Ellri

The Relics

Angie

Name:

Angie Nic Cuán

Age:

16

Gender:

Female

Faction/Allegiance:

Kalesia, though she doesn’t really know all that much about the Empire yet. All she knows are stories and what little Alessia told her.

Relic Description:

The physical appearance of Angie’s relic is a secret known only to her. She was a bit over fifteen years when she bonded, and upon telling her mother Keri, to whom she was very close, about it, she was told to keep it a secret from everyone, both that she was now an evoker and more importantly, what her relic was. She was then told stories about how, especially in the north of Othea where the Kalnachi influence was stronger, evokers, especially female ones, were often deprived of their relics. This ensured that men could control them with impunity and lessened their potential in life. Those stories burned their way into her mind, ensuring that she has never told anyone about her relic.

Though they were less powerful initially, her relic now grants her abilities well beyond those of other people. She can smell things more easily, even dissect various scents from each other. She can see better, especially at long distances, and she can hear things far away, even to a point discern where a sound originated from. But even these pale to the fact that she can communicate mentally with wolves, hounds and other canine creatures.

The final ability is perhaps the most subtle one. This ability is that of a wolf-like endurance. She can run further than almost everyone else, even go long without eating if necessary, though this last bit is not comfortable. At a comfortable lope, she can move for days without rest, provided she has had enough food. Rich foods like fresh meat provide her with more energy than (for example) fruits and vegetables do.

Appearance:

Prior to bonding with her relic, Angie looked like any other young girl with neck-long brown hair and Kaokan-brown eyes. Even after she bonded with the relic, it took a week before any of her physical traits changed, though her sense of smell/sight/hearing improved virtually overnight. The first physical change was her hair taking on several hues of brown, rather than the single hue she’d had most of her life. About three-four weeks later, her mother spotted the first hints of her eyes changing color. There was a faint speckling of yellow-green in the otherwise Kaokan brown iris. Within nine days, that speckling had replaced all hints of the former color. At the same time, her hair visibly grew more rapidly, with short strands also forming lower on her neck. By the second month of her being an evoker, her hair reached just below her shoulders.

Three months in, she had begun to gain a subtle brown fuzz on her ears, arms and legs. Her finger and toenails had darkened, growing faintly pointed. Her ears had also taken on a faint point, though this was hardly noticeable. Her teeth had also grown a bit sharper, and she ate much more than she used to eat.

Five months in, shortly before someone outed her to the Order of Idris, she had discovered during her bi-monthly bath that she all of a sudden had what looked like four spots of darker skin on her chest, two to each side. Two weeks later, when she had been forced to leave her home and eventually find her way to the Kalesian Embassy, she discovered that these darker spots appeared to be latent thoracic and abdominal mammaries (i.e. nipples).

The next day, she had an encounter with another lupine shapeshifter, one Roan Adonis. Though neither of them knew it, something within their respective relics resonated on some magical frequency. Changes that should have taken her half a year or more to go through happened in a matter of minutes. Though still human, her face took on a decidedly lupine cast, even as her latent mammaries grew into small breasts, identical in size and shape to the two she already had. Her ears took on a marked point, and her nails became true claws. All over her body, the tiny hairs present on all mammals rapidly grew longer and darker, giving her skin a faint, multi-toned brown hue.

She did not notice, but her torso grew a full ten-twelve centimeters longer during this transformation, and her feet subtly changed shape, with her heels going from a natural 90-degree angle to a 110-degree angle, resulting in her having a slight digitigrade walk. She can still bend her legs so that her heels touch the ground, but it doesn’t feel natural to her. Ever since bonding with the relic, she had preferred not to walk straight up, instead walking with a slightly hunched posture. This became even more marked, so while she was physically taller, she did not look much taller to others. Aside from all these changes, the most significant change was the growth of a short, bushy tail. This tail is something she has no idea how to control, its muscles dancing to their own merry little tune.

As one can expect, such a transformation drained most of her bodily reserves. As it stands, she is extremely hungry and out of sorts because of that and the unexpectedly rapid changes.

Flaws:

As superior as she is to most others physically, she is nonetheless inexperienced and not yet comfortable with her current body. Her improved senses are also a double-edged sword, for noises loud to other people are louder to her. Pungent smells are similarly stronger. She has never held anything more dangerous than a knife, and then only for the purpose of preparing food.

Skills:

Angie is an accomplished baker, having spent over half her life working in the family bakery.
Though not trained for it specifically, she has a natural aptitude for tracking.

