Amira Lum

[Amira Lum]

Player Name: Lydia
Name: Amira Lum
Age: 26
Race: Human
Height: 5'1''
Weight: 115 lbs.

Physical Description:
Despite her diminutive stature and build, Amira is, in a place defined by oddity and variety in specie, just another face in the crowd. However, those who take the time to notice her see a uniquely beautiful young woman. Her butterscotch-brown hair gleams silkily, framing a thin face with a delicately pointed chin and a decidedly less delicately pointed nose. Her deep green eyes glimmer mischievously, their lashes long and full. Smatterings of freckles dot her cheekbones. She gives the impression of being much younger than she is, both in her features and in the energetic way with which she carries herself, a knowing smirk often dimpling her face.

In addition to her natural qualities, her own choices for her appearance further create an unpretentious impression. She wears few to no cosmetics, perhaps dusting a little powder on her cheeks if she feels the inclination, but no more. As for clothes, she wears neutral tones, browns or muted greens, loose enough so as not to draw undue attention to her slender frame. The only decorations that break the monotony of her dress are an ornately embroidered gold belt, from which a scabbard hangs, and a small emerald ring with a silver band.

Interestingly, if one were to observe Amira's arms or legs, one would see well-toned muscles, indicative of strength surprising in someone of her size and gender. She is not as weak as she first appears.

Possessions:
Amira owns very little of value. The only items of note that she carries are an emerald ring and a sword.

The band of the ring is silver, gracefully slender, and always carefully polished. Set into the band is a small, vivid emerald, cut in an oval shape and with a smoothed surface. Amira wears this ring on her right thumb, as it is too large for any of her other fingers.

The short sword which hangs from Amira's belt at all times is a simple weapon, its silver hilt always, like the ring, carefully polished, the emerald set into the hilt smooth and gleaming. Its home is a sturdy scabbard, from which Amira has removed it for nothing but cleaning and practice for many months.

Powers or Strengths:
(Amira has no magical powers, except for her ability to mentally “see” the astral plane [see weaknesses], which gives her no control over magic at all, only haunting visions that often adversely affect her. This “ability” may develop further, but as far as I can see, it will remain a distinct weakness.)

Her stature and build are deceptive; Amira is surprisingly strong and agile. She is adept with her sword and with her fists, and she is a quick runner. Although she would not be able to stand against most well-trained fighters, she would put up a better fight than most would expect; those who are not combative masters would do well, at least, to use caution, and to not underestimate her. She has, at least, the element of surprise in this respect.

Although she dresses simply and unpretentiously, Amira is not wanting for money. She has modest enough inheritances from her late parents and husband to survive without steady work, although this comfort may not last forever.

Weaknesses:
Amira tends to be very slow-acting, unwilling to move quickly in response to a situation. Instead, she would rather sit and consider a solution, which may often cost her valuable time and even endanger her and those around her.

Although she is a very friendly woman, Amira is not wont to fully trust those around her. Therefore, she has difficulty making true friends and opening up to people. She will often appear very amicable until someone asks something of her – or even offers something – that requires a certain amount of trust, at which point Amira will either lash out or close herself off, refusing to accept any semblance of real friendship.

Finally, Amira often becomes disconnected from reality, lost in thought, if you will. More than deep thinking, more than a meditative state, she becomes completely consumed by her musings, unable to react to what is happening around her unless forcibly roused. This usually happens when she is consciously considering something, but is capable of occurring anywhere, at any time. In fact, she is unconsciously dipping into the astral plane, not physically, but mentally, and not with any control over her sometimes horrific, always fixating “dreams” there. This not only puts her at a disadvantage while she is “dreaming”; the more terrible things that she sees follow her through life, haunting her.

History:
Amira was born far from Thar Shaddin, on another continent of Pal Tahrenor. She had a pleasant life: two loving parents, and, eventually, a beloved husband, Razier Lum, whom she married when she was only 19. Both her biological family and her married family were very wealthy, and Amira grew up in comfort and finery. Her parents had had her very late, and so it was no real surprise when her mother died when Amira was 20, her father when she was 21. She mourned the loss of her doting parents, but refused to let it affect her life and her marriage. She and Razier began trying for a child.

Although they were very wealthy, Amira did not spend her days relaxing and admiring her possessions. She learned to use a sword from her husband, and to fight with her fists and her feet. She considered it, at the time, an amusing hobby, a way for her and Razier to become closer. It didn't occur to her that Razier believed she might need to fight someday.

What Amira did not know was that Razier Lum was involved in some very shady ventures which often drew the anger of those he dealt with. One morning, Amira woke to find him in bed beside her, dead. In shock, she realized that Razier had been expecting something like this, and, fearing for her own life, she quickly gathered her money and her most valuable belongings and fled. All she knew was that she wanted – needed? -- to get out of that city, where she, as Razier's wife, was probably in danger. She was strong and agile; she changed into simple work clothes and begged passage on a ship, paying with work rather than with her small fortune (augmented by the sale of nearly everything of significant value she owned, except for a sword and her husband's ring), because she didn't know what awaited her on the other side of the ocean, and when she would need the money she had.

She worked well on the ship, but she was often distracted, both by her occasional dips into the astral plane and by her thoughts of what had transpired at home. There had been a reason for Razier's death, for he had expected it – this had been no random killing. Had he earned it? What had he done? She had trusted him, loved him, and now...she suspected he was a common criminal. In this way, her tendency to trust others was lost forever.

When the ship landed, she traded all but one or two of her fine dresses for passage further inland. Soon, she found herself in Marn, where she purchased a small house in the residential district. Alone, without a family, she settled into a place that was not, would never be, her home.