Lili the Elfcat / Helvet'ine Kuglim / Retired Highwaywoman

[Lili the Elfcat]

Name: Lili the Elfcat

Gender: Female

Age: 24

Race: Human

Tribe: Helvet'ine Kuglimz

Occupation: Retired Highwaywoman

Title: Endearing Cut-throat

Overview

On first sight, she may strike you as a wealthy lady from the north – but that ghastly scar on her left cheek seems to suggest there’s something more to her than that. Then again, you may think she’s a forest guide of sorts, for now she’s talking most knowledgeably about herbs, traps, making a fire in the streaming rain, and her fight with that bear. But she won’t tell you which forest she’s from, and anyway, why would a bush ranger wear those garish clothes? After a while, you may conclude that she’s as mad as a flitter-twitch; in any case, that would explain how she puts up with the infuriating bird that sits on her shoulder and keeps interrupting the conversation. And why is she singing a song in a little girl’s voice all of a sudden? And asks if she can have an apple, please?

Appearance

Height: 2 ped
Weight: 1 pygge, 9 hebs
Hair Colour: Blonde
Eye Colour: Brown

Physical Appearance: Tall, slim and muscular, with a weather-worn but handsome face that radiates both experience and gaiety, Lili isn’t easily overlooked. Her long, full blond hair and her lively brown eyes would make her a rather attractive woman if it was not for a deep scar on her left cheek, which is almost a palmspan long and will make it difficult for most people to look anywhere but at it – if they decide to look into Lili’s face at all.

Even without the scar, it would be obvious to an experienced observer that Lili has not led a quiet life. She holds her body upright, and her movements suggest a trained suppleness of limb. Her long arms are well-toned and obviously strong. Her large palms are calloused from outdoor life and work, as are her slender and slightly bony fingers.

Lili's voice is surprisingly deep and resonant for a slim woman, and when she laughs, she laughs fully and noisily, without regard for what others may consider propriety.

Clothing: Lili rather overcompensates for her rough-and-ready early life by choosing the most garish colours and finest fabrics that she can get. Currently, she is carrying with her a bright yellow dress, an orange overcoat, pretty green shoes and an extravagant pink hat. She will don these clothes when trying to pass for a lady in a city or town. For more adventurous undertakings, however, Lili will don the rather more practical and good-quality clothing she purchased after having come to riches: a tunic and trousers, both of oiled brown leather; sturdy brown leather boots for her large feet, and a wide-rimmed green hat.

Personality

If you like drink, bawdy banter, and a good tale, and if you don’t mind her foul-mouthed interjections, her practical jokes, and her meddlesome bird, you may get on well with Lili. If you say something she likes, she’ll swing her long arm in a wide arch to give you a friendly slap on the back, which may well knock the breath out of you, if you’re of less-than-hardy constitution. The former cut-throat is not particularly choosy about whom she befriends (she could never afford to be), so she’ll make the best of the company that she has. Should she decide to throw in her lot with a group, Lili will be fiercely loyal, as she will work on the assumption that the greatest chance of individual survival is provided by mutual help, and that everyone else understands that, too. She is not naïve, though – and having lived among a rugged band of bandits most of her life, has seen her fair share of betrayals. Not particularly interested in leadership, Lili will be content to have others call the shots as long as she feels things are run fairly. Brave in the face of danger, cunning in battle, experienced in surviving in tough terrain, Lili may be a good companion to have around, if you can see past her secretiveness about her past and her vagueness about her plans for the future.

On first acquaintance, Lili will strike many as jolly, gregarious, and self-assured; yet there is another side to her. From the time when she was abducted by the bandits among whom she grew up, a part of her soul has remained attached to the happy childhood life that she can hardly remember. This part of her soul may, in certain situations, impose itself to the extent that Lili’s personality totally changes. She will then feel, act, talk and generally perceive the world like the three-year old girl that she was when the bandits took her. Her facial expressions will change to express a more limited range of emotions than the adult, but each emotion with pristine clarity. When there is fear, there is only fear. When there is joy, nothing but joy. With the voice of a child she may ask you if she can have a meldarapple. On a hunting raid through the woods, she may start to pick a bunch of flowers and show it to you proudly, asking whether you don’t think that they’re pretty? She may ask about her parents, and may easily start to whine or cry. While in this state (which her bandit companions have called the “Little Lili Demon”), Lili will not remember anything of her adult life. She retains her physical skills, but will only use them intuitively, rather than purposefully.

