Traits Magical knack (magic)
Chosen class: Inquisitor
Although she has had no formal magical schooling, Ari has developed a foundational understanding of spellcasting due to growing up around the priestly magics of both the churches of Cyric and Leira. Possessed of a keen mind, she has been able to strip away some of the mystery of spellcasting to perceive how it functions.
Reactionary (combat)
The competitive nature of life growing up in the church of Cyric, not to mention the additional unwanted attention Ari attracted as a result of her heritage, meant that she quickly learned how to fend for herself. Naturally quick, her reactions only got faster in attempts to avoid bullying and pre-empt attacks by either dodging or striking first.
River rat (regional)
Ari has spent a decent chunk of time on the barges of the River Chionthar, running from Baldur’s Gate to Iriaebor and everywhere in between. Of necessity she learned how to swim, working her way up to feeling at ease from almost drowning the first time she fell into the water. She is also used to having to fight her corner and defend herself and has always favoured the dagger - chosen weapon of both Cyric and Leira, as well as something she can easily conceal on her person.
Touched by divinity (campaign)
Domain: trickery; spell: disguise self 1/day (CL 1st)
Although she was brought up in the church of Cyric, and she did not understand their meaning at the time, for as long as she can remember, Ari has had sporadic signs which she now believes to be the hand of Leira. A fortuitous cloud of mist she could hide in, the quiet chime of atonal music with no obvious source, a curious amplification of a whispered secret: these things have always happened to her so as far as Ari is concerned she has always been a Leiran, even when what she knew of her goddess is radically different to what she now believes.
Drawbacks Foul brand
The Towers of the Eternal Eclipse used to stamp the symbol of Cyric on their indentured servants as a mark of their status. The back of Ari’s hand bears this branding, an unwelcome reminder of unhappy times. As far as possible she tries to conceal it through make-up, gloves, decorative tattoos, but it is ordinarily still visible even if it has faded somewhat over the years.
Paranoid
Having grown up having to regularly fend for herself and constantly watch her back, exacerbated by the various social mistakes she made when she first escaped from the clutches of Cyric’s church, Ari’s experience has taught her to instinctively mistrust others as her default position.
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Gear
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Combat Gear Herald-of-Thunder (MW shock dagger), MW dagger, cold iron dagger, silver dagger, dagger, shortbow, 20 arrows, lamellar cuirass
Consumable Gear vermin repellent
Worn Gear explorer’s outfit, spring-loaded wrist sheath, spring-loaded wrist sheath, belt pouch, silver holy symbol of Leira
Carried Gear backpack, bedroll, blanket, mess kit, waterskin, waterproof bag, MW thieves’ tools, dagger, gear maintenance kit, disguise kit, grooming kit, 5 perfume, ear plugs, flint and steel, 5 tindertwigs, oil vial, inkpen, ink, invisible ink (average), journal, cheap holy text, 5 pieces of chalk, signal whistle, twine, bell, dice
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Weight On her person: 29.5 lbs, backpack 31 lbs, total 57.5 lbs
Carrying capacity Light load 0–30 lbs Medium load 31–60 lbs Heavy load 61–90 lbs
Money 237 gp, 10 sp, 7 cp
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Abilities
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Weapon and armour proficiency
Rogues are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, short sword, and shortbow. They are proficient with light armour, but not with shields.
Sneak attack
If a rogue can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage.
The rogue’s attack deals extra damage anytime her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the rogue flanks her target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and increases by 1d6 every 2 rogue levels thereafter, Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet. This additional damage is precision damage and is not multiplied on a critical hit.
With a weapon that deals nonlethal damage (such as a sap, unarmed strike, or whip), a rogue can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack – not even with the usual –4 penalty.
The rogue must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A rogue cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with total concealment.
Sneak stab
A knife master focuses her ability to deal sneak attack damage with daggers and similar weapons to such a degree that she can deal more sneak attack damage with those weapons at the expense of sneak attacks with other weapons. When she makes a sneak attack with a dagger, kerambit, kukri, punching daggers, starknife, or swordbreaker dagger, she uses d8s to roll sneak attack damage instead of d6s. For sneak attack damage with all other weapons, she uses d4s instead of d6s.
