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Zaidfar Ravanrig

Herald of Fantasy Zaidfar Ravanrig (a.k.a. Jacqui Beauclerc)

Keywords Fantasy, Illusionist, Defender, Artist, Painter, Make-Up, Fashion, Social Major Themes Feminine, Deceitful, Selfish, Self-Absorption, Blurred Reality Goals "Become a capable adult who is able to survive through her own honest means. Make enough coin to live comfortably enough, ideally through the sale of paintings. One day find the kid I left behind and reclaim her, and in doing so reclaim the parts of myself I left behind." Development Arc Zaidfar Ravanrig the changeling was once the enslaved concubine of a nobleman and remembers very little before then. Teen pregnant and utterly lost she whimpered in the dark, wishing for any help, at any price. The help came in a misty whisper with the hint of an idea. She escaped in the chaos of her first childbirth through a faked death she ended up on the streets. Finding herself in a world where she knew how nothing worked she did the only thing she could to survive, she lied and she copied others. Eventually she developed a smattering of skills that allowed her to survive and begin life as an adventurer. Eventually she settled into the persona of Jacqui Beauclerc. One day she may return to reclaim her child, and in doing so reclaim who she was and everything that was taken from her. Personality Traits "I am not originally who I seem to be. The line between the person I present as and who I am gets thinner every day. There are two arts I believe in, the art of guile and the art of the brush. I put on new identities like clothes. " Ideals "Ideals and illusions aren't too different. (Neutral) Who we are is meaningless unless we are perceived truly and accepted by others. (Good)" Bonds "Somewhere out there, I have a child who doesn't know me. I have recovered her and am trying to be her mother. I'm making the world better for her. I am a vegetarian. Eating flesh disturbs me." Flaws "I have no love for those who use power with cruelty and hold great enmity towards them. My vanity is endless." Role they fill in a group She is a frontline fighter who diffuses enemy damage through the use of illusions, confusion and the disruption of enemy formations. She also has a large number of utility abilities which grant her a surprisingly broad number of opportunities to contribute to social situations and even general problem solving. OOC What kind of games do you like? She does best in games which are a mixture of socializing, travel, problem-solving and combat. She doesn't excel tremendously in any one area, but is a competent participant in every arena. She does struggle in any intellectual arenas or in areas where puzzles or riddles are the main encounters. Rate the following 1-7, 1 being most Storytelling 2 Problem Solving 6 Exploring 7 Acting 1 Instigating 4 Fighting 3 Optimizing 5 Species Race Changeling / Moon High-Elf Subrace Clan or Subdivision She doesn't know her bloodline. Alignment Neutral Good Orderliness She prefers to be in disorderly situations with lax laws and low oversight. It is critical for her that she is able to escape scrutiny and that she never feels that she has been captured or compelled to remain in one place. While she enjoys the comforts of stability she fears any type of connections which would obligate or entrap her in turn. This has changed with her re-connection to her daughter, though she still struggles to find safe connection. Goodness She is not a naturally malicious person but always believes in putting herself over others, doing what she can to avoid confrontation in the process. In cases where she could enrich herself at the detriment of others she will skim what she can off the top so as to remain unnoticeable but never drive anyone to ruin. She is altruistic in situations where she perceives women are being sexually abused and will viciously attempt to murder any perpetrators of this type of abuse. Locus of Motivation She is externally motivated and seeks the approval of others due to a very poorly developed sense of self and identity. She commoditized approval and sees herself as having value based on the response she gets to her paintings and her personal appearance. She has almost no education, and besides her intrinsic sexual value she only knows how to please others with entertainment and looks. While she resents being valued for this specifically she also craves approval and interaction, leaving her feeling used and cheap. She struggles to escape this cycle; after getting her daughter Lilu she finds her motivation in being a good mother in her daughter's eyes. Social Investment She deeply enjoys society and values large safe societies as they are typically the best place for her to maneuver and ensure her own safety. By being capable of sliding into society and seeking attention and interaction through any number of identities she is able to fulfill her constant need for interaction to stave off loneliness. Despite this she doesn't meaningfully contribute to society as becoming a reliable part of the machine would mean surrendering her ability to disappear at any time. She struggles with her lack of connection due to this.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Health & Fitness She is a trim and healthy woman with sun burnished skin quite unlike the average moon elf. Her elven features are deceptively thin and lithe as she is particularly athletic and well built for an elven woman. Her features are sharp and distinguished, with visible musculature and well carved abs. She appears exceptionally healthy and fit with an eye toward aesthetics and endurance. Abnormalities & Illnesses As a moon elf she should have pale skin but she manages to always retain a surprisingly healthy tan. Despite her hard musculature her body is oddly soft to the touch. She has no body hair, even after traveling on the road for extended periods of time and her body has no visible scarring or blemishes.

Body Features

Body Shape She is well proportioned with a very trim waist and particularly powerful legs which are longer than her torso. Her posture is particularly strong, with her spinal curvature emphasizing her significant chest for an elven woman and developed rear. She is particularly proud of her waistline and eats a vegetarian diet as well as enages in exercises to maintain her fitness. Body Features She is abnormally flexible, capable of feats of contortion and gymnastics with surprising steadiness. She is capable of getting comfortable in unusual positions and has no shame in how her body might be portrayed in a position.

Facial Features

Facial Features She has delicate facial features, with aquamarine to grey almond shaped eyes, a small narrow nose and glossy pink lips. Her ears are small for an elven woman, and pieced in multiple places. She has round cheeks which end in a a short round chin, giving her face a youthful appearance. Her features are commonly enhanced with cosmetics, particularly lip coloration, eyebrow enhancement, rouge and eyeliner and eyeshadow. Hairstyle Her hair is a somewhat disorganized tumble of straight locks. She wears bangs over her forehead and has short locks framing the sides of her face. Much of her hair is kept thinned out and pulled around back where she forms a slim ponytail. Her hair often bears different colored streaks depending on her mood. Facial Hair She has no facial hair.

