Profiles, Profile, Profiles; a PrinnyDood production

Well, since I've finally started creating profiles for my characters, in large part simply for my own reference, so that I can keep them consistent and distinct, I figured I might as well give them a little edit and toss them up here for the curious, or even those who have an passing desire to tear my clichéd, hackneyed work to shreds... please feel free!

So! Naora comes first. She's only been in one story so far, and considering how long ago that was, a few little ret-cons here and there might be noted by those paying attention. These are not mistakes on my part, but deliberate decisions, that will hopefully make for a better character overall.

It was actually rather challenging to try and balance her; nobody likes an overpowered character, but a certain degree of badassery is rathernecessary for a experienced adventurer-type character to be at all believable. This is somebody who goes out into the Felaryan jungle as their job, and lives to tell the tale, after all. Not sure how I did in that regard.

After this, Hazel is likely to be next, but we'll see.


Appearance
Naora is in superb physical condition, above average in height, and possessing a slim but very fit and strong build earned through countless hours of exercise and training. Her eyes are dark, and her hair equally so, medium shoulder-length and usually tied back or otherwise restrained away from her attractive, though somewhat sharply featured face. Her complexion is relatively pale, though she does tan quite flatteringly on the rare occasions she's out in the sun without being covered up.

She prefers loose, comfortable clothes in muted colors with little ornamentation during her leisure time, and form-fitting full-body outfits when on a job. Definitely not a student of fashion.

Overview
An adventurer with a keen survival instinct who has encountered and eluded many of the dangers of Felarya. Naora can often be heard complaining bitterly about life there, and the countless horrible deaths that take place, but in truth, there is nowhere she'd rather be. The thrill of evading death by the narrowest margin, of proving herself not a helpless prey item, but a cunning adversary to the Felaryan predators, is something she could never give up. Not for long, anyway.

Personally, she can seem a bit sarcastic, dismissive, and cold, at least when on an active job. This is mostly a defense mechanism, and despite all her years of braving the wilds, and even loosing friends, she remains enthusiastic and genuinely enchanted by the wonders of the world she was born on, and proud of her ability to survive there... She just mostly keeps it on the inside nowadays, lest she be deemed 'unprofessional'. When safely behind the walls of Negav, her sarcastic nature takes on a more amiable, even playful tone (especially when she has a few drinks in her), and she can be easily persuaded to recount some tale or other of her daring deeds, often with obvious embellishments. She even attests to have 'dodged' fairy size-changing magic on at least one occasion.

Naora is terrible with money. When her exploits bring her an influx of cash, she will often spend most, or even all of it on the next thing that catches her eye; usually some high-quality piece of adventuring equipment or extravagant luxury item. She constantly fluctuates between being flush with money, and unsure how she will pay for her next meal.

Naora is not a member of the Adventurers Guild, preferring to do freelance jobs both because of the freedom, and because some of her activities can be less than legal. Indeed, she has no real objection to straight up robbery, assuming the price is worth the risk, though she does avoid killing in those situations where she started the fight.

Background
Naora was born on Felarya, and as a child lived with her uncle in Negav's lower tier. He ran a moderately successful dojo specializing in teaching basic survival skills to rookie adventurers. By the time she was ten, she was fantasizing about boldly traversing the wilderness, uncovering ancient mysteries, and confounding deadly traps and predators alike with her courage and guile. By thirteen, she had gathered a band of children her age to go on 'adventures' around Negav with her, looting 'treasure' from everything from trashcans to merchant stalls.

Her uncle attempted on numerous occasions to dissuade her, but she was adamant, and eventually he relented, agreeing to teach her to survive before she got old enough to go out. Her uncle's teachings were of a whole different caliber compared to what he taught his students at the dojo. Meditation techniques to help keep the mind free of fear, how to move correctly, with no wasted motions, and a thousand other lessons she had never imagined. The young Naora devoured this knowledge eagerly, throwing herself into it with her full being.

Naora was 19 when when she went on her first foray into the wilds beyond the Eye, but things did not go smoothly. Details are scarce, but she soon found herself the only remaining survivor. Stricken and terrified, she tried to double back and return to Negav, but a giant naga found her trail, and after a long and terrifying game of cat and mouse, it finally caught her. Obviously she survived, but what happened that day Naora speaks of rarely, though she seems to imply she was rescued by someone, somehow.