This ability is identical to sneak attack in all other ways and supplements that ability.
Hidden blade
A knife master adds 1/2 her level on Sleight of Hand checks made to conceal a light blade.
This ability replaces trapfinding.
Finesse training
At 1st level, a rogue gains Deft Manoeuvres as a bonus feat. In addition, starting at 3rd level, she can select any one weapon group listed under the fighter’s Weapon Training class feature. Once this choice is made, it cannot be changed. Whenever she makes a successful melee attack with a finesse weapon or an agile weapon from this group, she adds her Dexterity modifier instead of her Strength modifier to the damage roll. If any effect would prevent the rogue from adding her Strength modifier to the damage roll, she does not add her Dexterity modifier. The rogue can select a second group at 11th level and a third at 19th level.
Chosen group: light blades.
Evasion
At 2nd level, a rogue can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she succeeds at a Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the rogue is wearing light armour or no armour. A helpless rogue does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Blade sense
At 3rd level, a knife master is so skilled in combat involving light blades that she gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made against her with light blades. This bonus increases by +1 for every three levels, to a maximum of +6 at 18th level.
This ability replaces trap sense.
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Racial traits
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Ability score modifiers: Deft and charming, these bestial tieflings inherit much of the subtlety and guile of their rakshasa progenitors. They gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, and –2 Wisdom.
Type: Tieflings are outsiders with the native subtype.
Size: Tieflings are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Base speed: Tieflings have a base speed of 30 feet.
Languages: Tieflings begin play speaking Common and either Abyssal or Infernal. Tieflings with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following languages: Abyssal, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Infernal, and Orc.
Fiendish resistance: Tieflings have cold resistance 5, electricity resistance 5, and fire resistance 5.
Skilled: Tieflings have a +2 racial bonus on Disguise and Sense Motive checks.
Spell-like ability (Sp): Tieflings can use detect thoughts once per day as a spell-like ability (caster level equal to the tiefling’s class level).
Darkvision: Tieflings can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.
Prehensile tail: Many tieflings have tails, but some have long flexible tails that can be used to carry items. While they cannot wield weapons with their tails, they can use them to retrieve small, stowed objects carried on their persons as a swift action. This racial trait replaces fiendish sorcery.
Background:
Ari Zarromyr was born in Zazesspur, Tethyr in the Year of the Plagued Lords (1471 DR), the unholy progeny of a younger daughter in a minor noble family. Mother and babe survived the birth in a healthy enough condition but the child was blue-skinned, with a shock of white hair and a tail. An individual bearing such an obvious taint of the lower planes was never going to be acceptable to polite society so she was set to be slain, though in the end was sold clandestinely to the Cyricists of the Dark Embrace. From there she was taken to the western Twin Tower of the Eternal Eclipse in southern Amn, hidden in the Small Teeth mountains, where she grew up working as a servant and kitchen girl for the priests and soldiers of the Dark Sun.
Feared and mistrusted due to her strange appearance and infernal heritage, she was bullied, beaten and mistreated. However, she learned how to fight back, teaching herself how to wield a dagger with natural agility. She also found that honeyed words in the right ear, being able to invade others’ thoughts, and the ability to hold her hand under the cooking flames in the kitchen without getting burned also help with getting people to leave you alone. Similarly, Ari learned the necessity of hiding her appearance in order to try and blend in and discovered it wasn’t nearly as difficult as she feared it might be. Changes in voice, tone and body language all often counted for more than physical appearance. “People see what they expect to see,” as she would put it, “and hear what they want to.” She was also a born bender of the truth, able to spin tall tales, little white lies and half-truths with ease. Through this she hoped to curry favour with Cyric which would see her able to advance to a different position within the Tower or - however difficult it may seem - escape to a different life.
It was ultimately the latter of the two which came to pass. In her early teens, Ari was one of a number of servants brought out to support a small group travelling to the Eastern Tower. Unfortunately for the Cyricists, they were set upon by a band of gnoll raiders which slaughtered the travellers. Left unconscious, trapped under a wagon, and presumed dead, Ari came to realising that she was both alive and effectively alone. Wriggling free and determined to make sure that there were no witnesses left behind, she carefully checked the carnage, discovering that one of the temple acolytes was also still clinging to life - at least until she abruptly ended it. Following the tenets of the Prince of Lies, she had no qualms about plunging in the knife that would ensure her safety and an amazing chance for freedom.