Identifying Characteristics

Identifying Features She always looks slightly different as she changes her hair, her clothes, her make-up, among other characteristics. She is easily recognized to those familiar with her for her natural platinum blonde hair and sunkissed skin, an unusual combination in elven women.

Physical quirks

Physical Quirks Anyone who is around her for long enough and pays attention will realize she does not have a menstrual cycle. She moves and behaves in a way that is highly feminine and in some cases childish. She is easily confounded by tasks such as throwing a ball around, or in opening a bottle of champagne. Despite this she is entirely capable of wearing any manner of difficult clothing, applying cosmetics or painting delicate masterpieces.

Special abilities

Talents She is a talented painter owing to an exceptional eye for pointless detail, despite frequently misunderstanding the context and function of that which she observes. Her sense of aesthetics grant her an exceptional ability to attract and interact with individuals. Physiological She is a changeling and is capable of significant changes to her shape and appearance. This grants her inexplicable levels of flexibility in her body, and she is happy to show her features off for the attention. Social She is a talented social observer and her ability to flatter and please have been her primary method of self preservation. She is quick to recognize those in power and enter their good graces. Spiritual Her original patron is, unknown to her, the falsely dead goddess of falsehood Leira. After learning that in truth her powers originated from her Cloud Giant Smiling One heritage she began a form of ancestor worship and has been exploring other spiritual opportunities. As a Paladin of Treachery she is capable of invoking a number of divine magics and blessings granted by Leira to confound and deceive others and leave them doubting. Magical Her patron, Iallanis, grants her magical powers through her pact magic and also empowers her Tome of Canvases. She is not a particularly accomplished spellcaster but her pact magic is channeled entirely through her Phantasmal Paintbrush.

Apparel & Accessories

Style She armors herself in intricate platemail that is tight-fitting and layered in the elven style. Despite the attempt to equip herself as a mobile fighter she rarely seems to utilize these advantages. She dresses in a way that shows off her body and her fitness. She enjoys low cut sundresses with open sides and tied waists to show off her waistline and curves. She also enjoys revealing swimwear and flashy costumes. She wears a lot of aquamarine blues and rich ceruleans. Clothing She prefers sundresses, simple light shoes and other light airy clothing. She will often wear inappropriate clothing to highlight her body or draw attention when she can. Identifiers She avoids identifying marks, symbols, or badges other than her B.A.S.E. issued badge. Accessories She has an endless number of accessories, from a multitude of ribbons, sashes, necklaces, earrings or other bits of decoration. She combines and recombines these in dizzying arrays to create new looks. She is also happy to apply them to other women she travels with and enjoys dressing them up. Casual Clothes She doesn't differentiate between casual clothes and other clothes. Whatever fits her mood at the time is what she will wear. If she is in the comfort of her own privacy she will lounge around naked, and will do this with women she is close to.

Specialized Equipment

Weapons She wields the Phantasmal Paintbrush, a roughly 4 foot long polearm which ends in tapered white bristles which are typically stiff and unmoving as they come to a fine chisel point. The haft is made of a strong wood and painted blue with a nearly opaque black lacquer laid on the haft. Brass filigree reinforces the haft and brackets attach to a finely embroidered cerulean silk strap. The bottom of the brush has a simple brass and steel buttcap with a point similar to an ink-pen nib. The bristle end of the brush has a fine brass and steel collar which reinforces the bristles. The bristles give an impression of the weapon being a spear but when her magical paint flows through the bristles they can soften and become pliant. Armor She wears elven style layered platemail with layers of steel and burnished brass. Her armor is intricate and has the motif of a lion etched into the shoulderguards. Beneath the plates she wears a gambeson padded silk bodysuit and a silk skirt. She carries a kite shield of sturdy wood with a steel frame across which a canvas is stretched. The canvas is deeply enchanted and will shift to display scenes of all manner, including an animated face. This shield, the Phantasmal Palette diffuses and deflects magical energy. Tools She always retains a set of painter's tools as well as a disguise kit and a forgery kit. She plies her trade using these tools and maintains her secrets by protecting her identity and deflecting suspicion. Special Items She is fond of a particular cherry vanilla perfume which reshapes perceptions of her and has magical paint with which she is capable of reshaping reality itself. She is fond of a pair of oversized sunglasses which she often wears at inappropriate times, particularly with a sunhat and her sundress. She has a number of other trinkets and potions which help her, including a pair of heeled boots she is rather proud of and in which she is capable of surprising mobility. Spellcasting Focus She uses two different spellcasting focuses; for her pact magic she uses her phantasmal paintbrush, for her divine magic she uses a holy symbol of a swirling triangle of mist on her shield.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Childhood Her childhood situation is unknown. She believes she must have once belonged to a changeling commune but she was captured by slavers and spent much of her childhood being kept uneducated and servile. She learned only the most basic of skills and her head was filled with utter nonsense about the world and its functions, such that she believed that death was guaranteed outside of the walls of her prison and that her service was due her protectors. Her identity was constantly shoved down and eroded. Teenager Her teenage years were filled with abuse and horror as her grooming was completed. Sold to a nobleman as a sex slave, well versed in her expected services. She was trained to become whatever woman her owner, Hugh, demanded of her, and was often forced to accompany her master to observe women who met his fancy. She was expected to take the form of those women and serve him. She was kept in an impossibly well sealed room under guard during these years, only called out when she was expected to serve. The only belongings she had being various outfits, cosmetics and a few mirrors, tools she had been provided to perfectly match her owner's specifications. She reinvented herself endlessly in the isolation, the only way she had to ease the boredom. Adulthood At 18 she fell pregnant and forbidden from changing her form until the birth of the child. She soon realized that whatever child she had would be subjected to the same fate as her, taken as a child and raised slowly, groomed for a similar fate. What had been a grim ennui grew to black despair as she realized the fate of the child and herself. Too cowardly to kill herself she whimpered in the dark, wishing desperately for someone or something to take her and this child from the horrible fate. After escaping she tried to settle into a single persona, adopting Jacqui Beauclerc the moon-elven painter as her primary facade. She would do all she could to protect her secrets and survive in the greater world. She began a life of adventuring while trying to sell her paintings. In Flamerule of 1494 DR she recovered her daughter, Lilu.

