WIP [hider=Ilyana the Half-Human] [h1][b]Ilyana the Half-Human[/b][/h1] [b]Race, Age, Time in the Caravan:[/b] Half-elf, 29, 2 months [b]Appearance:[/b] Ilyana is below average height for a half-elf, standing at 5' 3" with short-cropped sandy blonde hair and dark tanned skin from her time at sea. She's thin and wiry, sometimes mistaken for a boy. One cannot help but notice the pink scar that divides her left eyebrow and travels down on an inward slope to her cheek. The artificial eye she wears on the left has an amber iris that contrasts with her natural jade green right iris. She has an eyepatch she wears to hide the socket when its out. One looking closer can see signs of other scars, and perhaps a peep at her skull tattoo on her chest neatly transected by another scar running from her right shoulder to her left hip. Few would ever see what looks like a second naval just under the ribs is actually a scar from a puncture wound, but anyone who rubs her back may feel the raised ridges of the scars from her flogging. Her right palm has an "L" branded there for "Leshere (thief)". [hider=History] Born on the 13th of Uktar in a brothel, where her mother took shelter. Unfortunately she died shortly afterward, so nothing is known of her human father. She was raised by the the staff of her Aunt Pol and Uncle Glyberos' house, largely ignored by the family, including their eldest daughter Sylna and their youngest son Keras. Many visitors assumed the young girl was a child of one of the staff, as she would be frequently seen doing various servant chores. But when Marquis Muleho, friend to the judge and frequent visitor, discovered she was their neice, her Aunt and Uncle, deeply embarrassed, moved her to a private room and forbade her from doing any more domestic work. They also hired a private tutor to address her neglected education. Marquis Muleho showed up one day with a spell book that he brought for Aunt Pol to examine, leaving it in the library. Later, when it was discovered missing, her uncle, his face burning red, went to her room first and found the burned out cover in her fireplace. Keras, who'd been checking her chest of drawers, turned around and presented the jewels that had adorned the cover. Glyberos flogged her until she confessed to taking the spell book (she hadn't), then used his authority as a judge to have her branded and imprisoned for five years. It was in prison that she learned how to be a thief, a necessary skill to survive in that place. During her third year, diseased ravaged the prison and she spent long hours tending to both guards and prisoners before finally succumbing to illness herself. While she couldn't say for sure, there were times afterward that guards and the other inmates gave her some grudging respect and the ocassional blind eye. On her release, now fully an adult, she was immediately pressganged into the Royal Navy as a sailor, handed over to the crew of galleon The Golden Falcon. The next four years were spent in hard labor. Crew were not permitted ashore except in the company of an officer, who was authorized to execute them on the spot should they attempt to desert. Her five years in prison had already inured her to the lack of privacy under close quarters. When Ilyana slung her hammock, it was in the middle of the group, rather than on the edges. She also realized that the thief mark on her palm would make others reluctant to trust her, while others would use it as an excuse to rob her blind by claiming she stole their things. Ilyana therefore kept most of her money on the ship's books, avoided gambling, taking care to mark her few possessions and to keep careful receipts with witness signatures. In her fourth year at sea, the Golden Falcon was one of a squadron of ships whose job was to blockade the harbor entrance to contain the ships of the Pretender. Under cover of darkness, the enemy launched some of their ships with skeleton crews to go out with the evening tide, creeping up unaware on the blockading ships before setting them alight before escaping as the fireships, drawn out by the tide, smashed into the blockading ships. In the confusion, the Pretender and the remainder of his fleet made their escape. Ilyana was the only survivor from the Golden Falcon. Desperate to pull some sign of victory from this disaster, Ilyana was hailed as a hero for her survival - but instead of being released from service, her wounds were treated and she was transferred aboard the galleon The West Wind. Because of her 'lucky' status, she was given the 'honor' of leading the boarding crews - which led to the loss of her left eye in battle. It was the first of many battle scars she'd earn aboard the West Wind. An arrow wound messed up her stomach - and wasn't helped much by the diluted healing potions they'd been supplied with, which made her very queasy and sick all over the place at the least sign of stress. They finally decided to discharge her from service in the Royal Navy, giving her a handful of medals, her silvered cutlass and dagger, the scarred leather cuirass she'd wear in battle, and all of her back pay on the books. [/hider] [b]Personality:[/b] Ilyana is always wary and reserved, keeping a weather eye not just on the horizon but the other pilgrims as well. In an open room, she prefers to have her back in a corner. Her speech is often blunt and profane, much to the dismay of others. She works hard at being self-reliant and always ready to lend a hand, Ilyana avoids seeking help from others. Many assume it's her pride holding her back, but really it's to avoid debts as not everyone seeks repayment in coin. She knows well the reputation that half-human girls have among her people. Ilyana is also aware what people will say about a known theif in their midst, so she keeps a careful inventory on her ledgers, recording each sale or purchase to fight any claims on her purse or property. [b]Motivation:[/b] Finally free, she decided to join the pilgrimage, since that would mean crossing over wide stretches of dry land that didn't pitch and roll from the sea and the wind, and allow her to see something other than a lot of water from horizon to horizon. [b]Skills, Strengths and Weaknesses, and Tools:[/b] Animal Handling - good with donkeys, ponies, horses. Archer - average skill with shooting a bow and arrow. Bosun - good with ropes, knots, and boats. Can set up a block and pulley system for moving heavy things. First aid - can treat light wounds, suiture bad wounds. Knows a few medicines from her time in sickbay. Lockpicking - keeps a set of lockpicks hidden inside her ditty bag among the other tools. Navigation - with a sextant, she can navigate by stars or with map and compass. Swordswoman - above average skill with her cutlass, especially in close quarters. Tell me what your character is good at and what they need to do it, as well as any flaws or deficiencies they might have. If they can do magic, it'll go here. If you have a really unique type of magic (or anything similar), you might want to create a hider that explains how said magic works. [hider=Optional Details] [b]What They Most Want:[/b] Freedom [b]If They Had a DnD Alignment, It Would Be:[/b] Chaotic Good [b]Three Likes:[/b] [list] [*]A sharp blade [*]Rum [*]A good smoke [/list] [b]Three Dislikes:[/b] [List] [*]A dull blade [*]Storms [*]Hardtack [/list] [b]Do They Follow Their Heart or Their Mind?:[/b] Their mind. Heart's been betrayed too often [b]Worst Fear:[/b] Imprisonment [b]Favorite Color:[/b] Sky blue [b]Most Like The Animal:[/b] A fox [b]Favorite Time of Day:[/b] Daybreak and the promise of a new day, the sun shining warm on her face. [Hider=How They Dress] [list] [*] Brown wide-brim hat [*] Red bandana covering her hair [*]Cream-colored peasant's shirt [*]white bandana tied loosely around her neck [*]Lined Brown leather jerkin with her medals stitched on the left breast, a dolphin embroyered in aquamarine beads on the right breast. [*]Brown breeches [*]Green Hose [*]Brown leather boots with the tops folded down [*]Wide brown leather belt [*]Nested [list] [*]knife with a broken tip (keeps from punching holes in sails and officers) in a leather sheath [*]Fid in sheath [*]Belaying pin tucked into belt [*]Belt pouch with some coins, flint, small pouch of pipe tobacco. [*]Flask containing medicine for her stomach [/list] [*]knotted lanyard that holds a bosun's pipe [/list] [/hider] [b]Favorite Season:[/b] Summer [b]What Gods/Spirits/Whatevers They Worship (If Any):[/b] Deep Sashelas [/hider] [/hider]