Realising the need for haste and care, and with essentially no experience of the world outside, Ari did her best to hide her distinctive appearance and made a quick decision on which way to go. Eliminating east and west as the routes leading to the Twin Towers, and without even a single coin to her name to flip, she whispered a prayer for divine guidance. As if in response, she was greeted by a pair of watchful eyes in a cloud of mist that blinked at her a few times before fading away. Choosing to follow this sign, she made her way quickly north and ultimately out of the Small Teeth, cold and hungry but alive. From there she continued to head away from the only home she had ever known, moving cautiously along the road north. With no idea where she was heading except for as far away as possible, Ari learned that Crimmor would be an idea destination in that the City of Caravans would offer passage to dozens of locations across Faerûn.
Skirting first Imnescar and Purskul, she continued up the Orc Road until she reached Crimmor. Overwhelmed and disoriented by the sights, smells and size of the City of Caravans, she solved the immediate problem of coin by purloining a couple of purses, keen to get out of a place she did not understand and fearing the potential repercussions if the clergy of the Dark Embrace discovered she was still alive. To that end she was able to purchase passage, willing to labour in return for sustenance and safe passage, with a large trading coster caravan heading north up the Bitten Road to Nashkel and then beyond into the Western Heartlands. When the vast distances of the ultimate destination were explained to her, she was only too happy to accept the dangers of the road for the ultimate reward of being hundreds of miles away, far beyond the dominion of the Twin Towers of the Eternal Eclipse.
Used to hard work, she was able to make herself useful easily enough. If her new life so far had been a struggle to survive, there were some further painful lessons learned during the journey. Ari discovered that open veneration of Cyric was frowned upon, if not met with horror. Similarly, drawing steel in a minor altercation almost got her thrown off the caravan train, but through fast talking and a nimble tongue she prevented this from happening. These were hard lessons, but useful, and led to her becoming even more guarded with her thoughts and her history. Instead Ari spent a great deal of time watching, listening and learning from others about this world which had expanded her horizons beyond measure.
She was watching her back the whole way, and it took a very long time - ultimately not until she was at the Cavern of Mists - before she accepted that the church of Cyric was not looking for her. Once she was presented with the undeniable facts that they did not know she was alive, she was not important, and that it would be far easier for them to simply buy or capture another poor soul to replace her, she finally stopped looking over her shoulder - for the Cyricists, at least.
As she struggled to adjust to her new life outside the narrow physical, mental and spiritual confines of the church of Cyric, Ari continued to watch and learn from other people and encountered continuous challenges to the opinions and beliefs she had been indoctrinated with. Still concerned about potential pursuit, and not wanting to stay in one place for too long, especially if her views brought her into conflict with others, she took a series of jobs across the Western Heartlands. Although it was hardly a life of luxury, she enjoyed the opportunity to travel, working on the many barges on the River Chionthar, shipping goods to and fro. She also worked regularly as a barmaid, serving girl, guard, or indeed anything that someone was willing to pay her to do. Even with the various setbacks caused by her numerous hard lessons on how the rest of Faerûn worked outside of the walls of the Eternal Eclipse, Ari relished her relative freedom to have control of her own life.