Gender Identity

Gender Identity Bisexual, Feminine

Sexuality

Sexuality She is bisexual and has experience with both men and women but has never thoroughly enjoyed the act. Sex is a very mercenary thing for her to partake in and is typically only done as an ends to a mean. Sex is not a means of self-love for her, and in her adulthood she has halted her menstrual cycle after coming to understand that it was what resulted in her pregnancy. She uses her abilities as a changeling to effectively suppress her sexual organs excluding the surface ones. She is extremely feminine in personality and sexuality but will not take a sexually submissive attitude due to a lack of trust and the trauma she has suffered. Type Attracted To She is attracted to -STR +DEX --INT ++CHA. She has a strong hatred for people who ask too many questions or who are detail oriented while also disliking people who are stronger than her as they represent a physical danger which could lead to her capture. Jacqui likes people who are dexterous and good with their hands and those who have charms and social skills as she views them as kindred spirits. Libido Her libido is nearly non-existent. She supresses her sex organs through the use of her changeling abilities. She does not masturbate or have recreational sex, even if she does enjoy touching others, particularly if she is doing the touching. She does not have a strong interest in being touched or pursued. Promiscuity She is an irredeemable flirt and charmer and will use the suggestion or promise of sex to gain any benefit she can grasp. She almost never follows through with any sexual acts though, instead preferring to allow their imagination to suffice.

Education

Education Level She is completely uneducated in any practical knowledge, only knowing what is necessary to serve a nobleman and the behaviors exhibited within a noble home. All other knowledge is road knowledge. She happily leans into being a know nothing as it causes others to disregard her or lower their guard around her. Notable Masters She has copied the mannerisms of many people but has never been formally trained by anyone.

Employment

Employment History She has never been formally employed. She has done freelance painting for a number of clients, as well as having done mercenary adventuring work in the cities of Lerwick and Driftriver. Current Work Freelance painter and agent of B.A.S.E. in the city of Driftriver. Side Jobs She has done some work in entertainment, specifically working with Zug Zugger as a stage technician.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Accomplishments & Achievements She is an accomplished painter who has made a minor name for herself as a capable portrait artist. The majority of her work is kept very private by the nature of the employment and her purposes within it. Greatest Memories She has very few happy memories. Her life has been one of utter panic and aimless vagrancy interspersed with bitterness and loneliness. She has made a few friends, but the relationships are never strong enough to last through difficulty. Recovering her daughter, Lilu.

Failures & Embarrassments

Failures & Embarrassments Almost all of her early attempts to blend into society went incredibly poorly. Her manners and knowledge was limited to noble social circles, and her behaviors were bizarre and alien. Only through Iallanis's blessings and a limited ability to detect the thoughts of others was she able to survive by absorbing knowledge and mimicking skills. Ultimately though her greatest failure was the abandonment of her daughter and in doing so abandoning a major part of herself. Since then she has lived a life sealed off from normal humanoid happiness. Worst Memories Her teenage years, almost in entirety. The years blur together and she has no interest in picking it apart to remember any of it in particular.

Mental Trauma

Mental Trauma She has been mentally and sexually abused. She is also unaware of her parentage, lineage or even anything involving her identity. Her constructed identity is more of her persona than her actual self as lingering in her natural form or psyche causes her severe anxiety and discomfort. She dwells on a level of surface thoughts far from introspection as a manner of self defense. Phobias She has a severe phobia of cages and enclosed spaces. It is critical that she has escape routes planned at any time. She strongly dislikes the use of force to grab and restrain others.

Intellectual Characteristics

Intellectual Characteristics She is naturally skittish, self-absorbed and emotionally driven. She always trusts her gut and the instincts she has from her heritage, in the form of whispers she receives from Iallanis, over anything else. With almost no intellectual understanding of the world she uses instinct and reaction to navigate the world. Confidence She is confident in her body and in her own abilities; confidence is the name of the game when it comes to convincing others of a scheme or con. The only case where she gets particularly proud is her ability to paint as it is the only developed skill she has.

Morality & Philosophy

Philosophical views She has no comprehensive view on the world at large, other than you can trust nearly no one. In her views the concept of ideals, reality, philosophies and other things are meaningless. All things are ultimately immaterial except the bonds we make with each other. Views on Religion She is intimately familiar with the concept of a higher power and being saved but is not someone who would ever try to convince someone to change their ways. She believes that wanting something like a spiritual connection has to come from very deep within. Views on Magic She is a moderately skilled spellcaster, particularly in the realms of illusion and enchantment. She sees magic as a necessary part of life, as a tool to be used rather than viewing it with any sense of wonder or even analysis. Views on Society She lives on the excess of large society but has minimal understanding of the social constructs and behaviors which allow it to operate with success. She is minimally invested in the success of others and is consciously aware that her greatest security is in the good graces of others while simultaneously being able to escape any harm.

Taboos

Taboos She views the eating of meat as a taboo. Having been raised on cheap vegetables while watching her previous owner, Hugh, and his greedy noble companions feast on meat she associates it with rapacious and selfish behavior. Having been effectively a prey animal for most of her life she also has a deep sympathy for animals who are caged and exploited. She views the caging of anyone or the sexual abuse of others as horrifically deplorable and will fly into a rage on seeing it. She views changelings who are public with their abilities as deeply dangerous and risky as their behavior sparks the imaginations of men like Hugh. Enemies She views any slaver as a natural enemy and hates her previous owner, Hugh. She also hates anyone who asks too many questions or pries into her business. Racial Friction She views race as an almost unnecessary line. As a changeling she is able to be a member of any race at will. To her races are just as different as an outfit.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Reason for Becoming an Adventurer Money makes the world go around. If one thing was made clear to her doing her early years it was that she was owned. That she was bought and paid for. That all power and freedom comes out of a coin purse. She began adventuring due to the apparent wealth of those who participated. Her early adventuring career is where she ended up taking her armor and much of her figure on, when she scavenged her equipment from a fallen comrade. Goals "Become a capable adult who is able to survive through her own honest means. Make enough coin to live comfortably enough, ideally through the sale of paintings. One day find the kid I left behind and reclaim her, and in doing so reclaim the parts of myself I left behind." Positives, Ego Boosters Being complimented for things she did of her own skill and ability, particularly painting, make-up, fashion or other skills she genuinely believes she has. Fooling others into believing things, as it gives her a sense that she has an ever strengthening grasp on the true workings of the world. Negatives, Fears Any type of containment or physical restraint. Going without comforts, food, or shelter. Loneliness. She is a survivor but lacks the hardened spirit to make it on her own, and if she spends too much time alone without stimulation her mind will return to the dark places and times of her life. Guarded Secrets She is a changeling. She has a child. She is uneducated. Desired Objects or Knowledge She would like to one day own a theater or art gallery. She finds great satisfaction in being adulated for her work in illusions and painting.

