Direidi of the Shadran Tribe

[Direidi]

Player Name: Cimri
Name: Direidi of the Shadran Tribe
Direidi Pucca - Pucca is simply another word for hobgoblin, and is one of several such words a hob might offer an Outsider in lieu of a surname.

Age: 24
Race: Hobgoblin
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 142 lbs

Physical Description: Her almond-shaped eyes are the silvery-white shade of the platinum vein running through some of her home mountains, in sharp counterpoint to the inky blackness of her slitted pupils. A rough leather vest clings to curves of dark, sooty grey, stopping several inches before the top of her tight leather leggings, which in turn rapidly disappear into the tops of her thigh-high boots. The exposed skin between her top and her pants reveals the ring of blackened silver piercing her navel, but her cais-tattoo proudly encircles her upper left arm - a band of platinum impossibly imbedded into her skin, rippling like real flesh. Hair of blackened silver falls in a silky river down her spine and past her hips, a perfect match to the smooth tuft on her tail, with long spiky bangs brushing her delicate brows. The inside of her pointed, sensitive ears is a lighter shade of grey than the nearly-black edges, and her right ear has a platinum chain threaded through it in piercings from the base to the tip.

Possessions: First and foremost is the ear-chain. A gift from her mother when Dire cast her first successful spell, the links are delicate and slender so as to thread through the piercings easily. Dangling from both ends of the chain are tiny obelisks of smoky quartz. Secondly, she carries a touchstone of uvarovite - also known as a green garnet. She found a large one as a child and now members of her family all carry a part of it.

Aside from that, she carries her crafting pouch, a bag full of uncut crystals and chunks of ore for her metal-shaping magic.

Powers or Strengths:
The Bargain: Hobs being hobs, her most powerful magic is her Hob's Bargain, locking any deal into place with iron magic. If anyone attempts to break this Bargain, including her, the magic will rebound upon them seven-fold. In Bargains formed with Direidi, a smaller bargain may change all your metals to lead. A larger bargain may change all your belongings to lead, thanks to her ties to metals. However, it also increases whatever abilities of hers are necessary to complete the Bargain until the exchange is carried out.

Metalcrafting: While on her home mountain, Direidi is a gifted artisan when it comes to creating jewelry of metal and crystals, a magic that was granted her by the Mountain. The most unique of her talents, this one stays with her wherever she goes, drawing heavily on her own energy for the connection.

You don't see me: One of several magicks that fades rapidly once she leaves her mountains is camouflage. This one is common to her whole race, with the exact same range. Once she leaves the foothills, this ability is completely gone, but while she has it, she might as well be invisible - especially useful for sneaking up on travelers.

Healing: All hobs are healers of a sort. They themselves heal fairly quickly, but most can heal others as well, and this ability stays with them almost as long as camouflage magic does, which is to say it vanishes very quickly. Not that it matters, as Direidi is not a very good healer. Sprain your ankle, she's your girl. Break it and you're on your own.

Tricks: She has a handful of trick magicks, but the nature of the magic means that the abilities themselves vary. One day a curse may lame your horse, and the next day, the same curse might sprain your wrist. What spoiled milk and meat yesterday might turn it into wax tomorrow. In addition, her distance from the mountain means she can't do anything too terrible.

Grace: Diri is graceful above and beyond the usual level of her people. She is an exceptionally talented dancer, feeling the music coursing through her whole body from the very first drum beat. This talent is very prized among hobgoblins, and one of their favorite forms of entertainment.

Racial: Just a reminder, hobs are all incredibly fast runners, and have better-than-average senses. They can also sense the general nature of hearts. This is not an exact science, and people who are expecting it can fool the system, but as the goal is to sneak up on unsuspecting travelers, few know to guard themselves. Unfortunately for this reclusive race, this talent is the first to vanish upon leaving the mountains.

Weaknesses:

Racial Again: As with every other hob, she is from a close-knit mountain tribe that rarely leaves their mountain. This means she gets lonely very easily, leaving her poorly guarded against womanizers and other manipulators.

It also means her magic is weaker the further she gets from her mountain.

Few people have seen a hob; possibly no one in Marn. This makes it very difficult to blend in, and people frequently underestimate her intelligence, assuming her to be a troll of some kind.