Her uncle still runs his little dojo in the lower tier, and while Naora rarely visits anymore, because their conversations often devolve into him arguing that she should retire, not to mention her unsavory reputation's potential effect on his livelihood. She does however anonymously donate money to the dojo sometimes when she has extra, partly because she believes he should be living better than he does, and (though she would never admit it) she loves him dearly.

Skills/Abilities
Naora has honed the skills her uncle taught her to a razor's edge over the years, her movements fast, deliberate, and unerringly accurate. She is quite skillful in several weapons and unarmed combat, and is a decent shot with a bow, but all else pales compared to her acrobatic and evasive abilities, to the point she can potentially outmaneuver any but the quickest of adversaries. Those who've seen her in action often attest she looks more like a liquid shadow made flesh, than a human woman.

She shuns both magic and advanced technologies, as her uncle taught, citing them as 'unreliable' and 'loud', both literally and figuratively. It should be noted that while she does not use them, she has no compunctions about being backed up by people who do, 'so long as I'm not the center of attention' as she says. Naora's array of equipment has grown quite extensive over the years, but usually consists of a form-fitting black (or sometimes camouflage) body-suit, tight enough to not get snagged, while still allowing full freedom of motion, fitted with thin Battal Oak plates underneath on the chest, back, fore-arms and shins for light protection that does not produce a magic signature. She utilizes tiny marble-sized bombs housed in compartments at her wrists for easy access, which come it two varieties, either producing bright flashes of light or a powerful pepper-like irritant, allowing her to hamper sight and smell respectively. She usually carries an array of knives, a Vishmitali, as well as a unique and potent magic sword, one of the only concessions to her 'no magic' rule, the other being a beautifully preserved, runed spiral seashell, which she rarely takes out with her anymore, its purpose a mystery to all but her closest friends.

Naora appears in: Wet Shadows and The Seeking and the Sought

Just some dryad, nothing to see here. Move along, move along. >_>

Hazel

Appearance
While adult in years, Hazel is rather small compared to most dryads her age; she tops out at somewhat under 100 feet high, and her built is similarly slim and delicate. Like many dryads her eyes are green, and hers possess a charming innocence that could easily make a non-native take her for harmless. Hazel's skin on her upper body is a mix of light green with sections of a darker tan, providing excellent natural camouflage, and the patterns themselves are quite pretty and graceful if one gets close enough to actually distinguish her from the rest of the jungle. Hazel's hair is dark and relatively short, not growing much past her ears, though (lacking giant scissors ) obviously she does not cut it, it's just that way naturally.

Overview
Like most dryads, Hazel has spent her entire life rooted to a single spot, much of her days divided between napping and conversing with other dryads via the the network, or more often her non-dryad friends. She is generally more withdrawn and reserved than most of her species, often preferring solitude and quiet contemplation over socializing. She has a very non-threatening demeanor, and is usually polite and sweet to those she interacts with . . . even when she's about to eat them. Her disposition is partly because of a tragic incident of her past, and she believes other dryads view her as odd and damaged due to her being unwilling to share sensations as they do. This unease is largely imagined on her part, but nonetheless impacts her social life, leaving her more comfortable interacting with non-dryads in most cases; she is good friends with a number of fairies, and is quite liked by many of them. Hazel may be a bit subdued, but does not consider herself unhappy, and is most often pleasant company.

Backstory
Hazel's past is largely defined by a single, extraordinarily painful event. When much younger, she was communing with her closest friend, Poppy, another young dryad like herself. Tragically, at some point in the late evening hours, Poppy caught fire. No one ever learned how the fire started, but a number of elder dryads stepped in to help in the only way possible, acting to comfort her, projecting soothing feelings to lesson the pain and fear of the dying dryad's final moments. Unfortunately, Hazel was overlooked in the panic and confusion, and did not, or could not, break the link, vividly experiencing Poppy's final moments.