Savvies & Ineptitudes

Greatest Strengths Her greatest strength is her imagination. Locked in a room without stimulation her imagination and her deception were the only skills she could hone. These two were what drew the attention of Leira who granted her a great deal of additional strength. She has since learned that her power was always internal and has gained confidence from it. Greatest Weaknesses She does very poorly at cultivating strong personal relationships. The intimacy of a close relationship is what she deeply craves and yet most deeply fears. To be truly known by another would mean giving up her secrets. She is deeply uncomfortable with this. Natural Ineptitudes She lacks almost no skills involving critical thinking, analysis or education. She isn't particularly capable of creation of new things, instead relying almost entirely on what she knows being used in specific ways. Her creativity is limited by a lack of context and synthesis.

Likes & Dislikes

Favorite Color Cerulean blue, aquamarine, steel, brass. Favorite Foods, Flavors She only eats vegetarian dishes and favors fruits and nuts for breakfasts and snacks. She often eats dishes comprised of beans, potatoes and others stewed vegetables for heavier meals. She tends to eat fairly lightly to maintain her figure. Treasured Items She deeply treasures her Phantasmal Paintbrush and Phantasmal Palette. These were things borne out of her talent and imbued with the magic of her cloud giant smiling one heritage. Other Favored Things She is fond of her small mirror which she keeps with her while traveling. She often looks at herself in the mirror to apply make-up and also to confirm that the person looking back in the mirror is her facade, Jacqui. This ritual helps her keep her psyche together and stay inside Jacqui Beauclerc's headspace. Dislikes and Hates She dislikes dirt and grime as they besmirch her appearance. She also hates women who are clearly her superior in attractiveness, though these rivals are few and far between.

Virtues & Personality perks

Virtues She is creative, non-judgmental and is open-minded. She is willing to hear other ideas and be convinced of them within reason, as long as the alternative doesn't violate one of her phobias. Perks She is known to be excellent company as well as an excellent artist. She is socially available and approachable, often working within the markets district of a city.

Vices & Personality flaws

Vices She is bad with money and tends to spend on distraction, entertainment and vanity items as quickly as she earns money. This makes it almost impossible for her to earn her way towards building a theater or even a home where her child could live in if she were to reclaim her. Flaws She is horribly vain and craves attention and romantic approach despite having no intentions to draw a long or short term partner. She can frustrate those around her very quickly with her constant hot-cold attitude as she pushes and pulls at them.

Personality Quirks

Ticks & Quirks She constantly refreshes her make-up, looks at herself in the mirror, scribe-sends her friends and otherwise distracts herself as much as possible to reduce her boredom. In cases of travel she will often attempt to entertain others in exchange for their attention. Comfort Items Her personal hand mirror is her greatest comfort item. It is one of the first things she bought in an effort to begin maintaining a static identity.

Hygiene

Hygiene & Grooming She is meticulously well kept, particularly with regards to her skin and clothing. The only area she permits any type of disorder in is her hair, which is a chosen effect. Her loose wavy hair is easily changed to a number of styles on the fly. She has no body hair as typical of elven women. Vanity & Modesty She is extraordinarily vain to the point that it often dominates her personality. Maintaining control of her appearance is in a large way maintaining control of her identity. By showing the perfect form and always holding it without any deviation she rejects her past experiences where she was demanded to transform for the pleasure of others. Because her appearance is such a critical part of her concept of control she thoroughly enjoys showing off, and because it is a work of art to her and not actually her own body she has no qualms in displaying herself without hesitation or shame. Tolerances She is judgmental of those who show disdain for their appearance and who lack a cultivated style. She views the disheveled and unkempt as lazy and less truthful as they put less effort into their personal appearance and self.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Birth Situation Her birth situation is unknown. She may have been a second, third, or later generation of enslaved changelings bred and sold into slavery by the nobles of the Gem district of Athkatla. Her earliest memories are all in captivity and she has no concept of her parentage or birth situation. Birth City Potentially Athkatla, Western Amn City Size and Character Athkatla is a very large and successful merchant city in western Amn along the coast. The city is known for extreme wealth and hedonistic parties. Influence on Background As she was used as a concubine she was exposed to the horrific excesses and hedonistic lifestyles of noble parties. She learned much about entertaining from others in similar servile situations through observation. How did you become a ‘’insert class’’ In desperation to escape the cycle of being abused, bred, and imprisoned by her nobleman owner Hugh she plead with all her might that she might escape. A vision came to her of a great performance in which she could fake her own death and escape her life in the chaos. The vision came from a whispered voice which is in actuality the goddess Leira. Her sorcerous blood is from a distant Cloud Giant Smiling One ancestor who gave her a natural bent to deceit and the mists through which Leira walks.   Current Residence Hyssop Home, City of Driftriver, Dalelands Goal Residence A center for performance arts and/or a home for her child and her.   Caretakers She was originally cared for by Maggith, an older wetnurse who was enslaved by her former master Hugh. Wards She cares for her de facto mother Maggith and her biological daughter Lilu. Role-Model or Past Hero She idolized an elven artist who captivated the nobles with her performances. Much of her current persona is based on that captivating woman. Rival or Enemy She hates with deep black certainty her former owner, Hugh. She has no rivals or enemies otherwise. Friends She has made some friends in her travels, but the one she knows best is Zug Zugger. Major Allies She is now affiliated with Hyssop Home and loosely to the Harpers.

