April Highthorn
Miss Stealth, Distraction, Boom // April Highthorn
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
SPEEDY GONZALES
Never doubt April is fit. She led a farmers life and had to "run for a living"... literally. She's limber and in shape. You can tell there's muscle under her skin. April is of average height for her age.
Body Features
NONE AT THE FRONT, ALL AT THE BACK
She doesn't have front assets (a result of all the running) but her hips and behind are thicker. April's legs are also bigger built (think spinter build).Facial Features
A LOT OF MUM AND A BIT OF DAD
April inherited dainty features from her mother. Her eyebrows are thin and she's got high cheekbones. Her eyes are almond shaped, with freckles dusted on her nose and under her eyes. April's nose is of a slightly thicker proportion though and her lips smaller in size... "thanks dad".Identifying Characteristics
ARTIFICER TO THE CORE
The back of April's hair and the beginning parts of the front strands often look ashen in colour. Her face and fingertips are likely smudged. These are due to the fumes, chemicals and flames she works with as an artificer.Physical quirks
JUST A LITTLE DIFFERENT
As she wears goggles often, many NPCs wouldn't know. April has heterochromia (both eyes are a different colour).
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She's also left-handed.
WARNING SIGNS
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April rubs the back of her neck when things get too much (eg, session 23). When she doesn't understand, when she's feeling down but the bad optimism habit kicks in, etc.
Special abilities
WHAT POTION WAS JUST CHUCKED???
Isn’t that the question of the day? Or why did April pocket dirt? Why did she chuck a monkey into a square while squatting behind a building? All valid questions... with good reasons. Some are to do with the below.REVEALED SKILLS SO FAR
1) Lockpicking 2) Making people faster 3) Infusing weapons 4) Making health potions 5) Making experimental elixers at night 6) Distraction tactics 7) Using acid 8) Tweaking a toy monkey to create different sounds 9) Chucking and shielding combat tactics 10) Knowing ingredients 11) Making wine 12) Ship mechanics 13) Carpentry (she's good with wood) 14) Securing perimiters.Apparel & Accessories
DRESSES RANDOMNLY CHANGE
April believes comfy pants and shoes are a must. Many belts adorn her waist and she wears fingerless gloves to work with chemicals. There’s also a fancy corset. UPDATE: She has her grandfather’s war cape, her mother’s goggles, a bottomless bag clutched at all times and sometimes wears a dress Mia can change the look of (April thinks it changes according to its own will).Specialized Equipment
FASTER AND BETTER
April's true specialisms lie in making others faster or their weapons better. She places great stock in boosting speed as it was one of her key roles on Scotch Island. She infuses weapons, having so far given Malak's shield a repulsion feature, allowed Silmer's spear to return after use and her own self to instantly backtrack with the help of her boots.Mental characteristics
Personal history
APRIL HAS SHARED HER BACKGROUND
HAILING FROM
She was born and grew up in Windshire, a farming community that makes not only its own wine, but the bottles and labels too.
IMPACT OF WAR
She grew up in a time where you were: 1) Sent to war or 2) fed troops via Otharaunt – an Aundairan military installation. It meant having all hands-on deck. She learned how to craft artisan goods from her mother and started making inventions and potions to speed up the farming process.A TATTOO TOO FAR
After the war, the Sicklemen came. They were a group branded with a sickle mark. While lacking in magical power, they had numbers and war experience. Windshire couldn’t stand up to them and watched their creations be taken away. Some of these people were former Windshire inhabitants. April has known this reality most of her life.THE GOODS
Ma Yaisha – “Meaning of Life”. It’s the most famous wine in Khovaire. Its recipe has been with the Highthorn family since its creation, though has improved since Valarie's input. The wine has a black label, with a logo showing three triangles interlinked. It represents the past, present and future. The brand sells different versions: “Walk of Life”, “Tree of Life” and “Meaning of Life”. With the d’Lyrander family the company makes a “Water of Life” version with a blue label.
A TORTLE THIS WAY COMES
THE D'LYRANDER DEAL: Get the Windshire squad to a place away from Sicklemen eyes and produce a special edition wine. This was the deal sealed by Ethan and carried out by ship Captain Hycon. Silmer worked on the ship going to Scotch Island. Through April's insistent pestering, he became friends with her.
Sexuality
INTO THE UNKNOWN
April has no qualms about people loving whoever they want, but she's yet to experience any feelings for anyone. In fact, there are some parts to being in a relationship (the intimate part) that make her feel squemish.Education
HOME SCHOOL, BABY!