Biography:

Angie was born to Keri Nic Bain and Cuán Ó Holger, a pair of master bakers. She had a normal childhood, starting to help out with the bakery almost as soon as she could walk and talk at the same time. Initially, her help was probably more of a hindrance, but as the years passed she became an asset to her parents. Though they owned their own bakery, they were not by any means rich. While they of course baked bread for many clients, their primary client was the nearby sanctum of the Order of Idris, one of the primary religious groups in Othea. They personally weren’t particularly religious, let alone hateful towards evokers, but the Sanctum paid well and didn’t ask many questions.

Some months after reaching the age of fifteen, Angie triggered a Relic of the Old Kingdom. She and her parents decided to keep it a secret, hoping that it would not be one of those that changed someone physically. When after a bit over a month the hue of Angie’s eyes had begun turning the bright yellow-green of fresh grass, her parents knew it would only be a matter of time before someone brought trouble to their doors. Unbeknownst to Angie, they began preparing her for a life of her own, giving her lessons that would keep her safe on her own. When the trouble did arrive, they had long been prepared and were able to say their goodbyes quickly, sending her on her way to safety.

For many days afterwards, Angie moved around in Amaryth, never staying in one place long, always pursued by one or more agents of the Order of Idris. Only the subtle lessons her parents had given her towards the end kept her safe. Eventually, be it through chance or fate, she found her way to the Embassy of the Kalesian Empire, where she was welcomed with open arms, much to the chargin of Inquisitor Stevan Vlahovic of the Order of Idris, who wanted to see her dead.

Personality/motivation:

There is one thing above all others that motivates Angie: She wants to live. Thus her loyalty to the Kingdom of Othea was fleeting when push came to shove. With swearing loyalty to the Kalesian Empire, her betrayal of Othea, if it could be called such, was fact. While she might betray her new masters later, she will not do so without due reason. So long as they keep her safe and do not hurt her or hers, she will stay loyal to them.

She is naturally a bit curious, and doesn’t like being treated like a child. Provided a good reason she understands, she’ll go along with many things, but being lied to or not being told reasons for things irks her.

Relations:

Alessia: As the first person to treat her well after she had to leave her parents, Angie is quite fond of this Kalesian.
Garet: He too treated her well. Thus she respects him. His offer of adoption shocked her, but also made her respect him even more.
Stevan Vlahovic: This man hates her and wants to see her dead, but she doesn’t really know him.

The Relics

Thora Thorvaldsdóttir

Name: Thora Thorvaldsdóttir
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Faction/Allegiance: Initially: independent Othean.

