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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lylandra" data-source="post: 7097156" data-attributes="member: 6816692">choosing classes and other detailsRegarding her class and role, I thought about which attributes could define her strengths and what would be suitable for a character that had a very obvious fey background. I imagined an exotic, unnaturally beautiful, really clever and agile woman who would have refined her movements to such an extent that every combat could look like an easily performed, perfect choreography. I thought about the things she could have learned in her enclave and concluded that combat-wise it would be self-defense and the ability to lead and organize other combatants (as women were usually guarded by a small squad outside the enclave). Adding the strengths of an Eladrin (high cha, high dex) on top of that resulted in a combination of the bard and swashbuckler classes. I chose the flamedancer archetype for the bard as the "flaming retribution of the goddess" was already a signature move of the Vekeshi and I wanted to delve deeper into that theme without taking the Vekeshi prestige class (I'm not really a fan of PrCs). In coordination with my DM, I decided that her bardic magic would not be solely music-based, but instead a trait of her fey heritage which had been triggered after her unusual "trial of flame". Which also means that I would preferably choose spells that match the fey theme. Turned out that he liked my approach and approved it.  As soon as the most basic story was set in stone, I simply added some other NPC to later add details to her characterization. First, I thought about her direct relatives: Mother Galadin (a druid/master of Eladrin ceremonies), plus her three husbands Thorandil (ex-veteran turned peaceful artist), Estelar (ambitious, stern wizard) and Kalaren ( hot-blooded barbarian type fighter/defender). I also introduced her cousin Zahir who may or may have not secretly loved her ( actively opted against having him as an official love interest as this would have been too much drama/cliché), accompanied her and died defending her from pirates (left his fate up to my DM but he said he's food for the fishes) as well as said pirates who kidnapped and sold her (another source for hooks). I also wrote some minor characters for Dawkin's crew to whom Auryn feels attached to, as well as some contacts she made in Flint over the last seven years (mostly university students and dockers). For her captor, I envisioned an eccentric danoran businessman named Francis Fordren who's really obsessed with collecting beautiful things. As Tizbiz already mentioned, he later decided to replace "a roughly matching recurring NPC" (seems like he was originally named Mr. Pemberton) with him and I'm really looking forward to have the two confront each other on a different ground some day.       Last but not least, I fleshed out her characteristics and mannerisms based on all the information above. This was not really the last thing I did, it was more like an ongoing process, adding ideas and quirks here and there, rewrote them based on new story deviations etc. In the end I came up with the following list for the start of the campaign:   <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> She's torn between an almost neurotic perfectionalism and the need to "let it go". She's regularly smoking leaf of Nicodemus or similar weeds to relax </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> She has a hard time bonding with others (due to Zahir's death), but has a special relationship with Dawkins</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> She is a somewhat archetypical immigrant who wants to integrate into a new society but also tries to stay rooted in her traditions. Which can easily lead to cognitive conflicts. (i.e. finding a job, accepting male authority figures, learning that not all Crisillyiri are evil clergymen...)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> She has to deal with being a person who's both young and old in her new surroundings. (As an Eladrin of 75 years, she is still a youngster, but she has lived far more years than most humans) </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> She's wearing masks. Both literally (as she's created the alter ego of the masked artist Calla Aurea and is attending the Vekeshi meetings) and figuratively (as she's trying to play nice and hides her eladrin heritage out of caution)  </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> She is very cautious and knows that her survival is pivotal to the survival of the Eladrin race. Still she has a hard time letting others risk their lives for her.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> She despises bloodshed and sees killing someone as kind of last resort or something that should be reserved for those who commit really despicable acts. (she killed some of the pirates in a blood-rage though)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> She's interested in studying the different philosophies as she's questioning the teachings of Seedism after the "meaningless" death of Zahir. She takes a liking in the Panoply and some theses of Millerism. She rejects Eschatology, danoran Rationalism and the Clergy. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> She likes botany. She has learned to arrange flowers (like Ikebana) as well as to grow them and care for them. </li> </ul>Oh and I also developed some of the following Eladrin-isms along the way which she uses regularly:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Branched brother = cousin</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Being worthy of being called an esteemed husband/consort = behaving like a gentleman</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Hitiko /unblossomed one = not fully mature woman</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Blooming woman = fully accepted adult, may have husbands</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Time of the mad kings = era of chaos and decay before the liberation of Vekesh</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Cursed devil = tiefling (rarely used)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Gremlin = swear word, used like "bastard"</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">She uses "after the Malice" or "after the grand catastrophe" for naming dates and despises "A.O.V."</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Her enclave does not use surnames, but traces relationships through the maternal line (like dwarves often call themselves "son of father X, son of grandfather Y..." they call themselves "daughter/son of mother X, daughter of grandmother Y...). She prefers being called by her first name though.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I also tried to give her a proper Elfaivaran accent and tried to accentuate the vowels. The result sounds more like a french accent than an east asian one though.</li> </ul></blockquote>

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