Alinazora Sinistratus

Witch-Knight of the Order of the Black Feather Alinazora Sinistratus (a.k.a. Zora)

The story would have it that Alinazora Sinistratus (and who has a name like that?) came to the expedition by way of the Eagle Knights, where she migrated over from their initiate program to join the expedition due to her martial prowess. Yet she introduces herself as a 'Witch-Knight of the Order of the Black Feather', which is not a real Eagle Knight order, and also says her primary purpose is to be an entertainer, which is clearly not the case.
It seems obvious that she is clearly lying, and yet, nothing she has said has ever been proven to be untrue.
Still, she can swing a sword, lift a shield, and carry a tune, all skills in demand, so such vagaries have apparently gone overlooked. At least for the moment.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Athletic, slim, as elves tend to be. Fit and nimble but by no means muscular.

Body Features

Incredibly pale skin contrasts against incredibly black hair.

Facial Features

She has the sort of exquisite beauty one expects to see on an elf, but adorned and styled in manners one never does. Her hair is side-cut, swept over her head and shaved on one side. On that side is a distinct facial tattoo, swirling black patterns playing across her forehead, around her eye, along her cheek, along her jaw, and vanishing down beneath her collar, potentially even further down her body. She has multiple studs along her long ear, as well as one in her nostril, and a lip ring besides, all on the same side as her tattoo. They appear to be iron, which is usually a bad idea. Her eyes are usually hidden, but when visible, are solid black orbs, without iris, sclera, or pupil distinguishable.

Identifying Characteristics

Elves do not go for piercings, do not tend towards tattoos, like to dress colorfully and adorn themselves with simple jewelry by preference. Yet here Zora is, matching none of these traits. Perhaps its just a trick of her unusual attire, but sometimes the shadows that fall on her seem... darker... then usual.

Physical quirks

She smirks very often, frequently smiling in a manner that can leave one wondering if she is making fun of them.

Apparel & Accessories

She frequently wears smokey glassed goggles, hiding her eyes from view. She always dresses darkly, yet likes to style her clothing or armor with 'colorful' tassels and almost jester-like touches, yet even those adornments are so faded in color as to be essentially gray unless one looks very hard, leaving one to wonder why she bothers in the first place?
She is almost never without a longsword within reach. She often carries her 'Bagpipes', a curious instrument not usually seen in Andoran, and while its tune is not to every bodies tastes, she certainly seems competent in its use.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Alianazora appeared within Andoran a few years ago, where she promptly began flitting around several employment opportunities. Elves are relatively rare in that kingdom, so few were in a position to question her story. Not terribly interested in patriotism she has nevertheless been drawn to the abolitionist activities of the Eagle Knights, where she passed the basic martial qualifications with ease (and clearly the use of magic, but that's hardly a dis-qualifier). As to whether or not she would be able to manage the discipline expected of an initiate is another question, but it seems she has fallen into another path entirely. Talmandor's Bounty was looking for colonists of a martial bent, and an offer of recruitment passed her way. Given the givens, its obvious she is here as a 'spy' for the Eagle Knights, yet she insists she is simply here as an adventurous entertainer, far more interested in the lost stories of the Aztlanti. A pretense that the Bountiful Venture Company has either not looked into or decided to accept so as to maintain plausible deniability with the Knights.
Then again, perhaps it isn't a pretense, and she simply used the Eagle Knights as a springboard to get onto the expedition and does not have loyalty to them either.
Her intentions are shrouded in the shadows, as is her peoples nature.

Sexuality

Pansexual. If she has ever felt romantic love for another, she did not recognize it for what it was. She enjoys casual liaisons whenever the mood strikes her, and her tastes are broad. But attachment? Ah, that's a different thing...

Morality & Philosophy

Surprisingly kind, but rarely lets it show. She believes the majority of organizations are corrupt, the majority of people are drowning in lies, and terrible secrets exist everywhere.

Taboos

Under no circumstances, even starvation, will Alinazora kill or eat the meat of a natural bird. Fighting birdlike monsters is another story of course, but even then she will feel uncomfortable about it. She is deeply uncomfortable in the presence of Kenku, and will avoid interacting with them if at all possible.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

To learn the secrets of a lost empire. To pass on those secrets to the ones she says she serves, then to the ones that told her to say she serves the first group, and most importantly to the one she actually serves.

Savvies & Ineptitudes

Very good at intriguing others, at misdirecting and fascinating them. She is a born entertainer, and can charm people into tolerating her manifold eccentricities. But she is terrible at engendering actual trust. She is obviously a basket of lies, even if she has never actually been caught in any of them, and its hard to escape the feeling that she is quite possibly making fun of you in any given social interaction.

Likes & Dislikes

She likes small, interesting objects, especially shiny ones. She hates lies. Especially the lies the smugly hypocritical tell themselves.

Virtues & Personality perks

She is kind. Especially to the genuinely innocent, few though they may be. Kind, however, is not the same thing as /nice/...

Vices & Personality flaws

She is hedonistic and fatalistic, prone to chase sensation and sensationalism, and for an elf puts an appalling lack of priority on her personal safety. Better to die spectacularly than to live forgettably.

Personality Quirks

It is easy to mistake her frequent use of her goggles as a sensitively to bright light, but in fact, she has no issues with it. Rather, she has an instinctual aversion to bright colors, and has to brace herself in their presence.

Hygiene

She is fairly faultless about personal grooming. She'll get messy if its needed to attain a goal, but arranging her feathers properly at the next opportunity is a priority.

Social

Family Ties

Her family is far away. Far, far, /far/ away.

Religious Views

A deeply devoted daughter to her darkly dreaming deity.
Otherwise she has a pretty skeptical view of most gods. In her estimation, the evil ones are self evident, the neutral ones seem content to allow evil and suffering to exist for the sake of some abstract 'greater balance', and the purportedly good ones don't seem to go much out of their way to help others. Elfish deities in particular earn the stink-eye from her, as they seem to reflect what she sees as the inherently selfish yet self-righteous nature of the Elf race.
She usually knows better then to voice these opinions around the faithful, but particularly righteous proclamations from followers of Lawful deities can provoke her into saying something regrettable. In her estimation, for example, while Abadar the god of civilization may be well regarded in idealistic Andoran, he's just as well regarded in tyrannical Cheliax, so what is the use of him? How is he /good/ for people?
A fairly arrogant attitude one might say.

Ostensibly a potential recruit to the Eagle Knights of Andoran, along on the expedition for her martial prowess, many obvious traits of this flamboyantly grim Elf seem to not agree with her story.

View Character Profile

Alignment

Chaotic Good

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Witch-Knight of the Order of the Black Feather. Dirgesinger of the Endless Mourning.

Age

124

Birthplace

Nowhere the sun has ever seen.

Gender

Female

Eyes

Void Black

Hair

Vantablack

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Bone White

Height

5ft 6in

Weight

120 lbs.

Quotes & Catchphrases

"The best part of being the most unusual person in a room is you can watch how everybody else treats you. That will generally immediately tell you everything you need to know about them."
"Drawn in pact and forged in iron, shadowed blade that souls devours, covenant with shadowed queen, in common steel thy echo seen."

Known Languages

Common, Elvish.