This traumatic experience left her withdrawn and almost haunted for a number of years, though has since largely recovered. Since that day she has been unwilling to link with another dryad more deeply than what is required for conversation. She does not see this as a problem, or at least so she says, and becomes annoyed when the topic is brought up; one of the only instances where she can become standoffish.

Hazel's social awkwardness is not something that a non-dryad would notice, indeed; she often feels more comfortable speaking to individuals who can't expect her to share sensations or emotions. As a result (and living in the Forest of Whispers), she actually has more close friends who are fairies than dryads.

Hunting Habits
Hazel hunts like most dryads; camouflage. She feeds mostly on small animals and other creatures careless enough to get close, but has never caught humans by herself; too fearful of their ability to create fire to make the attempt even when they pass by. She usually makes the excuse that she's still too small to eat them comfortably, but while she is on the small side, she has been large enough to swallow full-grown humans for years. A fairy friend tested the theory at one point, bringing her humans she said were shrunken, but were in fact full-sized. Hazel did not even notice.

Her experiences with humans and other 'edible' races are few, but she would not be immensely difficult to intimidate, assuming she was alone. She is quite fearful of fire, and uncomfortable around humans in general, so even a small party who sees her might be able to push her around with a well-played bluff, and almost certainly leave unmolested, if that was their desire.

Hazel loves sampling new and unique flavors and textures, often savoring her food for extended periods of time. Despite this, she is not especially voracious; getting the majority of her nourishment from the sun and earth.

Hazel appears in Wet Shadows and Presence of Mind

These are excellent, don't know why nobody (myself included) didn't comment on Naora's bio... Then again since there's nothing wrong with them (IMO) there isn't a whole lot to say.
I've been trying to do mine but writing a good bio is hard, these flow quite nicely, good job!

TheArchvile wrote:

These are excellent, don't know why nobody (myself included) didn't comment on Naora's bio... Then again since there's nothing wrong with them (IMO) there isn't a whole lot to say.
I've been trying to do mine but writing a good bio is hard, these flow quite nicely, good job!

Thanks! Given how infrequently bio posts are completely ignored I was a little surprised myself, but I love the theory that my stuff is just so awesome that no one can think of anything to say.

Writing a good bio is extremely hard, but quite helpful to. Before I started writing down and keeping track of character traits (simple lists which eventually coalesce into actual bios), I had some serious problems with character identity and consistency. Before I had enough characters that it was difficult to keep track of them all in my head, I admit I hadn't fully understood the purpose of writing bios.

At least in my case, it's less about a convenient reference for the readers, and more a vital resource for the writer. XD

Just another little profile, nothing to get excited about. -_-

Chintipni

Appearance
Chintipni is a little small for a giant; it's difficult to get an accurate measurment of her dimensions due to the elastic nature of chlaena, but if she were a humanoid giantess, she would top out at under 100 feet high, and swallowing human-size prey might be rather uncomfortable, if not for the aforementioned stretchiness. Her human half is pale and very smooth, and she sports short, vary dark hair, usually quite messy, her eyes large and dark. She currently wears a pink headband of uncertain origins as her only form of clothing. Her octopus half is a pretty marbled blue and white in it's 'neutral' state though like all chlaena she can change colors.

While her figure is far from the bustiest around, she is nonetheless graceful and willowy with a very delicate, pretty facial structure that makes for a very fetching whole . . . at least when she's not casually contorting her boneless body in ways that would make other races wince.

Overview
Chlaena are known for being unpredictable, capricious creatures, and Chintipni is no exception. Like all members of her race, she is cheerfully, unflinchingly honest, and it is very difficult for members of other races to comprehend her body language and inflections. She thinks very fast, and is quite clever in her own way, but has very little attention span for any given topic, happily bouncing from one train of thought to the next with little segue, and can talk enthusiastically for hours about a great many things without ever reaching anything resembling a point.

Having grown up in Ryzelm’oire, Chintipni is a very socal creature, perfectly comfortable in striking up conversations with strangers, and is generally very friendly and pleasant with those she encounters, though her energetic idiosyncrasies can grate on the nerves of all but the most patient individuals after a while. She also has a considerable libido and very little understanding/respect for boundaries and personal space, and thus will sometimes transition smoothly from 'hello nice to meet you', too proposing sex with very little in between. Though to be fair, her great flexibility and numerious limbs do make her an excellent lover, for those who can get past the strangeness.

