Daeira Vynthe

[Daeira]

Player Name : Kat (Daeira)
Character Name : Daeira Vynthe (Daer-ah Vin-th)
Race: Fae, Sceilla
Age: 22
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 150 lb

Possessions:
Harp: Daeira keeps a strong hold on a family heirloom; a lap harp carved from white coral, hardened with magic to keep it from breaking as normal corals would when dried. Instead of strings, incredibly thin metal chords stretch the gap in the half-heart shaped loop of the instrument. She prefers to carry it in hand, but when that is not an option, she lets it rest in the cradle of a detachable loop in her belt.

Home: In her Sceilla homeland, she and her family live in a modest home made of two rooms; one is a crowded bedroom, the other more of a storage closet filled to the brim with miscellaneous items picked up over the years than a second living chamber.

Knife: An ornate knife, five and a half inches in length, carved from the rib of a whale and used as decoration hangs from the side of her belt.

Bag and Water: Slung over her shoulder is a satchel, hand sewn from discarded cloth of a flag sail. Inside of which holds a single glass bottle tinted green in color, filled with salt water. The bottle spans three inches wide, four across, and six tall. Needless to say, it takes up most of the bag's space, and what it does not take up is usually home to "pretty" bobbles she finds laying around. (Perhaps stones, or flowers, lost buttons or shards of materials. Imagine a magpie's nest.)

Clothing:
Daeira wears a series of chain necklaces about her neck ranging in colors from black to tarnished copper and varying in thickness. They hang just low enough to cover her breasts but provide no protection from the environment or any other practical purpose. Around her hips, a sturdy belt of woven seaweed (more durable than one would think) with all sorts of oddities tied to it and hanging from it. This includes a bird’s skull bleached from sun exposure, “pretty” beads she may have come across, a myriad of shells including bonnets, angel wings, and ceriths, a multitude of buttons in various sizes and colors sewn directly to the kelp belt with little thought to organization, frayed strings, several unidentified bones, and enough feathers that one might have thought she stripped a bird. The visual noise of the belt ends just before mid-thigh and drips like a tattered skirt about her waist. (As long as she is standing still, nothing is really visible beneath.)

Hugging her forearms tightly are wires woven into ornate bands, stretching from just below her elbows to just above her wrists, which are looped over many times with what appear to be a collection of bangles. Around her throat is a similar metal bracing, elongating her slender neck and narrow shoulders, and around her ankles seems to be where she keeps the REST of her collection of bangles. Droplet earrings swing freely from her lobes, and a chain with links so small one might detach them by needlepoint slopes from the piercing of her right ear and loops about a single horn of her natural headdress. (As mentioned before; magpie.)


Description:
Daeira’s skin is a pale blue-green, pulled tight across her features. Like many of her people, she stands taller than many of her fae kin, with a willowy composure. Her arms and legs are naturally long, her strides wide and fluid. Both of her thin hands end with five spindly fingers, between which holds webbing for ease of swimming. This is the same for between her toes.

A crown of horn-like fixtures, complete with a spiral cut, grow smoothly from the back of her head and curl downward, behaving much like hair would if hair was made mostly of cartilage. Four long, strong tentacles beginning just below these horns sweep halfway down her back and drape lazily over her shoulders. These tendrils serve her as a tail might serve a monkey- they're used for gripping and holding. Her long ears branch into three points, almost as if one were to fold three ears over each other as one folds cards to hold in their hand.

Daeira’s upper lip is thick and lush, overshadowing her lower lip, neither of which retain much definite shape. Their curvature is not an unpleasant look, but rather a look that required particular taste. Her nose is not much more than two thin slits, with only the slightest bit of cartilage raising it from her face and giving it definition. Her eyes hold a doe-like quality to them; they are large and rounded, what one might consider almost child like, if they weren't so abnormally eerie. Being almost entirely pupil, they are a rich, black color, and are without light, even often seemingly cold.

Her high forehead sweeps into her growth of horns languidly, the cut of her face is overall rather thin and angular. She bears all the fins of her people, her dorsal fin not rising more than an inch in height, but the fins along her arms tapering out well beyond the average mark. Everything about her screams of Fae lineage.

Strengths:
(Natural, Practiced)Quickness: Being aquatic and having lived most of her life below the water’s surface, if she were to submerge, she’d be nigh impossible to catch.

(Natural)A Careful Listener: Despite what one might think of the seemingly scatter brained Sceilla, Daeira has shown to have a clever mind that soaks information up like a sponge, just so long as said information is vocalized. (If it is written, there is little chance she has even bothered to read it all.)

(Learned)Minstrel: Daeira has a knack for anything musical. Her crafty fingers can repeat a tune on her harp almost immediately after it’s fallen onto her ears, and her voice is one to be boasted of.

(Learned)Useless Knowledge of Alchemy: She has a small grasp upon the alchemy of her people, and can create numbing tonics or a minor drug with mild hallucinatory side effects. (This would require ingredients, however, which would only be found in her homeland or perhaps in bodies of salt water holding similarities to her homeland.)