Over time her preconceptions and opinions began to shift, as they almost inevitably would in the face of her new reality. It was during her first trip to Iriaebor that Ari had the auspicious meeting which would reshape her young life. Mistcaller Ffionara Yolmenara, priestess of Leira sought out the girl – Ari believes this to have been fate – and offered her the chance to come and learn about the Lady of the Mists. In the Tower of the Eternal Eclipse, Cyric being a jealous megalomaniacal deity, most of what she learned about the rest of the pantheon – if she learned anything at all – was negative. Most other gods and their worshippers were naïve or foolish or not to be trusted. As Leira was one of the few gods she actually knew something of – there being some similarities with Cyric’s portfolio, and she had been taught that the Mistshadow was the daughter of the Black Sun – Ari was naturally curious. Lured by the promise of making sense of so many things, and the promise of a safe environment to learn, ask questions and make mistakes without fear of repercussions, Ari grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
And so began her time at the Cavern of Mists, a holy site and hidden place of worship dedicated to Leira in the Ridge mountains, under the shadow of the Snakewood in eastern Amn. This is the defining period of Ari’s life so far as it helped her to mould her beliefs and thoughts. It may have been a challenging handful of years for her but she rose to meet it. For the first time in her life she was presented with an education. Able to put her keen intellect to use, she learned how to read and write and much more besides, absorbing information like a sponge. Sorting through it, with its various internal contradictions and shades of grey, not to mention how it contrasted with the certainties she had grown up with, was a considerably harder task and one she is ultimately still grappling with. Sometimes she was confronted with things that were the opposite of what she had been taught from childhood, others that were more subtle shifts that reshaped what she understood. On a spiritual level, Ari found that all of the secrets of the church, the hidden truths and illusory misdirection were an enjoyable challenge to entangle and one that chimed with her personally. She came to believe that she had always actually been a follower of Leira on some level and that the various signs she had received on occasions throughout her life were marks of divine approval.
Lessons were varied – sometimes unstructured, sometimes untutored – and with the freedom to pursue her own interests. Ari appreciated the opportunities and flexibility, this fitting with her own desire to live as she pleased. The value of how to hide and how to reveal things, of knowledge and secrets, and how to use them as currency, were core tenets underpinning much of the church’s teaching. She also had chances to put her newfound learning and beliefs into practice. Going into Keczulla, Eshpurta and other local places she was able to develop her ability to gather information and to spread rumours, misinformation and half truths. She also had the opportunity to work on disguises and personas in order to further enhance her skills, something she relished.
A part of her could probably have stayed at the Cavern of Mists forever, donning the white and grey robes and silvered mask of the priesthood. Certainly it was the first time she had felt relatively comfortable and properly at home somewhere. But ultimately the lure of the road, the ability to march to the beat of her own drum, was too strong. Keen to put her new skills and understanding to the test, to taste the freedoms and experience properly the world she now knew so much more about. Of course she still had much to learn and to figure out – processing the teachings and dogma of not one but two distinct churches, working out what she believed in and who she really was – but she was young and restless and chose to explore those things by living them.
In many ways Ari returned to the same way of life she had lived in the relatively short period between her time in the two churches. This time, however, she was much more knowledgeable, perhaps a little wiser, and ready to embrace new opportunities with her arms wide open – in her own secretive ways, at least. Having polished her skills, she found that she could slip back into work easily enough, able to adopt personas for extended periods of time. Partly this was to avoid the unfortunate prejudice that her heritage afforded her from some quarters, partly because it aligned with Leira’s teaching to keep secrets and spread illusions, and not a little because she enjoyed the thrill and challenge. Although she was far better equipped now, Ari maintained her wary, guarded nature, something that her time in the Cavern of Mists shifted and redirected rather than removed. Proudly independent, she continued to keep others at arm’s length, even if this might not actually have been what she wanted deep down. In her more honest moments, she recognised that really she was looking for both closer bonds and true acceptance, but with no real idea how to achieve them. Fear of rejection of who she really was niggled at her, not to mention the fact that with the personas she adopted – whether particular facets of Ari or another character entirely – she was having something of an identity crisis.
The most enjoyable period during this time was the summer of the Year of Three Ships Sailing (1492 DR). For a few glorious months, Ari fell in with a travelling troupe of entertainers, freewheeling and carousing from village to city in Elturgard and beyond. Led by a pair of old friends from Waterdeep, noblewoman Sulita Dezlentyr and moon elf Thalanil Silvermist, all were welcome in a roving cast of characters. In a relaxed structure with similarly-minded people, Ari was able to perform by doing what she enjoyed and what she was good at, which perhaps unsurprisingly turned out to be juggling, knife throwing, and acting in a variety of roles from tense drama to high mummery. Pursuing something that blended work, play, personal freedom and companionship, she felt like she had found her tribe.
Sadly for Ari, this good thing came to a premature end. As autumn drew in, Sulita and Thalanil headed back north to the City of Splendours for Highharvesttide to prepare for the winter ball season and pick up teaching jobs respectively. With the two leaders gone, the group disbanded and went their separate ways, albeit with the promise of future revelry. For Ari this meant a somewhat unwelcome return to other employment. Although she picked it up without much complaint - the necessity of coin to live on is a powerful motivator - she did it with less of her usual relish.
