Name: Aylin
Race: Shifter
Gender: Female
3 Base Traits: Poetic, Optimistic, Genuine
Strengths: Curious, Observant, Kind
Flaws: Conflicted, Uncertain, Skittish
Personality: Having grown up in a small community with caring parents, Aylin grew up honestly; she is unabashed by genuinely communicating her thoughts and even emotions. She’s always found herself to be a bit of a “dreamer” as some would say, observing nature with a romantic eye that lends itself to creative musings and absentmindedly muttering a rhyme or singing short verses while doing chores. If she could only paint for others what she sees in her mind’s eye; Aylin is the type to stop by a seemingly insignificant fern, just to observe the way a particular beam of sunlight illuminates the veins of its leaves and the rainbow hues cast by the dew collected on its filament hairs in the morning hours.
Since the attack on her village, Aylin finds herself more jumpy than she used to be; unexpected, loud crashes send her into a momentary panic and she still finds herself jerked awake during the night with only a dry mouth and a fleeting sensation of terror. Particularly in these moments, she fears that she will lose control of her magic again to severe repercussions and she’s particularly skittish around material susceptible to combustion should a stray spark ignite them. While she feels the desire for friendship and close relationships, she is also more loathe to open herself up to the possibility of losing them- struggling with the loss of all those she held dear, and in some small part still hoping that at least her parents survived.
Now that she’s had time to settle into her new routine as an apprentice to Birko she feels optimistic once again, looking for the best in any given person or situation. She still looks upon her past with an empty ache, but can at least appreciate that it lead her to understanding why she’s felt so connected to Jauhar. However, she finds herself uncertain about her future now that she’s shown a talent for magic- destructive forces struggling to find balance with those that are restorative- and feels almost at odds with the more volatile nature asserting itself over her more gentle rearing. The morality of placing value on one life more than another’s has absorbed her thoughts just as much lately, still struggling with the conflict of whether or not taking one life to preserve another is moral and even worthwhile. Her curious nature survived the war and the horrors she’s faced, revealing itself in her desire to learn more about herself and magic, discovering more about the world and its inhabitants, and poking her nose in the business of others- merely by virtue of being both observant and curious.
History: Aylin grew up quietly in a small Shifter village near Neued, raised by her parents to show kindness towards others and be true to oneself, her mother being an artisan and her father a healer. They encouraged her to pursue her interests, tutoring her in both their arts and allowing her to pursue her own creative outlets until she could determine what she wanted to dedicate herself to. She loved exploring the forest of her village and feeling connected to its abundance of flora and fauna, appreciating the smell of damp earth after rain to the sounds of Kipepwi fluttering through the trees. Hours were spent after lessons just wandering, taking in all she could of the world around her and letting its mystery fill her with inspiration for a bit of poetry here, a drabble of song there. It was as if she could feel the forest calling her name, as though it and the Shifter gods had a special holdover her, and although she was never wanting for friends, she prefered solitude just as much as company. Never did she feel more connected to Juahar than during a storm; she would risk the perils of venturing into the canopy just so she could feel the wind and rain, keeping an eye to the dark clouds overhead for a flash of lightning and anticipating the reverberation of thunder in her bones.
But this quiet life was not to last, and during the war with the Obans, her village was one of many that suffered from the Oban’s advance on Neued. Aylin was wandering during one of her nature walks at dusk when she smelt what all those who live in a forest fear - smoke. She turned towards the direction of her village and was mortified by the glow fleeting between the trees, feeling as if the wind itself was carrying her on her feet as she ran full bore towards her home. But it was too late, even as she approached the remnants of her village, she was waylaid by the sight of a childhood friend running towards her. A figure crashed through the foliage behind her friend and Aylin was stopped in her tracks as her friend crumpled before her, having been cut down by the sword-wielding Oban who had pursued her. A wordless cry gathered in Aylin’s throat, she couldn’t process the loss she was witnessing and that emptiness was replaced with a burning rage- expressed as a bolt of lightning that lashed out at the Oban attacker now drawing towards her. She was shaken then out of her stupor by the ferocity of what had just occurred and looked down to find that the Oban was a young man, no older than she was. Seeing the horror of her own eyes reflected in his now dull, lifeless ones, she fled back into the forest.
She lived in terror for a week as she made her way towards Neued, assuming any other survivors would venture towards the nearest Shifter settlement and having heard tale that warriors and mages of all kinds were rallying there to push back the Obans. She made it there relieved to find the battle over, but had lost much strength to hunger and a multitude of minor injuries in her haste to escape- barely making it to one of the aid tents before collapsing. While she spent unconscious days recovering, Aylin suffered from night terrors- reliving the act of killing the young warrior over and over again. Unable to wake, her fear found an outlet in magic, most times manifesting merely as a static shock when someone changed the cloth upon her forehead and another time creating perilous arcs of electricity that endangered the canvas beside her cot. Biroki happened to be one of the healers to make rounds in the tent she found herself in and by the grace of fortune was in attendance when the latter display occurred. Reminding Biroki of himself as a young Shifter dealing with emerging magic and of his lost daughter, when Aylin did wake he took the initiative of introducing himself and feeling out her situation before offering to take her on as his apprentice. Aylin hesitantly accepted; she recognized how much she had to learn now that a talent for magic had presented itself and as neither of her parents were particularly skillful warriors she had little hope that they had survived the attack, particularly after seeking out other refugees once she’d recovered and coming up empty-handed.
She returned to Ast with Biroki and his daughter Ikkio, who made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end with her cold eyes and demure manner. As they traveled she found that Ikkio would find private ways to taunt or harass her, seemingly trying to needle her into some blind act of rage, but to what end Aylin couldn’t guess. Still, when they made it to Ast things seemed to turn around, Ikkio spent more time studying under Reshel and Aylin had fallen into a steady routine as Biroki’s apprentice- studying control of her affinity for electricity. By the time the Alkidike Extremists posed a threat serious enough for Biroki to answer the call of action, Ikkio had moved on to greener pastures and new opportunities. Biroki asked that she stay in Ast to study with Reshel and she gladly agreed, not eager to face another war again so soon and happy to focus on now learning some water magic and healing. She found herself far more comfortable with the restorative aspect of her talents, although it pained her to be reminded of her father while studying basic remedies of the non-magic variety, and was delighted when Biroki returned from the conflict with the Extremists.
Description: Slim/lithe, hourglass figure with small, oblong crystals in clusters of three at her forehead, shoulders, collar bone, hips, and ankles.
Clothing: She wears an
unadorned halter top (tan or brown, CC) that leaves the crystals on her chest and shoulders revealed. A mid thigh-length blue
split skirt with a dark brown band at her hips worn over tan shorts. She wears simple brown
barefoot shoes on her feet because she loves to feel the trees and earth beneath her. She prefers a plain, practical outfit, feeling no need for tons of danglies, just a couple accents of flowers, wooden beads, or feathers that help her feel connected to the flora and fauna of Juahar.
Accessories: Natural fiber
circlet that she likes to weave feathers, wood or ceramic beads, and flowers into (CC).
Starting Stage || Prentice
Connected to ||
Biroki (if Shifter)
Creator || DraconicFeline
Please note the following: -Please offer comments/suggestions for improvement.
-My intention is to have her quest to become a Shaman mastering Lightning, Water, Air; Heal, Life, Force in the long-term.
-I am more than willing to purchase merchant items for the clothing & accessory as I realize they are more specific than the average application.
Reply