(Natural, Practiced)Magic: Being a Fae subsect known as the Sceilla, Daeira was born with the gift of minor illusion. The Fae often use said illusion to hold a glamour over themselves, disguising themselves as a being of another race (human, elf, other genre of Fae, etc.) temporarily in order to blend in. If viewed in a mirror or through a "seeing stone" (a smooth stone with a circle carved in the center of it, one might compare it to a rock-monocle), anyone can view past her illusion and see her Sceilla features.

(Natural) Flexibility: As a Sceilla, her "bones" are actually cartilage.

(Natural)Positive Outlook: Despite cruel circumstances or what she might land herself in, Daeira looks for the silver lining. Sometimes seen as obnoxious, it keeps the fish-girl going.

(Natural) Easy Going: Upbeat and open, she is an easy individual to get along with, rarely ever raising her voice with negative connotations.

Weaknesses:
Culture: Her culture sets her awkwardly amongst any other people. She’s more likely to be avoided as she’s little to no grasp upon ways of living besides her own. (This may also lead to bouts of confusion.) She has no mind for personal space and will often make even casual situations incredibly uncomfortable.

Attention Span: Daeira has a natural curiosity that leads her often into danger, or has her asking the wrong questions to the wrong people at the wrong time. Combined with a short attention span, the Sceilla is flighty, even as far as her people are concerned. If a person is not careful, they might find in her a clingy, unwanted friend who likes to tag along with whatever they do until passed off onto someone else. (Like a personality leech.)

Moving on Dry Land: She’s more prone to clumsiness on land when she attempts to move swiftly. The odd movements running puts into play often has her tripping over herself.

Language Barrier: Her grasp upon the common language is rudimentary, and she bears no reading skills.

Overall Weird Looking: She's a fish. Out of water. Come on.

Compulsive Liar: Daeira is, and always will be, a performer, meaning the white lies of her story telling have infiltrated her every day life. (For example, if she was asked how tall a horse is by someone who has never seen one, she might describe it being the size of a small house.)

Slow to Heal: Since she has cartilage and not bones, if she was to break anything, it would be rather slow and difficult to heal. If her fins are torn save for the webbing between her toes and fingers, they would be unable to properly mend and would keep a scar of the tear permanently, losing all function.

Passive: She lacks a decisive attitude and can often be a floor mat to other people. She'd rather be led than lead as long as she can make stops to appease her curiosity. (Which may end up getting her lost in the long run.)

Ill Use of Logic: In Daeira's case, it isn't that she does not posses logic, but rather that she does not often use it. Her objectives nearly never have definite motive behind them, and she's about as spur-of-the-moment as one can get.

Dehydration: If the membrane of her thick skin were to dry out completely, Daeira would drown upon land and her skin would crack and peel back into a bloody mess. To counteract this, she must regularly ingest or pour salt water over herself. The maximum allotment of time before this process of death starts is four days with incredible discomfort starting at two.

Dizziness: For the fact that dry land has less atmospheric pressure than her original home, if she were to travel much higher than just above sea level without proper exposure or preparation, she will suffer from altitude sickness. The effects are similar to that of thin air breathing that hikers train to avoid when climbing mountains. Needless to say, climbing a mountain would be next to impossible for Daeira.

Magic:
Fae Illusion: A minor glamour, allowing her to disguise herself and one other object of her choosing. This glamour wears off when her will for it to last ends. If she keeps this glamour up longer than 24 hours, she begins to have negative side effects and heavy lack of concentration upon the spell. (She might accidentally glamour herself an extra nose, or drop it entirely.)

Song: Her voice has a natural magic laced into the notes she sings, demanding attention. Without conscious control of her voice, she would merely draw attention. With further concentration and effort put into her words, she might emphasize certain commands such as "sleep" or "look the other way" in a fashion similar to subliminal messaging. Her words will put a specific thought into the forefront someone's mind with a desire to follow through with it, but all the ability to will themselves not to. She cannot, however, command someone to do something they would not normally do, such as "stab yourself in the thigh" or "go get me a lobster".

The effects she has on others differs depending on what their daily routine is; if she has access to the ear of a thief, she might coerce (a strong suggestion at best) them into stealing her something to eat, or if she has the attention of an artist, she might suggest them to draw. (However, she would not be able to get a thief to paint or an artist to steal.) It would be more common for her to influence upon individuals rather than large groups, but she must have their attention in order to make a suggestion. When dealing with larger groups, she might suggest a broad term such as "sleep", and her influence is scattered. (Those with a weaker will may feel more drowsy and those with a stronger might bat an eye.) The more she repeats a command, the stronger it becomes. By something as simple as breaking her concentration or the concentration of the willed individual, one can completely reverse her spell. The closer she is to the oceans, her home, the stronger her will becomes.

(Sceilla Trait)Water Manipulation: Daeira can manipulate water, but only upon land, and only if it is present. The extent of this is not known, but the hardening of water is not included in the manipulation, so any sort of weaponry made of the manipulated water would simply splash upon a person instead of cut or pierce. (If thrown hard enough, much like any other object, it would have bruising potential, but this is entirely reliant upon Daeira's physical strength or lack thereof.)