Family Ties

Parents, Siblings and Details She has no known ancestors or relatives but her daughter Lilu. Unknown to her she is descended from the mingling of a Cloud Giant Smiling One and changelings, many generations removed. Relationship with Family She currently cares for her daughter, Lilu. Their relationship is slowly building as they come to understand one another, and she lets down her guard. Family Goals She wishes to be a mother to her child as she realized how much damage was done to her by not having the kind of love and care that she needed as a child.

Religious Views

Family Spirituality Her family's spirituality is unknown. Her faith is not particularly strong but was originally to Leira, who she believed to be her mysterious patron. Instead she has adapted to a belief in her ancestral strength owing some worship to Iallanis. She also gives thanks to Ilmater, a god of forgiveness who can even give a derelict mother like her a second chance and help her in raising her child. Spiritual Beliefs She believes that those who help her are worthy of faith. To her faith is a form of attention, and in her own way she paid attention to her benefactor, Leira. Since then she has realized the importance of family and heritage and has taken on a form of ancestor worship as well as being open to other gods, particularly Ilmater. Spiritual Enemies She feels some resentment towards Waukeen, a god that many corrupt noblemen praised in seriousness and in jest in Athkatla. That the power of coin was enough to enslave her for nearly her entire life is not lost on her.

Social Aptitude

Personality Type ESFJ Action Profile She is motivated by a constant need to gain the attention and approval of others. Very little is done that isn't done to be interesting or entertaining. She is deeply extrinsically motivated and avoids introspection at all costs. The more she is engaged in performing as her facade, even performing in some way while maintaining the facade the more stable her own psyche. Introvert or Extrovert She is very extroverted and begins to suffer greatly while alone. She most enjoys leading others along with ideas and imaginative stories and images as it ensures their rapt and continued attention and interaction. Avoidant or Direct When things get difficult or serious she will become avoidant. She will quickly go into other topics, doodle or send-scribe to others instead of dealing with difficult situations. Emotional difficulties in particular trigger immediate retreat and disengagement for her.

Mannerisms

Mannerisms She obsessively fusses over her appearance and does almost anything she can to keep herself occupied. She frequently runs her hands through her hair. She tries to avoid having common mannerisms. Etiquette She is knowledgeable of noble etiquette due to her life experiences in slavery. She has realized that those manners are counterproductive in day to day life, and instead tends to use ingratiation techniques to schmooze others.

Hobbies & Pets

Hobbies She enjoys painting, cosmetics and fashion. She also enjoys playing illusionary shows which tell stories she has seen before. She hopes to make a living of her stories and art one day. Profession if not Adventurer She would most likely be a slave or a starving artist.

Speech

Speech She speaks with simple sentences and with a generally ambivalent tone that could be interpreted multiple ways. Her Elvish is lacking in complexity or prose which would be noticeable to native speakers. Accent She has a slightly nasal accent to her speech as well as a practiced neutral accent. She speaks in a way so as to cover her origins.

Wealth & Financial state

Lifestyle She lives a lifestyle of restless excess and compulsion. Moving when bored, shopping for new clothing instead of washing old outfits, paying for meals to be prepared for her. She spends time in public places surrounded by people as she finds it stimulating and while she will sleep alone she prefers to spend her waking time in the company of others. Values She values aesthetics, attractiveness, suave and social skills. She also values those who are capable of working with their hand to produce quality products and skilled labor.

Illusionary artist of fantasy and unreality. Disruptor of expectation and battlefields.

Current Location
City of Driftriver
View Character Profile
Alignment
Neutral Good
Honorary & Occupational Titles
Titles The Herald of Fantasy Story Awards & Renown She has no renown or reputation. She is known a bit around the cities she stops at as a painter and an entertainer on the street. She is rarely missed when she moves on. Infamy & Criminal Record She has no criminal record or infamy. She may have been involved with a wanted terrorist involved in a massive bombing.
Age
27
Date of Birth
22 Nightal, 1468 DR
Birthplace
Athkatla, Western Amn, truthfully it is unknown
Children
Current Residence
Hyssop Home, The City of Driftriver
Gender
Female
Eyes
Black / Aquamarine to Grey
Hair
White / Platinum Blonde (Colored)
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Pale / Suntanned
Height
5'6"
Weight
127 lbs.
Quotes & Catchphrases
Quotes She has few quotes or favored words. Any type of common behaviors or traits can lead to identification so she struggles to maintain a neutral and unidentifiable vocabulary. Catchphrases She has no catchphrases for the same reason she has no quotes or favored words.
Known Languages
Known Languages Common, Elvish, Giant Hated Languages None

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Zaidfar: Chapter 1: Across Fantasy