The personality change may be triggered by a variety of circumstances that somehow link in to Lili’s subdued memories of her childhood: a song, the Kuglimz language, a little girl that asks her an innocent question, a person that looks like her father. No single trigger will produce the change every single time, but the list of potential triggers is almost endless. The “Little Lili Demon” may stay for any span of time from a few blinks to several hours. How Lili snaps out of it and back to her adult mind again is unclear, although things that remind her of her time as a highwaywoman can help. But Lili does not know this herself. When snapping back into her adult mind, she has no recollection of what has just gone on, and feels as if she has just woken up, confused how she got to where she is.

Strengths

Forest Survival Skills. Lili knows how to make a fire by rubbing wood together, or using flintstone. She can set simple traps for small game such as rabbits, and can also use her sling effectively to hunt. She knows which forest plants are edible and which aren’t – and although this knowledge was mainly acquired in the Shaded Woods, she has developed some intuition that will help her in other forests, and indeed other kinds of terrain as well.

Fighting Skills.
   Cutlass. Lili is not a properly trained fighter, and certainly no master of martial arts. Nonetheless, she can handle her cutlass well enough to hold her own against many an adversary. To the eye of a connoisseur, Lili’s fighting style will look distinctly scruffy, but the former cut-throat has met and dealt with a variety of opponents, including human mercenaries and bears, and will not easily be daunted.

   Knife. Lili mostly uses her knife for cooking and practical purposes, but it lies easily in her hand, and she can use it efficiently for throwing at someone at close range, or threatening to, if she doesn’t want them to come closer. Lili may also draw the knife when space does not permit her to draw and swing her cutlass.

   Sling. Lili is a good shot with the sling - but again, is far from perfect in her aim. She may use the sling to get an initial advantage over somebody she may want to launch an attack upon. However, if she was to try and hit the opponent of a friend engaged in a melee fight, the chances that she would hit her friend instead would be large enough to make this a risky enterprise.

Agility. Despite her tall stature, Lili is quick on her feet and has a supple body. Her agility is an advantage in fight, as well as allows her to climb trees or rocks more easily than the average person.

Constitution. Having spent much of her childhood, youth and early adult years living outside, Lili has learned to endure cold and wet weather, hunger, and physical strain. Both physically and mentally, Lili is a tough doch nut, and her companions may count on her to lead the way when it comes to making the final push at the end of a long hike, or the extra trip to the freshwater spring through the freezing cold.

Languages: Tharian and some basic Kuglimz’seitre. Lili learned Kuglimz from her parents until she was four, and Tharian from the bandits that brought her up subsequently. Her Tharian is fluent, but she has forgotten most of her Kuglimz. She is hardly able to speak more than a few disconnected words, but would recognize enough basic vocabulary to identify a Kuglimz speaker if she overheard one.

Gaiety and Gregariousness. Joyful soul that she is, Lili is fun to have around. She enjoys company and doesn’t easily get huffy or aggressive; in fact, she is likely to answer a provocation with a lighthearted joke that more often than not can diffuse tension rather than exacerbate it. Even after a tough day, you may count on her to be up for a telling a tale or having a conversation about rabbit hunting. This quality may well endear the former cut-throat to companions who may otherwise have reasons to be suspicious about her.

Weaknesses

Disfigured Face. Lili has a long scar on her left cheek from a knife wound that healed badly. The flesh was slit open in palmspan-long line, and the split skin didn’t grow together properly afterwards, so that it the scar looks like a deep gorge of red rock in the otherwise white and smooth miniature landscape of the former cut-throat’s face. This is not the kind of scar that makes its bearer more attractive in an intriguing way. It is ugly, it is awful to look at, and may arouse suspicions, awkward questions, and even rejections from strangers.