Similarly, the questions of herself, her identity and her place that had been brushed aside during that carefree summer resurfaced. She had started taking some tentative footsteps towards forging more meaningful relationships, but now she began to question it. Yes, her companions had accepted her in spite of her fiendish bloodline – no small thing and one which she was grateful for. But did they enjoy the company of the laid-back, fun tiefling she had presented as, rather than the Ari that she kept hidden and who they may only have caught glimpses of? The waning of the year brought fewer opportunities on the river so an uncharacteristically brooding Ari took a job with the intention of wintering at the Friendly Arm Inn, waiting tables and waiting to resolve something of her identity crisis. However, the posting of a notice from the church of Selûne caught her eye. With the chance for adventure, money and a new start a careful observer may have noticed a new spring in the tiefling’s step as opportunity beckons once more.
Disguises:
Ari has a few personas that she has developed and uses regularly. She has found that her skin tone allows her to claim to be both air and water genasi with few people able to convincingly argue against this given most folk have little knowledge or experience of elemental-kin. Passing as human requires rather more effort and heavier make-up, though she has a natural versatility which is a boon. Her pointed ears are also an easy sign that she can point to if she is pretending to be half-elven. Experience has taught her that speech, manner, posture and body language are just as important as appearance and clothing - generally people see what they expect to. Her time in the Cavern of MIsts and acting in the troupe gave her plenty of opportunities to dress up and practise all kinds of roles, as well as to embrace her enthusiasm for doing so - Ari finds wearing a disguise and a persona as much about play as it is work.
Aamina Cloudspirit
Back combing her hair to further increase its natural volume, clothing with voluminous sleeves and a flighty demeanour are key components to playing Aamina Cloudspirit. An absent-minded tavern girl with big dreams that seem incompatible with her distracted air, Ari is able to use this as cover to listen into lots of interesting conversations while customers believe her head is in the clouds. She claims to be from Arabel in Cormyr but is an itinerant worker, travelling from town to town across the Western Heartlands. Aamina doesn’t struggle to gain employment but rarely stays too long in one place, always looking for the next lucky break that she is convinced will bring her fame or fortune.
Haliyouna Eventide
Slicking her hair down with copious amounts of oil or similar lubricants to achieve a wet look, along with judicious placement of the same on her skin to make it glisten, lets Ari slip into the role of Haliyouna Eventide. A minor merchant hailing from Baldur’s Gate, she is a tough negotiator with a large collection of water-based turns of phrase and sometimes-colourful language, which she hints is from some kind of mysterious seafaring past. A long navy blue trench coat encircled by a wide belt is Haliyouna’s signature look.
Jhessa Florica
The only one of Ari’s disguises that is a real person, Jhessa Florica is a head-turningly pretty blonde acolyte of Lliira originally from the tiny hamlet of Fendarl’s Gate. Ari was working on the barge that helped the girl flee retribution after some inter-church conflict between the Cry of Joy and the Cyricists of the Fist of the Future in Hill’s Edge. With Jhessa bound for Waterdeep and unlikely to be returning from the CIty of Splendours any time soon, Ari doesn’t feel there’s much risk in borrowing her identity from time to time. A petite figure with the frame of a dancer, she accentuates this with form-hugging outfits and a shyly sweet manner that has most people eating out of the palm of her hand. Ari knows that most men, and not a few women, find Jhessa attractive and she had a grudging respect for the girl for not leaning into it and trading off her looks or flirtations too much, even if she personally found the priestess rather naive and overly earnest. This disguise requires heavier make-up and is harder to conceal her tail, though she is aided by the fact most people tend to be focusing on any number of her other features.
Calarel Ithruen
Dressed in a large hooded cloak and boots that are both well-made and well-worn, with her bow slung prominently over her shoulder, Ari uses this outfit to present as a classically taciturn woodswoman. Lightening her skin but maintaining a blue tinge allows her to claim moon elf heritage and she makes a point of stroking her ears, drawing attention to the pointed tips that people expect to see. That fact she can speak the elven tongue also adds credence to her disguise. With rangers being widely respected by the people of the Heartlands and not expected to be the life and soul of the party, Ari has found adopting the person of Calarel to be a highly effective way of sitting quietly in a corner, minding her own business and observing both people and deeds.