(After the events of Full Circle Parts 1 and 2)   Other people’s thoughts had always been her business. Always listening to them, yet often doing what she could to avoid being in them. When her presence had become something of a norm in a place she would often leave with the wind, off to find a new place to start anew. It was important to remain unknown and even more important to remain underestimated and overlooked.   Lilu changed things, the daughter she had birthed but never named nor been present for. Lilu had been rescued from Athkatla, surprisingly alongside the kind woman, who now had a name. Maggith, Maggith Beauclerc even. The elder human woman had become the de facto grandmother of the family, with her granddaughter Lilu also taking the last name Beauclerc. Beauclerc was a fake name, one carried for many years and with some favor by a wandering Moon Elf. If Lilu and Maggith had taken names then why shouldn’t that Moon Elf take one as well?   Jacqueline Beauclerc had been a mask, a veneer, the form of a vapid dreamer and a woman carried by the wind by her seemingly empty head. But those years had made it far more; Jacqui had become a reputable woman in her own right. A talented painter, and a talented adventurer, she may not have been real at heart but what the name stood for now was something that a 9 year old girl had been asking anyone and everyone around town about. A 9 year old girl who was proud to share that name with her mother. It was hard for her, for Zaidfar, for Jacqui, to know which one was the real person and which was the mask.   More importantly though she had other problems. Children needed, no deserved, to have certain things in life. Safety, a loving family, education, friends, and pleasant memories. Jacqui had every intention of making sure Lilu had every chance to have the things that the Room had never offered to another child in need.   Safety meant teaching the child to understand herself and guard herself. Fortunately changelings have instincts which drive them to adapt and there is a certain joy in re-incarnating oneself anew into a new form. Under Jacqui’s guidance Lilu was quick to learn how to change her appearance, and the girl soon settled on a slender moon elven form which paid great homage to her mother’s appearance, the two were clearly mother and daughter to any eyes which scanned the two.   But looks were not everything, and though they looked like mother and daughter it would take time to learn what being a mother truly was. Jacqui knew that being a good and loving mother would mean giving her daughter something to believe in, something to rely on. Jacqui reflected back on the near-riot that had broken out in The Arch during the events of the Maelstrom. The citizens had nearly turned on their protectors, the Thaumaturgy Police, believing them to be bullies and corrupt when in truth the situation had simply been desperate. Jacqui had stepped up then and painted before them a story of togetherness and solidarity, a fantasy of propaganda and safety. It had simply been words and images presented with flair, but it had stopped the riot nearly cold.   Could it be so simple? Maybe all ideas started that way. You simply imagined them and then presented them, no matter how empty they were or how little confidence or belief you had in it. It had certainly served her well all these years; her cover had been based on the simple truth that people believe what is comfortable, what they want to believe in. Could being a mother be as simple as tricking herself and others, and then just sticking to it? Just like the thin shell of a mask that Jacqui Beauclerc had once been as an identity and had now been filled in and had become so much more with depth. Even if it wasn’t the perfect answer it had always been her answer, she’d fake it until she makes it as a mother.   Education was going to be difficult to offer Lilu though. Thankfully her ‘Uncle Zug’ was an educated man and even lived in a school for kids Lilu’s age, a placed called Hyssop Home. He insisted that Jacqui not only enroll Lilu but that Maggith and Jacqui come as well, to help take care of the girl. It also came with the opportunity for Lilu to make friends with other children, and it meant she’d be well taken care of, even if Jacqui had to travel on business with B.A.S.E.   With some trepidation the Beauclerc trio made their way to the home, passing through the heavy outer gate and entering a brilliant courtyard with paved walkways, bubbling fountains and fragrant flowerbeds. Jacqui had been to Hyssop Home many times before, as a visitor, and had never truly understood the business of the home. As far as she understood the concept of religion and spirituality they were nothing more than brands like a store, the cuisine of choice of the kitchen staff so to speak. Her recent experiences and even some long overdue introspection had changed her perception on symbols though, maybe there was something more behind all of this.   These teachings must have begun the same as any other idea, right? A simple shell, a presentation with little behind it. Over time though hundreds if not thousands had added more and more until that symbol was deep, it was real, it had meaning. The people in the home were so simple and honest about it all. They believed in their shared ideas and they believed in each other, and they hid so very little. Even when Jacqui listened in to their thoughts they were the same as the words they spoke. Their belief was built on a trust in the ideas, and in each other. Could she learn to be like that? Learn to be a good mother that Lilu could believe in? Learn to be something that others could trust in? Where does the line between the lie you live and the truth of who you are stop being? Somewhere between saying you’ll do something and being done with it, surely. If so then she’d start off right. She’d be the person reflected in the deep blue eyes of Lilu, the very blue eyes which were a reflection of her own blue eyes, her eyes, Jacqui’s eyes. She would give people something to believe in, and the first thing she would have to learn to believe in was herself.   Unravelling the bundle of lies that was herself wasn’t easy though, and even more so was realizing that she had never formed a pact with another in the desperate times of the Room. If the protection of the mists had been a pact, then why was Lilu able to call them as well? It was in their blood. If it was in their blood then she had been her own savior, if she had heard any voices they had perhaps been her ancestors. Whatever had preceded her she may never know, but she would set about honoring the family going forward.   Lilu, Maggith and Jacqui Beauclerc settled into the new home, each learning to live with change while hoping for the best.