(Sceilla Trait)Coral Manipulation: The growth of coral is a sped process when using such manipulation, and where it may take years to grow a certain structural formation of coral, it would take Daeira (or any other Sceilla) anywhere from a few hours to a few days. The coral must be present and alive for her to influence its growth. Corals do not grow in fresh water, and other common fresh water or salt water plants are not influenced by her manipulation. (For example, she cannot speed the growth of algaes or kelp.)


History:
Daeira grew up beneath the waves, being one of four hatchlings to live through incubation. Her mother, a priestess, plied her brother and two sisters, as well as Daeira herself, with basic grasps upon the alchemic profession. Her father taught the children music, to which Daeira took to immediately.
Whereas her other siblings went on to become defenders or priests, Daeira kept to her strengths and became, instead, a performer.

As Daeira matured, her curiosities grew. The world was full of questions, and she found it upon herself to answer each of them, one way or another. The biggest questions, however, all had to deal with other races. Her people knew of their existence, but were happy enough to leave them alone. For this young Sceilla, however, it was almost too much to bear.

Upon her twentieth year, her father gifted to her his prized harp, now her most precious possession. Expressing her concerns of the dry world beyond theirs, Daeira asked the blessing of her parents so that she might leave her home to learn more. Having seen the signs of her wanton need to know more about the people of the land, and hoping it was merely a phase, her parents reluctantly gave in and wished her well. Some of the community of which she grew up in, including her brother, looked down upon her decision to leave the safety of her home and seek out trouble elsewhere. The rest presumed she’d see the errors of her ways and, eventually, return. After all, despite it being uncommon, she was not the first Sceilla to travel upon the earth. (Most, however, had never returned home from their ventures.)

Exactly one year after, using the time in between for planning and celebrating and saying her goodbyes, Daeira made her way to unknown shores, where she found a small fishing village. She was not particularly welcomed, but neither was she pushed away. She’d spend her days watching and studying the humans there, much to their discomfort, asking questions to anyone who walked out far enough onto a pier for her to reach. She’d yet to set foot upon soil herself, caution keeping her in the water for many months. However, she managed to learn the basics of the human’s language, the difference between night and day (which had at first shocked her. She’d stared at the sun, having never seen such a thing, until her eyes burned.) and the difference between male and female humans, (she still struggles to determine that difference) as well as anything else she could pick up from her temporary home beneath the fishing docks. This includes the advantages and dangers of nets, of which she was caught in many before realizing how to get out of the way.

[Niabi]

When you think you may be finished with this and would like a staff member to read it over, just make a reply here and we will move it to Character Applications for you.

[Daeira]

I would actually really appreciate someone looking over this. I've added and taken away quite a bit, and I'm more confident with it now after personal revision.
Thanks for taking the time to check it out (: I hope it measures up!

[Metarie]

I like her and find her interesting! I appreciate that you took time to consider what she wants and where she is going. Fabulous! I especially appreciate that you've given her some strong weaknesses. Many don't!

A few thoughts and suggestions -

I need clarity on the average fae may possess. Is this what you've outlined in the magic section?

I don't think we've defined average fae skills and leaving it open make it just a little too open.

Remove the swiftness on land from the strengths section. Based on the Moving on Dry Land weakness (which I like, btw), being able to move swiftly on land doesn't seem feasible. I prefer her to have a definite swiftness in the water and the weakness as you have written it.


I'd like to see the compulsion ability of her voice be more intentional than unintentional. As fun as playing someone influenced by the unintentional (gosh, I REALLY REALLY WANT LOBSTER RIGHT NOW and I REALLY REALLY WANT TO GIVE IT TO THAT LADY!) I think the compulsion aspect might be diminished the further away she is from her natural habitat. I imagine it to be sort of like a Siren?

The coral growth trait should probably be clarified to a specific water type, versus growing it in a bowl of water, unless that is part of the skill?

Great job! Looking forward to your reply

[Daeira]

There we are I fixed up what you spoke of.
You're right, it didn't make sense to have her inexperience out of water mix with swiftness on land, but my inner (and often non-existent) scientist said that there must be some sort of reaction she gets from less atmospheric pressure. My first thought was a strengthening of sorts as there is less weighing her down... But you have to learn to crawl before you can walk, then run, right? I figure if she lives long enough to get used to life on land I might be able to bring that into play. I'd love advice on where to go with that, or if I should entirely drop it. (This is also totally why I added a weakness )
The weakness I added to her is regarding atmospheric pressure and the inability to venture far above sea level with prior exposure and preparation, which simply makes sense to me. I also specified the fae illusion ability, explained more of the coral growth... And I didn't properly explain my thoughts on her 'singing' abilities. Hopefully now it makes more sense.

...
You should also totally get me and my character lobster... Juuust saying♥

[Metarie]

Welcome to Thar!

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Happy writing!

[Metarie]

Daeira let us know she had to leave for a while. Moving to Old Characters until she returns.

Daeira, should you return PM or chat with a mod to let us know to reinstate the character.