Chintipni has a reckless zest for life and a deep fascination with the wonders of the world, and is almost constantly seeking out new sights and experiences and tastes, her constant travels taking her from the Topazial Sea to the Jewel River and Oloonde Lakeland, and even into the Shard River on occasion. She always throws herself into each new experience with reckless, sometimes dangerious zeal, but has a knack for always escaping a deadly situation at the last second. She has been almost devoured by a lacolith and a hydra tree, but such near-death experiences have done nothing to dampen her enthusiasm.

She learned the absolute minimum of the pressure-based Deep Magic common to chlaena travelers, which allows her to quickly and safely ascend or descend without the rapid pressure changes harming her. She is however quite terrible at it, and has nearly blacked out on several occasions when going too fast.

Chintipni has a fantastic memory, very nearly eidetic, able to recal names and conversations and things she's learned with near perfect accuracy. She is however easily distracted, and has the strange tendency to 'forget to remember' things on occasion.

Backstory
Chintipni spent her youth in Ryzelm’oire, her parents rather aloof and uninvolved in her upbrining; once she was big enough to get about on her own, she was generally left to her own devices (though food and a place to stay were always provided). In stark contrast to her adult disposition, the young chlaena was a cautious youngster, fearful of danger and risks, though her curious nature was in evidence even then, with her exploring the city.

It is unclear what exactly triggered her change in philosophy, but as a young adult, one day she apparently just 'realized' that no matter what you do or how careful you are, *something* is going to get you sooner or later. Best to just embrace all that life has to offer until your number is up. With very little fanfare, she left Ryzelm’oire within a week, and set out to experience as much of the world as possible.

In the intervening years she has made a number of friends/acquaintances/lovers, and gone on numerous harrowing expeditions into places like the Great Topazial Rift, and even made a (very brief) exploration of the Dark Claw Reef. And then promply swam for her life and vowed never to return.

In many ways she shares qualities with human adventurers who explore Felarya, though she does it for the joy of exploration itself, rather than any profit.

Hunting Habits
For all her strangness, Chintipni is nonetheless quite typical in her feelings toward humans and other land-dwelling creatures: Delicious! In fact she is quite enamored of the flavor of 'prey' races, and will go well out of her way to get them when possible. She is not a very skilled huntress however, generally just rising from the depths like some cheerful sea monster and grabbing everyone she can with her numerious arms.

As much as she loves a good wiggly meal of humans/nekos/elves, food is not something Chintipni spends a great deal of thought on; indeed she has a tendency to become so engrossed in exciting new things that she will forget to eat at all for days, especially if nothing particularly delicious crosses her path to remind her. At some point she will always realize that she is ravenously hungry, often suddenly, and stuff her belly with whatever is nearby. This is a very bad time to be anywhere near her if you're in her swallowing range.

Due to her upbringing in Ryzelm’oire, Chintipni spent a fair amount of her younger life in contact with small mermaids and other sea creatures, and because of the 'no predation' policy there, will often 'forget' she is allowed to eat them now that she's exploring the world at large. This should not be mistaken for a belief that prey-sized mermaids and whatnot count as people in her eyes: she will happily gulp down a mermaid she's been talking amiably to moments before, once she remembers where she is.

Despite the fact that chlaena are capible to preying on creatures far closer to their own size than most predators, Chintipni generally considers anyone around the size of her head or bigger off limits, and does not prey on members of her own species regardless of size, because it makes her uncomfortable.

Chintipni appears in Jewel River Blues and Finders Keepers

PrinnyDood wrote:

She currently wears a pink headband of uncertain origins as her only form of clothing.

Ah, but we all know where she got it! :p

Quote :

This should not be mistaken for a belief that prey-sized mermaids and whatnot count as people in her eyes: she will happily gulp down a mermaid she's been talking amiably to moments before, once she remembers where she is.

That must be slightly disconcerting. (Not to mention rather fatal, of course.)

A fun character with an amusingly written bio.