20 personality questions:
1. What is your character’s name?
Ari Zarromyr. This is her chosen name; her birth name is unknown to her as she was abandoned as a baby and she has made a conscious choice never to use the name she was known by growing up once she had escaped the church of Cyric.
2. How old is your character?
21
3. What would somebody see at first glance (i.e. height, weight, skin color, eye color, hair color, physique, race, and visible equipment)?
Assuming you’re looking at her in her natural state - definitely not a given due to her penchant for disguises - you would notice a pale-blue-skinned young woman with a head of thick, shoulder-length white hair that the word mane genuinely does justice too. An angular face contains intelligent blue eyes and an expressive mouth that can flip easily between serious and silly, sweet and seductive as the mood takes her. A slender frame of average height is usually clad in well-worn leathers, traveller’s clothes and a road cloak. This can be enhanced with a variety of accessories as the mood and need takes her. A dagger rests at her hip, supplemented by three hidden ones - one in the top of each boot and a third strapped to a sheath on her left wrist. Usually hidden by her large cloak, or wrapped up and tucked away, lurks a thin tail tipped by a tuft of dense white hair.
4. What additional attributes would be noticed upon meeting the character (i.e. Speech, mannerisms)?
Used to independence and with a default position of not trusting others, Ari’s body language can seem defensive and she’s usually on guard. The wary, hooded stranger with a hand never too far from a blade may be a well-worn traveller’s cliche but she would say that for a runaway tiefling used to travelling across large stretches of wilderness it’s simply good sense.
Her voice is naturally quiet but clear - loudness would have brought attention or punishment in the Twin Towers of the Eternal Eclipse, and neither is it readily compatible with Leira’s teachings on secrets and illusions.
She naturally wants something to do with her hands so is likely to be fiddling with something - the hilt of a blade, rolling a coin between her fingers, tracing the tattoo on her hip - or concentrating hard so as not to be doing this.
5. Where was your character born? Where were you raised? By who?
She was born in Zazzespur to a younger daughter of a minor Tethyrian noble family. Clearly unable to claim an infernally-tainted child as a member of the family, she was ultimately sold to the Dark Embrace sect of the church of Cyric rather than slain as her mother ultimately couldn’t bear to do the deed.
Until her escape in her early teens, she was raised in the church of Cyric at the western Twin Tower of the Eclipse, hidden in the Small Teeth mountains in Amn.
6. Who are your parents? Are they alive? What do they do for a living?
Ari doesn’t know who her parents were and doesn’t really care. She figures that on balance it is more likely that she is the child of someone who perished at the hand of the Cyricists rather than someone within the church itself. Certainly she has no recollection of anybody treating her as she would expect a parent to, even within the structure of the church. Of course, she is aware of the possibility that her appearance and heritage could mean that she was disowned but everything here is supposition and guesswork.
At this point in time she has no interest in tracing her lineage. Partly this is because she has no desire to have anything further to do with the Twin Towers, partly because she doubts she will be able to find anything out, and partly because she doesn’t see how it would improve her life if, as she suspects, her parents are dead or had abandoned her. As a follower of Leira, she understands that not all secrets need to be uncovered and this is one such.
7. Do you have any other family or friends?
Ari has no family that she is aware of. Friends is a trickier prospect - as a wanderer who moves on from place to place, as well as someone who regularly operates in disguise, opportunities to build friendships can be limited. On top of this is Ari’s guarded personality that means she often keeps people at arm’s length. She is socially competent so doesn’t struggle to get along with people and make acquaintances but the above are obstacles for anything developing beyond this.
8. What is your character’s marital status? Kids?
She is single and more than happy that way at the moment, free to live as she chooses, do whatever she wants, bed whoever she wants and not to deal with the responsibilities that a relationship entails. She is quite happy to voice that opinion, which is at least on the surface true. What she doesn’t say is that bitter experience has left her afraid of making herself vulnerable and sharing her whole self with another - if she is even capable of doing that, which she at least realises she isn’t currently. Although she is struggling to admit it to herself, it is ultimately something that she probably does aspire to at an indeterminate point in the future, at least on her own terms. After all, what truer form of acceptance is there than that of a long-lasting partnership?