Zaidfar: Chapter 0: Backstory

[[WARNING POTENTIAL TRAUMA AND ABUSE TRIGGERS]]   Zaidfar’s first memories are muddled. As far as she can recall life began in the Room. The Room was purportedly her room, but the truth was that the room never belonged to her, she belonged to the Room. The Room had quite a lot of things in truth, all which seemed to have always been within there, just the same as she had. There was a dark stained wooden wardrobe with a creaking door filled with a variety of women’s clothes of many different sizes all too large for her, and an off-white painted vanity covered in scrapes and scars where the paint was chipped away to reveal unfashionable paint colors and gouged raw wood. Atop the vanity were a number of old brass canisters, a hair brush, and other beauty accessories, including a rather impressive square mirror set into a stand which was nailed into the vanity itself. But the Room’s centerpiece was a large, old, well worn-in bed that she needed stepping stairs to get into and out of upon which were warm heavy blankets and faded feather down pillows. The rest of the Room was cold stone walls, and a heavy wooden door studded through with cast iron hinges and reinforcement; importantly the door had no handle. For the Room did not let go of what was its, and the only way out was for Fregor to open it from the outside. No one else could open the door because the bolt, which opened from the outside, was just too heavy.   The Room might have belonged to Fregor, but Zaidfar was pretty sure Fregor belonged to the Room too. Fregor was big, a half-ogre who sat outside the Room on a couch. Fregor mostly sat, ate, relieved himself, and opened the door when he was told, and closed the door when he was told. It was his “job” to do these things so the Room could keep Zaidfar. Because she had to stay in “her room” as they called it. Because she had to stay, Fregor had to stay, and Zaidfar had to stay because Mr. Hugh wanted her to stay. The truth was, all of them, the Room, Fregor, Zaidfar, they all belonged to Mr. Hugh. They belonged to Mr. Hugh because Mr. Hugh had many other things, particularly coins. For in the city of Athkatla, in western Amn, the power of coin was unquestionable, and the fate of slaves were decided by their masters.   Others would come to the Room; most often a woman who would bring with her food, bathing water and fresh bedding. She looked at Zaidfar with pity in her eyes and a grimace on her wrinkled face but she spoke with gentleness and patience. Zaidfar always looked forward to seeing the woman, as anything she brought, anything she said brought a welcome relief to the endless boredom of the Room. If Zaidfar had known what a mother was she might have considered the woman to be that, after all she had never known a name to call her by. But the kind woman’s name wasn’t something she ‘needed to know’ as decided by Mr. Hugh. In truth there were very few things she ‘needed to know’ and it was best she knew as little as possible; there were dangerous things to know, the kind woman told her. The kind woman’s job seemed to be to teach Zaidfar her words and made sure she was “growing up.”   That was Zaidfar’s job by the way, she was supposed to “grow up.” Growing up was a tedious job, as you had to do the same thing every day, day after day. Zaidfar would wake up in the bed in the Room, and then she would be. The kind woman would come a few times a day, and Zaidfar would listen and eat and bathe, and then she would get back to work growing up. Just be, and don’t hurt yourself, that is all she had to do. Eventually she would get tired and get back in bed and sleep so she could wake up and get back to work. It was very important that she grow up right, or Mr. Hugh would be very upset. If she didn’t do her job and didn’t “make it” then Mr. Hugh had promised the kind woman and Fregor both that there would be a lot of trouble.   Zaidfar didn’t want to trouble either of them, the kind woman was kind after all, and although Fregor wasn’t very nice, he did talk to her some times through the door. Fregor even had two kinds of words, and he taught some of his to Zaidfar because he said he wanted to hear them. Fregor said the words came from where he came from before, but he couldn’t say where as that was something Zaidfar didn’t ‘need to know.’ Instead Zaidfar did her best to grow up, and much to the pleasure of the kind woman she did just that. Years passed by in this way, and soon she didn’t need a stepping stair to get into bed. The Room got a little smaller and the kind woman’s face got a little more wrinkled, but very little else changed until the lessons began.   A new woman came to the Room, the unkind woman; her face was smooth and her hair was bright and colorful. She brought the lessons to the Room with her. Making Zaidfar do the lessons was her job. Brushing your hair, how to stand, how to sit, how to walk, and also how to dress. When Zaidfar did the lessons poorly the unkind woman would discipline her. If Zaidfar did very badly then the unkind woman would not let the kind woman into the Room and if the kind woman didn’t come then Zaidfar wouldn’t grow up right, and then Zaidfar wasn’t doing her job right.   The lessons would change as Zaidfar kept getting bigger. Soon the canisters contained pigments and ointments, “make-up” as the unkind lady would call it. The unkind lady would teach her how to use it to change her face. The unkind lady would show her in the mirror at the vanity, then have Zaidfar do her own face the same. She was told to do all she could to look ‘just the same.’   Her first shapechange was a surprise to her. The face under the make-up brush went from changing brushstroke by brushstroke across her skin to morphing under it. The pale girl with white-blonde hair gave way to the unkind lady, and the unkind lady looked upon the unkind ladies in the mirror and clapped her hands. “Mr. Hugh would be so pleased, she was growing up so well.” said the unkind lady.   Zaidfar hoped to please the kind lady with what she had learned but the kind lady only grimaced when she saw the unkind lady in Zaidfar. Thinking perhaps that the kind lady would please the kind lady, Zaidfar became her, but the kind lady only pleaded with Zaidfar to stop. She must never be the kind lady, she must only be who Mr. Hugh tells her to be. But in the Room there was nothing to do but be, so why not be other things? She would be the kind lady and the unkind lady, but she couldn’t be Fregor. Fregor was just too big and it hurt to try to be him. Zaidfar would instead become the ladies and with the cosmetics she would paint and become as many new things as she could. It made time in the Room pass more quickly.   Mr. Hugh wanted her to be many women in the end. Zaidfar would wear a blindfold, and would leave the room, being pulled by the hand by the unkind lady. The unfamiliar stone of the hallway outside the Room sending electric shocks up her body during her first trips, quickly replaced by the feel of carpet that she assumed must be made of blankets. The blindfold was removed as she was bade to look through a peephole on Mr. Hugh’s guests at different parties. She had never seen so many people and so many things. Each viewing was a gift of unimaginable value to Zaidfar, as she gained so many new things to be when she was returned to the Room.   The Room often had a new visitor as well, Mr. Hugh himself! Mr. Hugh came to Zaidfar to see her be the ladies from his parties, it would always bring a smile to his face. Sometimes they would share meals together in a different room, a dining room. The dining room belonged to Mr. Hugh, of course. She would eat with him while being a lady he wanted. He would talk to her, but she wasn’t to talk back, as she didn’t speak right for Mr. Hugh. Sometimes Mr. Hugh would help her bathe instead of the kind lady as well, and with him taking care of her food, her bathing and even bringing her new clothes she began to see the kind lady far less. Soon Mr. Hugh would even take care of her bedding situation as well.   