Biography (part I):
Thora was born in the small village of Anarion, in the mountains south of Amaryth. It was a village much like hundreds of others in Othea, its denizens mostly herders of the medium-sized, goat-like Yerkis, who are known for their ability to scale pretty much any slope, and for their thick, red-tinged wool. Not everyone in the village tended the livestock, but other than the necessities like the blacksmith and the innkeeper, most the villagers worked directly with the Yerkis herds.
While her mother was a herder, Thora's father was the village blacksmith, and had fully expected her to follow in his footsteps, or rather anvil-banging. Unfortunately, Thora never really took after him in that fashion. Sure, she could work the forge, but she simply didn't care enough to truly focus upon the art of smithing. She was far too busy running up into the hills and exploring the ruins dotting the landscape.
The elders generally discouraged the children from playing in the ruins, but nobody actually expected them to listen. They were children, after all. However, unlike her peers, Thora kept moving through the ruins even after she left childhood behind. When questioned why, she never really had a good answer. While this is not something the elders particularly like, she has become well-known for doing her job properly when she's not running into the ruins. She has a reputation for never shirking her duties, so that particular idiosyncrasy is permitted to her.
Appearance (part I):
Thora looks much like any other villager her age. Maybe a bit more muscular, but not so as to stand out from other girls her age, but most have learned not to cross her, as her right hook (taught by her father), is vicious and has left more than an over-eager youth with a thoroughly aching jaw. As clothing goes, she has never been fond of bright colors. Most her clothes are homespun tunics and leggings of the faintly reddish tinge familiar to Yerkis wool, but she has also had a fondness for hooded cloaks dyed black as night.
Other than the Yerkis wool, the prime trade good of Thora's home village is the plant known locally as Rellik. Its common in higher elevations throughout Othea, but more common near Anarion than in most other regions. While the most immediately noticeable effect of treating wool with the essence of Rellik is that the cloth turns so deep a purple as to be almost black, its secondary effect is what makes it so valuable, for that effect renders it virtually impermeable to water and reduces the chances of growths of mold or other forms of decay. Since reaching adulthood, Thora has attained a fondness for clothes treated with the essence of Rellik.
Biography (part II):
While most her peers were married young, or at least mated young, Thora never quite settled down. She did not really know why, but the time simply never seemed right. She always made sure that when she did experiment, it was in the cycles of the moons where chances of conception were at a minimum. Similarly, she never gathered any truly close friends. She had friends, but always kept a sort of shell around her inner self, never opening up completely to anyone. The fact that she could, and had, beat up most of the boys in the village probably was part of the reason she never got any close friends. Most tend to be reluctant to become close friends after loosing a tooth or two.
She was twenty years old by the time she found the relic that would reshape her life in ways she could not have expected. She'd been out exploring the ruins dotting the hills when suddenly the ground fell out under her, revealing a hidden chamber. Most of what lay in the chamber was decayed beyond recognition, but a single object stood out for her. That object was a simple-looking bracer, not unlike that used by archers to protect the wrist from the bowstring. Following an urge as ancient as the relics themselves, Thora slid her arm into the leather bracer, yelping in surprise when it tightened itself once in the right position. She started tugging at it to get it off, but could find no spot to grab. The last thing she remembers from that time was a strange whisper at the back of her head, then everything was blank.
When she came to, she saw that her tunic was stained with blood, and that she was in a completely different location. She tried to think back as to what had happened, but all she got was the merest flashes of memory, but nothing that made any sort of sense. She could feel her body aching in all sort of unusual places though. She cleaned herself up in one of the many mountain streams, quite oblivious to the chill of the water, but then she had been washing in those streams all her life.
The blood easily washed away, and she returned back home. The day after, she heard that someone, one of her more distant cousins, was missing, but dared not consider the possibility that there might be a connection. She kept her tunic well over the strange bracer, hoping to ignore it for now. Over the next weeks there were occasional strange images and thoughts flashing through her head, but nothing truly made much sense. Her cousin never turned up, but everyone agreed that it had to have been one of the mountain beasts or something. It had happened before.
Appearance (part II):
As the months went by, Thora slowly started feeling different. It never in obvious ways, but rather in the most subtle manners. She took to wearing her cloak almost all the time, for the light of the sun made her uncomfortable. It didn't burn her more than others, but still she found herself disliking it. Some commented, but she paid them no heed. In time, she found that it slowly became easier to see well at night than during the day. She knew enough of the ancient legends to attribute it to the strange relic stuck to her arm, but also knew that it was best to keep this secret, for there were a few in the village who had embraced the faith the dominion of Idris. She had little doubt they would not hesitate to turn her in to the Order if they knew what she had become, what she might have done.
As she lacked access to a mirror, there was none in the village, it took her a long while to spot her other changes. Slowly her body thinned out, growing lankier, loosing what little bulk she had built up working in the smithy, yet retaining the strength for it. Her pale blue eyes turned a pale gray and rather penetrating, and her light brown hair darkened somewhat, though that last may have been an effect of it no longer being as exposed to the sun. The one bit she could not explain as anything natural, was the way her upper canines increased in length, becoming sharper. Thora remained around the same average height she had always been, but did not retain her formerly thick build. She grew even more fond of climbing and running, her body reflecting this.
Biography (part III):
Over the following year, Thora was rather good at denying to herself that there was any connection between the rare disappearances of villagers and the blackouts she had. She truly did not want to believe that she might be responsible, but with each time, the facts started to build up. One, she could not remember anything from the time. Two, she woke up somewhere else. Three, her clothes and skin was bloody. Four, someone was missing, never to be seen again. Five, the nagging thirst at the back of her throat that no amount of water would quench was inevitably sated after a blackout.
Appearance (part III):
After the fourth disappearance, Thora could no longer deny it. Nobody had seen her do it, but she knew it had to be her. Packing up a small haversack with supplies and donning the best clothes she owned, all of them dyed with essence of Rellik, she prepared to depart. After packing, she worked hard at the forge all day, smithing a pair of knives that outmatched any she had made before. They were longer and heavier than average, but not so long or heavy as to be unwieldy, but the craftsmanship was one she could not deny to be magnificent. In the afternoon, she sat quietly, fixing the hilts and sheaths for them, and two hours after night fell, she picked up her haversack, departing the village of Anarion with no intent to return until she had figured out what the relic was doing to her and how to control it.