Personality Changes. As explained in the Personality section, Lili may change personality and effectively become a child at unforeseen, and unforeseeable, moments. Potentially, this may have severe consequences. Crafty bystanders may be able to steal things from her without her caring or even noticing, or may lead her places that she doesn’t want to be. No less gravely, people who observe this state are bound to draw unfavourable conclusions about the woman, which may include one or several of the following: that she is possessed by a demon, that she is having a laugh at their expense, that she cannot be trusted as a companion, that she is a nuisance, that she can be easily exploited. The weakness is exacerbated by the fact that Lili is only vaguely aware that these personality changes occur at all, and has no conception of the peril they may put her in.

Secretive by necessity. Having been a highwaywoman for most of her life, in most situations it won’t be opportune for Lili to share details of her past. She will answer questions evasively, and may have to invent reasonable accounts of her purposes on the spot. This is a disadvantage when seeking employment and companionship. In addition, Lili has had little practice in moving among human society other than a band of outlaws, and therefore may add to a dubious first impression through social gaffes and clumsy excuses for her secretiveness.

Selflessness. Not as oddly as you may think for a former bandit, Lili has the tendency to forget about her own interests when in a group. She may easily identify with the group’s aims, and assume that the others will do just the same. Although she is not so naïve to take everything people say on face value, and may detect signs of treachery when she’s got time to think, in the heat of a battle or a tricky situation she may forget what’s best for her and do what she thinks is best for the group. This leaves her open to exploitation -- and makes her vulnerable if others don’t stand by her when she’s having a fit of selfless courage.

History (Dialogue with Kassandra)

”Tell us a story, Lili!”

A story? What story do you want to hear, my ugly little daggerbeak?

“Tell us a story, Lili!”

My, aren’t you the helpful one today! Let’s see. Why don’t I tell you about Lili? Haven’t done that in a long time.

”My ugly little Lili!”

Thank you kindly, ma’am! Well, my first memory is of a song, although I can only remember two lines. (Sings in Kuglimz: ) The world is different now, though still the seasons run.

(Joining in: ) ”The world is different know, though bright still shines the sun.”

Oh, I’ve sung that before, have I? Well, the second memory is of a burning house, and a terrible commotion. And next thing I know, I was one of Hadyuk’s Gang. Well, not one of them, obviously. I was their mascot, I suppose. I played in the forest a lot, and learned to cook with Pitjov, the fat Avennorian, who stayed behind when the others went out on their raids. They were bandits, they were. Can you imagine, Kassandra? I was the only child in a gang of bloody robbers! Well, Pitjov told me a thing or two about cooking, and about the forest plants you could gather. And setting traps for animals to get caught in. We were in the Shaded Forest – a few of your cousins are resident there! Anyway, that’s where we ended up catching you, of course, when you were nothing but a young chick.

”Never trust a wretched bastard, child!"

Yes, that’s what Hadyuk used to say. He was "The Lord", as he liked to call himself. The wretched Lord of wretched Hadyuk’s wretched Gang! And for some reason, he liked me. Patted me on the head, called me his Little Lili, and all. So there I was, Little Lili, growing up. The Gang brought food and clothes and shiny things and money in from I knew not where, but I soon learned that not everyone liked where they got it from. Because it was all stolen, of course.

Anyway, one day when I was almost a woman, soldiers came to seek us out. They must have followed the Gang into the forest. Anyways, there was a big fight, and I climbed up a tree. And below the tree, they were fighting. And somehow Hadyuk was fighting a soldier right below me, and the soldier gave a big swing with his sword, and Hadyuk lost his sabre, so he was defenceless. Now, I had a few pebbles in my pockets. Don’t ask me why. And I began to throw them on the soldier. Don’t ask me why, neither. But it distracted him. And Hadyuk took the chance and jumped at him with a knife, and killed him.

From that day, I was part of the gang. I was not Little Lily anymore, but for some reasons they called me Lili the Elfcat. You know, because I climbed the tree, and was clever, I suppose. So the name stuck.