Ari has no plans on having children any time soon and, as things stand, probably ever. Having grown up an orphan, nothing about motherhood appeals to her. She’s also acutely aware of the prejudice people can show her due to her appearance and heritage so she has no desire to pass on those problems to any offspring. She always keeps a supply of nararoot to be brewed into tea to avoid unwanted conception.
9. What is your character’s alignment?
Chaotic neutral.
10. What is your character’s moral code?
Having come to expect the worst from others and that they would display the behaviours she had experienced, observed and in turn enacted, Ari has slowly learned that not everyone is motivated entirely by self-interest and certainly is not out to harm others. Indeed she takes a hard line against that, wanting to distance herself from the church of Cyric and in line with the teaching of Leira. At the same time, she’s not particularly altruistic or possessed of the conviction to ‘fight for what’s right’ at every opportunity. She strongly dislikes wanton cruelty though and could intervene if there is some obviously wrong behaviour on display or something reminiscent of her treatment as a child.
Ultimately having experienced plenty of both mistreatment and prejudice she’s very much a live and let live person. Unless you’re an open Cyricist, in which case you can expect a dagger in the back - or indeed the front - if the opportunity presents itself.
11. Does your character have goals?
Ari is not really given to long-term planning. She mostly thinks in the short-term and tends not to stay in one place for too long. She is still learning about the world and wants to do this by seeing, sensing and experiencing things. She is not after fame - why in the Nine Hells would she want to draw attention to herself? - and fortune is useful only in as much as it allows her to spend her time how she chooses, which admittedly is important to her. In her more introspective moments she would be forced to admit that sorting through her identity crisis and building some relationships with people of her choosing is something that she would like to do but she is worried that both she and others may not like what they find if they got to know her properly. And she’s young and free, happy to work in order to play, so what’s the rush when she could be doing something more fun?
12. Is your character religious?
Yes, fairly strongly. She has pledged herself to Leira, goddess of illusions and secrets, having renounced Cyric, whom she grew up worshipping. As a result of two extensive periods of her life living in the house of a god she is still trying to work out a truth she is happy with and can align with her own beliefs.
13. What are your character’s personal beliefs?
Having spent far more of her life with very limited control or freedom, Ari believes that life is very much for living. How one chooses to spend their time is up to any individual but as long as it doesn’t impinge too much on others, especially herself, then she’s all for letting folks do what they want and what they enjoy. Personal liberty and self-determination are therefore important to her and while she is not a reckless hedonist, she values the ability to prioritise her own pleasure, which she generally does as the mood takes her. She takes the teachings of Leira seriously and puts value in secrets and the power they give. What she has yet to learn is that the real beauty of secrets is that when shared judiciously they can produce a powerful bond of the sort that deep down she is looking for.
14. Does your character have any personality quirks (i.e. anti-social, arrogant, optimistic, paranoid)?
Secretive, paranoid, a teller of falsehoods and half-truths - but not necessarily in a bad way.
Having grown up under and around some of the worst of humanity, it’s unsurprising that she picked a lot of behaviours - selfishness, deviousness, lying - from others which take time to sort through and unlearn. For reasons of self-defence she learned how to put up walls and deflect, as well as how to blend in. It’s hard to trust people in this case, especially when you expect others to behave in these ways. Over time, however, she has shed the worst of these behaviours and has learned how to temper others and to use them for better purpose in line with the teachings of the Mistshadow.
Ari values her liberty now she is out from the oppression of the Cyricists, but she is carefree rather than careless - she’s naturally on her guard and maintaining various characters while in disguise requires skills and concentration. She is occasionally overconfident, believing that she can think or talk her way out of any situation, rather than not getting herself into trouble in the first place.
Although she is proudly independent and self-sufficient, because she’s struggling with her identity, she’s also quite susceptible to the influence of those around her. Now knowing that many of the things she grew up believing were either false or not necessarily acceptable to those outside the narrow world she inhabited, she watches, learns and has a tendency to copy. She’s definitely more of a follower than a leader but she also does not just blindly follow authority. She is happy to question it but doesn’t automatically rebel against being told what to do, she’s more interested in understanding who has power, what form it takes, and how they choose to wield it.