Relic Abilities:
Thora moved through the land, staying away from any of the villages. When hunger hit her, she hunted. She found that her relic granted her increased agility as well as making her vision sharper at night. Many a wild animal learned too late how good a predator she had become, for she instinctively knew exactly how to hide herself from them until she could pounce upon them and slay them.
The blackouts still happened, but more often than not, she had no bloodstains to clean off. Sometimes the strange thirst was sated afterwards, other times it wasn't. Whenever it was, she resolved to stay further away from villages in the future, but inevitably found herself straying closer nonetheless. With her quest being understanding, she did not have a specific goal in mind as she wandered. Early on, she kept mostly to the foothills, for that territory, while far from home, was familiar in style, but eventually she neared the border that Othea shared with its southern neighbor. She knew she had to turn away at that time, for something told her it was a bad idea to cross the border.
Sleeping in the wild was not the most comfortable thing, but her cloak was of the finest Anarion make, and it kept her both warm and dry. After reaching the border, she turned north, heading into the lowlands, then slowly finding herself heading parallel to the main road to the capital city of Amaryth. The blackouts, so far as she could determine, were becoming more and more frequent, and the unnatural thirst stronger each time. She reasons that if there's anyone knowing much about relics in all of Othea, he or she will no doubt be in Amaryth.

Flaws:
At this time, the relic controls Thora more than she controls it. Its not that she's weak-minded, but rather that she isn't trained to handle it. Many relics of the Old Kingdom are powerful things that can almost be said to have a will of their own. Thora's relic is just one such item.
When the relic needs (or wants) to feed, she more or less blacks out, rarely remembering much afterwards. The bloodthirst is unrelenting when it surfaces, but she mostly feeds when alone with her victims. Few notice her, but some might spot the fact that her upper canines are longer and more pointed than is normal. Thora is as of yet unwilling to admit to herself that this is a problem.
Having grown up in a fairly small village, Thora never had cause to learn how to read or write. Even now, she sees little use in learning it.

Skills:
In the months since she left her village she grew up in, Thora has become quite skilled as a hunter-gatherer, even gained some skill at constructing simple shelters. During her youth, she learned how to climb, how to be quite inquisitive and curious, as well as how to manage a forge. Not quite on a master's level, but far above a journeyman's level.

Personality/motivation:
The things that most motivate Thora in her life now is the will to understand her relic. She is frequently confused by the blackouts, and she does not understand how the relic is slowly changing her. Thus she travels out to find someone that can help her get rid of this confusion.
But of course the relic has already changed her in a number of significant ways, as such, the thirst for blood also motivates her, even if she has no real control over it. When she does remember the flashes of what she has done in her blackouts, she pushes these back, trying to deny them.

Relations:
To be fixed. Feel free to suggest relations with her.

Final Point - Secrets:
Thora's greatest secret is one she does not know herself, that of the relic she has bonded with. In the days of the Old Kingdom, relics like hers were crafted as part of the many wars that wracked that ancient realm. None now remember those wars, but rather think that ancient kingdom was all peaceful. Thora's relic was either designed for warriors or for assassins, specialized for nighttime. The warriors and assassins wearing these relics were infamous for just how powerful and effective they were, legends attributing many things to them that they never could have done. They were said to see perfectly at night, to move like the wind and react like a shadow. They trained for years before touching their relics, disciplining their minds to handle its power. It is doubtful that anyone knows more than a fraction of this at this time in history, and most of that is probably intermixed with the false rumors about such relics.
She also has no idea how significant the other changes the Relic has in mind for her.
She has never revealed her relic to anyone.

Stevan Vlahovic (NPC)

NPC
Name: Stevan Vlahovic
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Faction/Allegiance: Dominion of Idris
Relic Description: N/A
Appearance: Stringy, lean type. Black hair & Beard. Clean, Dark blue Inquisitors’ robes. Medium height.
Flaws: There is only one truth. Nothing else is acceptable.
Skills: Interrogation. Torture. Preaching. Some fighting, though is preferred form of combat is oral.
Biography: Stevan was born and raised in the Dominion. He joined the order as soon as he could, for he was a true believer. As the years went by, he steadily advanced through the ranks, eventually aspiring to the lofty rank of Inquisitor. Recently, he was sent to Othea to help convert the populace to the one true faith, a goal he has pursued with eagerness.
Personality/motivation: He knows the truth and intends to make all others believe as he does, no matter what they feel about the issue. He is ruthless, methodical and unyielding.