And the robbers liked me better, and started taking me along on raids. I learned to use the cutlass and fight, although at first I used a sling that Hadyuk gave me as thanks for saving his life. I got quite good at it.

”Bloody cut-throat, murderer, thief!”

Yes, Kassandra. I became a bandit. Lili the Elfcat was sometimes even used as a decoy to make unwary travellers stop, so that Hadyuk and the gang could all the more easily raid them. But soon I was fighting myself. And you know who didn’t like it?

"It’s always the cook!”

Exactly, Pitjof didn’t. Not that he minded the robbing of people. But I could feel he disapproved of something. And one day, when I had stayed behind to do the cooking with him, he told me why. He asked if I knew who my parents were. I said: “No”. He asked if I knew where they were from? I said: “No.” He asked if I knew who had killed them? I said “no” for the third time. And so he told me. The gang was up in the north at the time, in the Kuglimz’ lands. And they raided a house at the edge of a village. Pitjof was with them at the time. And in the fight, the Kuglim man used a burning stick to fight off the raiders. And somehow the house caught fire. Anyway, the robbers killed the Kuglim family inside the burning house. But Hadyuk went and pulled out their child. On a whim, apparently. So the robbers had killed my parents, but Hadyuk had then saved little Lili’s life. Pitjof says it was him who asked me first what my name was. All I said, apparently, was “Lili”.

”Poor little Lili!”

You see, that’s what Pitjof used to call me. He told me that from that day a child demon sometimes possessed me. I could never tell whether he just made it up. But there were odd moments when I couldn’t remember how I had come to be where I was. Pitjof said I was talking like little Lili, the child, then. He actually said that the charlatan birds had bewitched me. Your compatriots, Kassandra! Or sometimes he said, the elves had done it. Anyway, Pitjof was kind to me; he gave me little presents. For a long time, I kept a little cat’s foot he had given me, for a lucky charm.

Kassandra, I staid with the robbers. For four more years. What should I do? I didn’t remember my parents. Also, nobody knew who had stuck the knives into their bellies. Anyway, Pitjof had a plan. Because, you know, Hadyuk wanted to do this big scoop. Attack a noble family’s house, get away with the loot, and settle down as burghers, all respectable like. But Pitjof had a hunch that Hadyuk wanted to keep the lingra’s share for himself. So Pitjof and I planned to rob the robbers and run. The raid, as it turned out, went horribly wrong. We got the loot, but the guards got most of us, so that only Hadyuk, Pitjof, myself and three others were left at the end. Anyway, Hadyuk wanted to slip away with most of the loot. Pitjof challenged him, and it came to blows. The fat cook wouldn’t have had a chance, but I had one. Not least because Hadyuk still didn’t take me seriously. When I landed the first hit, he had to. He got me in the face, on my left cheek.

”Ugly Lili!”

Yes, ugly Lili. But I got him worse. I killed him, Kassandra. So the rest of us divided the loot and decided to go in different directions. Pitjof had been a merchant in his younger days. Did some shady dealings, apparently, and had to flee. Anyway, he could read and write and knew what to do, so we both set off together. The journey was long, and my face wound didn’t heal very well at all. We felt we had to get away quickly, as guards might still be looking for us. Anyway, we ended up in Ciosa. With the money from the loot, Pitjof set up a business. And all I had to do was be his pretty lady.

”Fornication!”

Yeah, you say I’m ugly. Pitjof is kind, in his way, but not quite my kind of fellow. Anyway, there was nothing to do. Lady Lili, that’s what I was now. Polite conversations with other merchants and their wives, endless explanations about where that scar came from. “A wild highwaymen’s attack”, we used to say. And: “Awful, these cut-throats, aren’t they?” It was all I could do to keep myself from laughing out loud sometimes.

*Gives a big yawn*

Exactly, so I was comfortable, but bored. Anyway, one day a woman walks by our window and sings that song.

