyes drew too much suspicion. Somewhat down on her luck and running out of ideas, she found herself in the small hamlet of Alonso, trying to plan her next move. [h3][u]I N V E N T O R Y [/u][/h3] Coinpurse Dagger Lockpicks An old necklace of her mother’s [h3][u]O T H E R [/u][/h3] Anything that doesn’t fit in the other sections? Throw it here! Nothing to add at the moment, but perhaps later. [/hider]