Zaidfar’s job wasn’t to grow up any longer. Her job was to be the women Mr. Hugh wanted, and women Mr. Hugh wanted were many. She was moved to Mr. Hugh’s room; though that distinction made little sense to Zaidfar, all the rooms were Mr. Hugh’s rooms. Zaidfar’s new job didn’t take much time in the end, or that much effort. Her abuse was frequent but Mr. Hugh was a busy man, and when his business with the woman of his choice was done he would hurry off to other business. Mr. Hugh was a businessman, after all.   Mr. Hugh’s room though was a different thing entirely, well except Fregor, he was now outside Mr. Hugh’s room. Sumptuous furnishings and luxuries of all manner surrounded her now. The most amazing of which was something called paint, something made of all color, and the corresponding canvas, a thing made of no color. She soon found her skills with the cosmetics translated quite well; only instead of painting her face in the mirror she would paint any face she pleased in the canvas. Mr. Hugh found her painting humorous, and he provided her with new canvases, as long as she promised to do her job in good spirits. It seemed like a good deal.   Zaidfar soon began to change, from the inside. But not because of the person she was being, but because something else was coming into being. Under Mr. Hugh’s attentions she had fallen pregnant, something which distressed the kind lady. Soon she would be unable to be others as the change would endanger the new being within her. This displeased Mr. Hugh greatly. He grew bored of her, with her pale white skin and her pale white hair. She was returned to the Room once more, a new kind of growing up would need to happen before she could leave.   The kind lady would see her very often in this time, and tell her of what was to come. Another one, like her would be born in the room. The kind lady said she was born of Mr. Hugh’s love for Zaidfar, but Zaidfar knew that the women Mr. Hugh wanted were not Zaidfar. The kind lady promised that when the new child was born that she would take the child and then Zaidfar would return to Mr. Hugh’s room, where she could paint and be happy again. Just like she had painted those faces into being she was painting a new person into being, the kind lady said. It seemed simple enough, a new job, one that would only last a short time, the kind lady promised.   The new job was difficult. The new being moved and kicked and made Zaidfar sick. The kind lady always spoke of it as Mr. Hugh’s child, and that made sense; after all, all things here belonged to Mr. Hugh, right? Deep in her gut though her instincts screamed against that thought, for the first time in her life she felt like something was her’s. The feeling would grow with time, and strength as the life within her did the same. The child would come soon the kind lady said, any day now, as if days meant anything in the Room. Zaidfar felt anxiety, she felt fear, she question for the first time, was even this life within her truly Mr. Hugh’s.   The dream that night was very real. Great rolling columns of mist washing over her as she walked bowlegged and pregnant into the roiling clouds of white and grey. The voice came as a whisper upon her ear, and spoke with lilting mirth. “What riches you carry. What splendors you are draped in, to my eyes. Layered upon you like the finest of dresses. You could have lived never knowing otherwise, but she has told you the truth hasn’t she?”   In the mist Zaidfar looked down at her swelling belly, somehow knowing. “She?” Zaidfair questioned the mist.   “Yes, you carry one, much as you, a daughter.” Came the reply. “Very much as you; and though she tells you the truth she does not know it herself. As it was for you, there is a danger to knowing, and you, Zaidfar, have come to know. You have come to know the lie, that all is Mr. Hugh’s, and for it you are lost, and I have lost. But I shall have mine again, for one good lie deserves another, and if Mr. Hugh can no longer lie to you, then you shall lie to Mr. Hugh. He has given you two lives of lies, and you shall give him two deaths of lies in turn. One you shall give now, the other you will give later. In this way you shall serve me, Zaidfar, you shall know me by my mists.”   The mists shifted as illusions danced before Zaidfar. Her part became clear. With the help of the mistcaller she would fake her death in childbirth and in the confusion she would escape. The first death of lies would be her own, as she used her pact with the mistcaller to weave convincing illusions, repainting reality through the very real act of giving birth to her daughter. Distracted by the birth the kind lady was completely unaware of the magic, and in panic rushed from the room with the babe to tell the unkind lady and Mr. Hugh. Zaidfar had died giving birth. Mr. Hugh would be displeased.   Fregor would move Zaidfar from the Room to a place she has never been; a room near the garage of Mr. Hugh’s house. She was laid upon a sheet by Fregor, and then the unkind lady approached. Men would come for her and cart her away. A dead whore, the unkind lady had said over her as the sheet slid over Zaidfar’s body, the carters will hardly bother asking questions. The unkind lady dismissed Fregor, she told him he would be lucky to eat any more now that he had no job. Zaidfar felt a pang of guilt; she had never meant to hurt Fregor.   When the carters came they took the sheet away, the mistcaller’s magic convincing them of the weight and substance of the package. As the cart trundled down the street Zaidfar walked out into the street of the world naked and afraid.   The mists spoke to her. “You will live using what you know; lies. Go, live and learn, and remember you owe me yet one more death of lies if you ever wish to claim the other life of lies.”   She became one of the ladies she had seen, and began a life of vagrancy. She learned to live by being others, mimicking and copying them when she needed. She stole when she had to. She learned the power of coin and the deep power of Mr. Hugh within the city of Athkatla. When she aroused suspicion she would become another, and when she had nowhere left to turn she left the city, traveling as any she pleased.   She spent years on the road, eventually learning of the work of adventurers and their great power of wealth. She fell in with mercenary companies, pretending to be a powerful spellcaster through the Mistcaller’s powers. Her lies convinced one particular group to undertake a dangerous high paying mission; one that ended in the party’s defeat except for Zaidfar who had fled. She returned to the corpses and found them abandoned. Their wealth was now her’s, and in particular a suit of elven armor. The armor was quite convincing and spoke of great capability, but it also evoked something else, an identity. The elven paladin who had once worn the armor had been beautiful, charming and capable… Perhaps if she was more like her she could be something more?   Jacqueline Beauclerc, or Jacqui, for short, became her new name. She began to travel under one face, constantly checking herself in the mirror to ensure that she hadn’t fallen into bad habits of changing her form. The identity began to blossom and crystallize within her psyche. She began to make a name for herself as a capable adventurer, even ranking up within B.A.S.E. of Driftriver. Her small lies began to coalesce into one big lie. She was Jacqui Beauclerc, and for once, that was who she wanted to be.   Jacqui would pass the years 1487 to 1494 adventuring and learning of the world. Her mind would often return to the child she had left behind, to the thought that the girl was old enough to begin making memories of her own. Would that girl’s memories be of the Room as well?   Having begun to accrue enough wealth and knowledge of the world to provide her resolve began to strengthen; she would get her daughter back, she would honor the one truth she had known all along and reclaim the other life of lies the mistcaller had promised, her daughter. The price was only a death of lies, and she knew that it must be Hugh’s in the end.
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