15. Why does your character adventure? Why did your character accept the job?
It allows her to live a lifestyle she enjoys, especially if she is able to find companions she gets along with and, most importantly, accept her for who she is. Of course, that would be dependent on what face she is presenting to them and indeed for her to have worked out who she is and who she wants to be. Since the dissolution of her previous band of fellow travellers, blades, carousers and revellers, she has been on the lookout for another group who may be able to fill that role.
And of course the money helps. While she is clearly not afraid of hard work, having taken on numerous jobs on the barges of the River Chionthar, waiting tables and frankly whatever else someone is willing to pay her to do as long as she finds the terms acceptable, she considers the promised rewards of adventuring to be well worth the occupational hazards.
16. How does your character view his/her role as an adventurer?
The starting point is definitely that it’s a job. Ari views anything on top of that as a bonus and while she would like the opportunity to make a deeper connection, she is used to the fact that some people will always be prejudiced against her or simply will not be the kind of people she wants to make that deeper bond with. Equally, she has learned that shared experience and dangerous deeds are a good foundation to build ties and the promise of something deeper appeals to her, even if it may be out of reach.
17. Does your character have any distinguishing marks (birth-marks, scars, deformities)?
Only noticeable via careful observation - and she usually avoids doing it in the presence of others - but Ari’s fingers and wrists can bend fully in both directions, a gift of her rakshasa-marked heritage. When she does display this deliberately, it’s usually with the aim of intimidating others as she fully leans into her unusual appearance.
Although usually hidden beneath her hair, the tips of her ears are slightly pointed; those in the know would liken them more to half-elves than the Tel’Quessir. Even less likely to be seen outside of particular circumstances, the soles of her feet have a squishy but tough layer of padding akin to that on the paws of a big cat.
She also has an invisible tattoo of the symbol of Leira inked on her right hip to demonstrate her devotion to the Lady of Mists. Even were it visible, its location means that it would be hidden the vast majority of the time anyway. When she is feeling apprehensive or in need of divine guidance, Ari has been known to trace its path with a finger to give herself confidence and comfort.
18. How does your character get along with others?
To some extent it depends how you catch her, but generally when first meeting people Ari is more likely to look, listen and learn rather than speak. Generally guarded, she’s quietly spoken and more than happy to ask questions and let people talk about themselves - something most are happy to do - rather than give away anything about herself. This allows her to learn a lot about people as well as potentially leading to them divulging secrets, something she considers precious. Equally, she’s liable to tell tales and spin stories as deflection and cover, though gregarious, chatty Ari can hold court with the best of folks when the mood takes her. Ultimately she does want to develop relationships with others that go beyond the surface or merely transactional, but the biggest obstacles to that are her own cautious instincts and inner conflict.
19. Is there anything that your character hates?
Unsurprisingly given her treatment growing up under them and the renunciation of her previous faith, she hates the church of Cyric. Due to her association of it with the priesthood of the Prince of Lies she refuses to wear purple clothing as she considers it inauspicious.
Cruelty, bullying and physical mistreatment of others can stir up bad memories and are the kinds of activities that are likely to motivate her to act. Such interventions are likely to only happen if she has a plan and believes there is a chance of success, she’s not prone to recklessness or foolish risk-taking with her own skin.
20. Is there anything that your character fears?
It took her a long time after her escape to accept that the Cyricists were not seeking or pursuing her. Ari does not fear them as such, more the numerous restrictions and curtailments that would be placed on her were she to be captured by them, or indeed anyone else.
While she is used to people being prejudiced against her, she is afraid of rejection, which is one key barrier that stops her from making deeper connections with people. She associates vulnerability with weakness and long experience taught her that that brings punishment. Better instead to keep your guard and your distance.
She doesn’t like horses and is wary around them. They, in their turn, are skittish in her presence. Whether this is because they can sense her fear, find something about her unnatural, or a combination of the two she doesn’t know and hasn’t thought about too deeply. Similarly, she neither knows nor really cares whose dislike came first or if it was ever thus. This is one reason why she generally prefers working on river barges rather than road caravans.