Curiosity killed the cat: And possibly the hob if she doesn't learn to control herself. New things fascinate Direidi. It was her first glimpse of Outsiders that lured her into leaving the safety of the tribe and the mountain to come to this dangerous town. She's also addicted to sparkly things, due to her affinity with stones.

Music: All hobs love dancing and music. The more drums, the better. While not quite an irresistible draw to most, Direidi is a very popular and skilled dancer and has never before had to learn not to respond to the music.

Non-fighter: While most male hobs are excellent fighters, no one would ever mistake the sensual Dire for a male. She is an artisan and a dancer. She carries no knife and her claws are for catching food.

History:
Direidi sighed contentedly and tipped her head back further under the rumbling, icy water of the falls. She snaked her tail out to grab her comb off the rock she'd placed it on, holding it briefly in midair as she finished scrubbing her long hair. There was nothing quite like showering in a frigid waterfall... Dropping the comb into her right hand, Diri closed her eyes and started the time-consuming process of detangling her inky metallic mane.

A curse escaped her lips as the last of a series of painful snarls came loose, but it quickly changed to a yelp of surprise as a hand came out of nowhere, latched about her forearm, and yanked her out of the water.

Keshke giggled. "Made you scream! One point for me!" she crowed triumphantly as she released her best friend.

"I didn't scream. I... protested," Diri lied unconvincingly. She quickly braided her hair before it could turn into a mass of knots again.

"You screamed like a little youngling, and you know it," gloated Keshke. Tossing Direidi her bundle of clothes, she grinned, but only briefly. "You might want to hurry. The Caregan is looking for you."

The younger hob started yanking her garments on in a flurry of leather. She had to slow down to lace her thigh-high boots properly, but then she shot back to her feet, still dripping. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" She wrapped her tail about Keshke's wrist, tugging to force her friend to lope along with her. Courtship was reserved for hobgoblins who were deemed of age, and while none of the men in their tribe had struck her fancy, Diri had impatiently awaited the day that she would be summoned for her cais ever since her twenty-third birthday - the earliest any cais had been granted. She was twenty-four now, and impatient as ever, so she put an extra burst of speed into her step.

The Caregan's Cave was relatively close. They only had to scramble up one cliff-face and trot through the current encampment. Diri's braid was still soaking wet by the time they stood before the cave. As they paused to catch their breaths, the two girls blended strangely well with the grey rocks tumbled about the entrance. Kesh darted forward and gave Direidi a quick hug. "Good luck." Her tail brushed her friend's wrist, then she whirled around and vanished into the hillside.

Straightening her top and unlooping her navel ring from the cords holding said top together, Direidi took a deep breath and stepped into the glittering, crystaline cavern.

She stepped around the numerous candles lighting the gypsum in the rough stone walls and wound her way eagerly toward the ferally maternal figure who was standing with an irate look in the middle of the cave.

"You took your time, but very well." The Caregan gestured her forward with brusque affection. "She knows you know why you're here, so I'll skip the boring details and keep this simple."

Direidi dropped to one knee before the Shadran Tribe's Stone, winding her tail around her ankle. "My cais?"

"The Mountain has shown me your... errand. You are a clever one, artisan, but no fighter. So find a wicked traveler. Drive them from the Mountain. You may use any means, short of killing the traveler."

"As the Mountain commands, my lady." Diri started to rise, but the Caregan's tail draped heavily over her shoulder, gently pushing her back down.

"You must do it alone, and She gives you one month." The tail lifted from her shoulder and thwacked her lightly. "Run swiftly, Direidi, and may the stones never slip from under your feet."

... Two weeks, three days, and five hours later...

Diri tightened her tail about her ankle to keep herself from involuntarily twitching it and risking her camouflage magic. She slithered forward on her stomach and peered over the edge of the escarpment at the man she'd spent the past four days tormenting.

At first, she'd been delighted to find him. Not only was he a wicked traveler, but he had murder on his mind. The Mountain wanted him gone, and Direidi had been happy to oblige. But by now, he was exhausted. His horse was exhausted. His food had mysteriously filled with insects. And the man kept going, exuding that strange fox-scent as he went. Diri was getting impatient, and felt the mountain's impatience as well. If he didn't get gone, she was going to have to do something nasty, and she was somewhat afraid that this fascinating outsider was now too worn out to survive nasty...