Most of April's knowledge comes from her parents. There are no schools in Windshire. Working most of their lives farming or making wine, there really was no point in learning anything else. April was lucky her parents had been taught things unique to Windshire. Maths came from her father, who was the community's financial keeper. Inventing and chemical equations came from Valarie. It helps that April loves to read.Employment
BRAND MAI YASHA
Need we say more? She's not only brand ambassador, but sows the seeds and tends to them herself. April was shifted from the main product to the d'Lyrander co-brand. UPDATE: She was employed by the crown to carry out a mission.Accomplishments & Achievements
NO MORE BEING GROUNDED!
1) Standing up for herself against her grandfather 2) Infusing her first item 3) Understanding the big deal of titles (her foray into being more social) 4) Showing more emotions than happiness (aka opening up. She even broke down in front of the group) 5) Creating her own potions 6) Turning one tool into another 7) Helping to create a renown co-owned wine 8) Keeping people safe against Commodor Infantil 9) Tweaking a mechanical monkey to create sounds, visuals, etc 10) Collecting the affects of those found dead to retun to families ("Responsibility") 11) Learning to take the equation out of conversations 12) Thinking more logically instead of jumping to emotional conclusions (eg, the subjects of Vence threatning people, Nesza breaking peace and Corvus jumping ship) 13) Has gained a grasp of most tools and knows how to wield them well 14) Leaving everything behind despite her body screaming "no" and venturing into the great unknown.Failures & Embarrassments
I'M AN ADULT, OK?
1) Being looked down on for something as stupid as age or accent 2) Not standing up for Nesza against Uncle Teddy 3) Yelling about the secret handshake in a crowded bar 4) The outcome of her conversation with Tatalla 5) Her own awkward conversations in general 6) Initially painting certain people with the same brush 7) Leaving Windshire behind the first time, even more so the second time 8) Almost dying due to her own inadequacies 9) Being preoccupied for so long with her own issues. She's part of a team now 10) Not knowing bout certain topics that seem general knowledge for "the adults."Mental Trauma
GENTLY CHIPPING AWAY
There are three incidents weighing on April. She's mentioned two to select members, who all didn't really respond. It slowly starts to chip away at her...
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1) April considers her community family. For them to come back, demand they work harder so they can take their goods and even attack them, is traumatising. Especially when you head back, see they've kept people captive or run them out, but are still told to work with them with no slight on them from those helping... is equally as jarring. April is in emotional turmoil over everyone thinking this was OK.
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3) April's mum is missing! Her village was attacked, her friends fought her old friends and she was made to run for it. Her mum is now gone. Could she have changed that had she stayed?
2) She killed someone. She took a life. From that point on, April has never chucked a potion intended to hurt someone. She doesn't even create potions close to the group anymore, just in case.
Intellectual Characteristics
NEVER GIVE UP!
1) Perseverance 2) Courage (learning) 3) Ability to learn and process information rapidly 4) A need to understand the world and for it to be logical and fair 5) Fair-mindedness (learning) 6) Autonomy 7) Always thinking up solutions and trying to piece puzzles together.Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Social
Contacts & Relations
IT'S A NEW FAM, MAN
BLUD (FAMILY)
1) Valarie Highthorn (mum) 2) Ethan Highthorn (dad) 3) Juliona Godfried (grandma) 4) Kleris Godfried (grandpa).BRUVS (CONTACT)
1) Windshire inhabitants 2) Cissa 3) House d'Sivis in Windshire. Most notably Sinni 4) Elijah d'Orien 5) Jenny Windchaser 6) Captain Conrad Mer 7) Josac d'Vadalis.
Family Ties
NEWLY FORGED
Ethan's parents died in the war. Valarie NEVER talked about hers. Neither had siblings and April is an ony child. April thought it was them against the world. They're a very tight-knit family.
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She met her grandparents there for the first time: Juliona and Kleris Godfried. They thought Valarie was dead and didn't know of April's existance. While the beginning was rocky, they're working towards a better relationship.
After Valarie killed Lucious Malfoy in front of Silmer and April, she told them to run for Fairhaven and find the Godfrieds.
Religious Views
PIQUED CURIOSITY
April's parents weren't devout, but Valarie occassionally lit a candle for Onatar, especially when she succeeded in creating something amazing. On their journey, April started hearing more about religion and spiritual views, among the names being The Traveler and The Devourer. The former and the one her mum paid homage to, she found out, are deities many artificers follow. April wants to find out why.Social Aptitude
WE REALLY GOING HERE?
