Welcome to Gaia! ::

Name :: Shadow
Age :: Unknown
Eyes :: Aquamarine; usually have no pupils
Hair :: Bright orange
Skin-tone :: Black
Distinguishing Features :: Swirling tattoos in black on both arms, usually has pointed ears
Jewelry :: Gold cuff in cartilage of one ear; blue stone suspended on black cord about neck, other random jewelry from time to time most likely
Occupation :: Thief
Interests :: Pickpocketing, bank heists, etc, good books, good company, money, relaxing on the beach
Bad habit :: Stealing even when he doesn't really need to
Post Color :: Black
Personality :: Shadow is almost always cheerful and upbeat - prone to play pranks and make jokes much more than he is to be serious. He's talkative and inherently friendly, though at the same time, he often will not approach people he senses may be dangerous. Having been a thief for the majority of his life, Shadow has developed the skills to read people, even at a distance or in a crowd. He's had to - since his life, at times, has depended upon this ability.

It's possible for him to be serious about things, he just prefers not to - life's not as much fun that way! Yet, at the same time, if one were to look into his eyes for a few moments, they might see just a bit of wisdom lurking beneath his child-like demeanor. In fact, he does take his 'job' seriously. In all the time he has been thieving, there have only been a handful of times he has failed. And most of those were because of factors completely out of his control.

Shadow can also be skittish, in certain ways. It's as if he has to constantly be moving, darting here and there about a room as he's talking to someone - or even just shifting his weight from foot to foot. He tilts his head, blinks, and makes expressive gestures with his hands while he talks, or listens. He might make an effort to curb all of this if he saw that it really annoyed someone, but more often than not, he wouldn't even notice that he was being annoying by his constant motion.

With those he cares for, or has decided to attach himself to (whether they want him there or not), Shadow is even friendlier than normal, and is attentive and eager to please. It upsets him if he does something wrong or upsets those he is close to. Even if their being upset isn't his fault, he will do just about anything he can to fix it, or to cheer them up. He's also very loyal and would likely never leave someone he is truly attached to, in one way or another.
History :: Shadow was born in a place that humans would call "Underhill". The fae, of course, have many other names for it. But Underhill will do for our purposes. To understand his early life, it's necessary to explain just a bit about the society he was born into. There are two main factions of fae living Underhill, and many, many different species of fae in each one. There are the "true" fae, which are basically what we would think of as elves... and then there are the others. There are fae based on different types of animals, on trees, other plants, on aspects of nature, and even on things so odd that most would not have a clue what to think of them.

The Seelie fae are those species who are allied on the "light" side of things. They are mostly made up of true fae and such other species as dryads, fairies, some animal fae, and the like. And then, there are the Unseelie fae. The Unseelie are traditionally thought of as those allied on the "dark" side of things, but that is not entirely true. Though most of the darker species of fae do belong to the Unseelie, they are not, by any means, all evil or bad. Rather, they are simply more... free with who they allow into their halls than the Seelie are. Think of it as if the Seelie were an exclusive university with certain criteria and the Unseelie were a less-strict university of group of universities who allowed more people in and didn't have as high a standard. Of course, because their standards are not as high, they are seen as less by the Seelie.

Now, as for Shadow, both of his parents came from the Unseelie - but one was a true fae and one was... other. His mother was the true fae, but his father was a Spider fae - which is precisely what it sounds like, a fae based upon the characteristics of a spider. Though his parents claimed to love one another, Shadow's father was called back to his own people soon after Shadow's birth and from that point on, Shadow has never seen him again. He has always thought that if his father truly did love his mother, he would find a way to return. This is part of the reason for Shadow's own loyalty and concert towards any that he cares for.

Shadow's mother was also fairly high up in the social structure of the Unseelie, which is comparable, in a way, to the courts of Medieval times in England or France. Thus, Shadow was constantly dragged along to one social function or another as he grew up, where he always had to be proper and polite and behave himself among his peers and those better than him (especially those better than him). Being such a free spirit, Shadow quickly grew tired of this and started to get frustrated with his life. He hated never being able to speak his mind, or play a joke without worrying about the political ramifications of such.

And so, as soon as he was deemed old enough to leave his mother's home and live by himself, he left the court. Then he left Underhill entirely and came into the world of the mortals. There, he roamed about for quite some time, learning what he could of humans and how they lived ... until he came upon a small temple one day which drew him, for some reason. This was a temple of Jorahna - an odd place, but one that he would grow to know, and love.

For Jorahna is the deity of thieves. No one knows for certain one way or the other what Jorahna's definite gender is, for the god keeps itself constantly wrapped in shadows and silence - speaking only in a soft, gender-neutral voice. Or else, directly into its follower's minds, in images and emotions. Jorahna's temples usually look like just a single, small building above-ground - but each one is the entrance to a veritable warren of tunnels and other secret passages that run throughout the cities where they are located. Only Priests and certain select others are allowed full access to these passages, however. Priests also live in the temples and/or tunnels, at least for the first few years after becoming a Priest, while they build up their own funds from percentages taken out of successful jobs. There are certain areas marked off as living quarters and each person typically has a room or rooms to themselves. But there are also common areas where all can meet and mingle together, so there's generally always someone about.

To become a Priest of Jorahna, one much swear an oath to the god, and agree to serve it for a minimum of twenty years. Then they much train, and eventually pass a test set to them by the current Priests - usually to steal something of value that is very difficult to get to. Each Priest is also a master thief, and many oversee networks of street thieves and beggar children (cleverly made to look more pitiful than they actually are) in order to supplement their own income from jobs they receive.

Lest you think that all Priests and their underlings are evil, however, allow me to explain that this is not the case at all. One of the cardinal rules of the temples is that one is never allowed to steal from those who cannot afford to be stolen from. This ensures that only those who already have too much in the way of money or goods will end up losing some of it to the thieves. The one exception to this rule is if whatever the item in question is has already been stolen once and the job is to get it back. In such a case, they may take the item from whoever currently has it in order to restore it to its rightful owner.

It was here that Shadow found his true home, and companions. Now, he has been a Priest of Jorahna for several years, and has since built up his own store of wealth and a group of friends and companions he cares for far more than he ever did for any of his own race. Having recently ... "acquired" a child through the ICRS, Shadow now lives in a small house with Fiosdae and a number of odd pets that seem to gravitate there for some reason.

Umm... what is the echo of, and how was Kyou able to put it in a vial?

Well... yeah? It's a sound, so it has to sound like something. Not to mention you can make the essence a great deal more interesting if you have it more described in that sense.

And the thing that made the Divine Song a fel essence was that it could be captured in a vial. I suppose you could go without a way for it to be bottled, but as the essence stands now it's kind of bland. XD; Having a unique way for it to be containable will up the cool points.

Your Toxic Addcition amuses me.
Especially if my concept Raevan Tama were to come alive.
xDD <3