While April is learning, her thought process still works as an equation. "This + that = successful conversation". She's intelligent and while astute in terms of emotions, her brain thinks too fast for her sometimes. This has led to some awkward conversations (COUGH Tatalla COUGH). When April DOES say or do something, it's usually for a reason. Even if you don't see it... yet.Mannerisms
WE CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!???
1) She mumbles, leading party members to miss her words 2) She can have shortness of breath from talking too fast when on a tangent 3) April is heavily reliant on buffer words like "like" for her mind to catch up with her mouth 4) You will never catch April doing something "unsightly" like biting her nails and lips or drumming her hands against the table. No... those were caught early on and stamped out by Valarie.Hobbies & Pets
PETS? NAH MATE
With a busy work schedule, there was never room for pets. Anyway, she got to greet the cows and chickens each morning. So who needed one? The same is said for hobbies. Potions and inventions were to make life better... it wasn't considered an option for a hobby until now.Speech
WHAT THE HELL IS SHE SAYING?
She’s from a small, chav village, OK? She can’t help the way she speaks, despite her mum’s best efforts. April is loud, proud and has a teeny guide for those who want to know what the hell she’s blabbing about.SLANG
1) Innit = Any affirmative response 2) O’right? = Hello 3) Lost the plot = Gone crazy 4) “Like…” “like…” some more “like…” = It’s just a filler, OK? 5) Well proper = It was good 6) Bruv = Whoever is being addressed without a confirmed title.AGRICULTURAL TERMS
1) Skyship Fishing – Airships use large nets and skim close to the water. They trawl a stretch of the ocean before pulling the net in. Easy money. The fish in monster-infested oceans are rarer and sell for more. 2) Temporary/ Risk Farming – People plant crops outside farming districts, mostly in unusual places. Farmers come back in intervals to plant and harvest. These places are often dangerous. The soil is better due to monsters dragging in food and having it decompose. This way they create extra food stockpiles. The death rate is higher for this form of farming and was established during the war when farmers needed more nutrient-heavy food for troops. 3) Focused Farming/ Intercropping – Instead of everyone doing a little of everything, farmers are good at one or two things. They live in communities and trade their goods with one another. Growing only two crops on a plot ensures they absorb certain substances from the soil. It keeps the soil healthier, with certain plants placed together preventig disease and pests. 4) Root Hiding – The farming colloquial term for stockpiling an illegal amount of crops somewhere to benefit yourself. A term created during the war when farmers had to create extra crops so they could keep some themselves. 5) Light Signals – After being harvested, plants can respond to light signals. This can change their biology in ways that affect health value and insect resistence. Storing vegetables and fruit under light-dark cycles and timing when to use them can enhance their value.Relationships
Wealth & Financial state
0GP, 0SP
FUN FACT: She never carries ANY money. Silmer and April divided it so that April carries the goods, while he carries the money. That way if one loses their share, they always have something to live off of for a while.CLUELESS ABOUT WEALTH
April's naive about money as she never had to work with it. Sure, alcohol prices are one thing, but expenses and tax are a different ballgame. April doesn't understand what she truly has. She worked her ass off and sure, Windshire did suffer, but the wine gives them a lot of money. It's why the houses are lush and their clothes top notch.
So you want to know more about April? You poor sod. OK then. Read her story at your own peril... it's quite explosive.
Character Location
Alignment
Neutral
Honorary & Occupational Titles
TITLES ARE A BIG DEAL!!!
A winning conversation starter has formed in April's head thanks to the party. That is... "What's your title?" But what’s April‘s title, you ask? It’s different depending on who she talks to – and it’s going to change based on circumstance. By Mia: Miss Stealth, Distraction, Boom. By Corvus: Genius Pupil. By Nesza: Speed Booster. By Malak: One Promised by Grandma to Protect. By Vence: Potion Chucker and Lockpicker Extraordinaire. By Silmer: One of the Crazy Few. By Griff: PENDING
Age
18
Date of Birth
1 April
Birthplace
Windshire, Western Aundair
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Gender
Female
Eyes
One dark brown (right) and one light brown with green speckles (left)
Hair
A naturally red pixie cut at the back and beginning-shoulder-length strands at the front.
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Slightly tanned
Height
163cm
Weight
147lb
THAT ONE NAME IN CELESTIAL
1) Common 2) Elvish 3) Gnomish 4) The name "Tyra Miron" in Celestial.