”The world is different now …”

Right again! The Kuglimz song. And Lili, she just cries her eyes out, the tears streaming over her face. So I called the woman in to sing the whole song to me, but she was afraid of my scar and ran off. I still don’t know more than these two lines, Kassandra. But still I thank the woman, because she showed me something. I knew then that I had to find out where I came from.

So I left. I took what was left of my share of the loot, and one night I just walked out of the door and that was that. Pitjov won’t be happy, but he’ll understand. I left the cat’s foot behind, as a sign for him that I won’t be coming back.

So here I am, Kassandra. I’ve been Little Lili, Lili the Elfcat, Lady Lili – and now I don’t know what I am anymore. I would like to go to the Kuglimz’ lands, but I’m also afraid. What if there simply is nothing there for me to find? Maybe there are no relatives left to tell me about my parents? So I may not take the direct route. But one day I’ll have to find out how that song goes.

”You’re a fool, Lili!”

Thank you kindly, ma’am. So are you!

Familiar: Kassandra, a gossiper bird

Kassandra is a female gossiper (of the Sarvonian variety: green with gold stripe), whom Lili caught when the bird was a young chick, and who is tame enough that she will always come back to perch on Lili’s shoulder or head after an excursion. Eventually, anyway. She sure doesn’t come on call. One time, Lili had to urgently leave an inn after having knocked an impertinent suitor on the chin, sending him flying across several tables. His mates didn’t appreciate it. But Kassandra had no sense of propriety and did not mind overstaying anyone’s welcome, so Lili had to stick around awhile, brandishing her cutlass, making plenty of enemies in the process.

Being a gossiper, and female, Kassandra’s most surprising, intriguing and exasperating quality is her habit of listening intently to the noises around her, and, at a time of her own choosing, repeating them in breathtakingly accurate imitations. As she is spending a lot of her time among humans, Kassandra has developed a fine ear for voices and will repeat single words, snippets of conversations or monologues, or even whole songs that she has happened to overhear. Neither in timing or content of her interventions does Kassandra show any regard for propriety, shouting out foulmouthed curses as freely as she caterwauls bawdy ballads. She doesn’t understand language (she just repeats the sounds she likes), although Lili believes that she does, and is wont to admonish Kassandra for her naughtiness, particularly after occasions when the bird has loudly repeated an under-the-breath remark Kassandra had never intended for anyone else’s ears, or silenced a genteel conversation with a swearword.

Naturally, Lili’s talking and singing to herself constitutes a source of material for Kassandra, and this includes the things Lili says when she is of “child-mind”. For Lili, this means that Kassandra may trigger a swap from one personality to the other, as something the bird says in Lili’s child voice may cause Lili to snap into “child-mind”, and something said in Lili’s adult voice may cause her to snap out of it again. To an observer, it may sometimes appear as if Kassandra is the voice of Lili’s soul; and anyone who meets Lili and does not know about Gossiper Birds (which will be the case for most Santharians) may reasonably (but erroneously) assume that the bird is intelligent and possibly magical.

Kassandra’s diet consists of insects and fruits. As gossipers are not very good at catching insects in flight, Lili sometimes has to buy berries or swat the odd fly and cockroach for Kassandra when they are in cities. In the regions around the Shaded Forest, where Kassandra was caught, gossipers are called daggerbeaks, which is the name Lili usually uses when describing her bird’s species.

Possessions

Lili has a rucksack in which she stores the clothes that she isn’t currently wearing. She didn’t take any items of note, except coins to the value of eight silverbards, and her three weapons.

Weapons

Cutlass: A jagged old piece of metal, Lili’s cutlass is nothing to brag about when it comes to refined beauty – but it’s sharp, and the cut-throat handles it well. She has kept the weapon from her bandit days, and it’s fair to say that she feels that it’s been a lucky charm for her. It’s kept in a sheath (which looks more expensive than the weapon), hanging on Lili’s belt.

Sling: Lili has also taken her old sling along when she left for Avá-knows-where.

Knife: A knife is always good to have – for cutting food and rope and many things. Lili often keeps the knife hidden in a special sheath in her boot. Old habits die hard.

[Verdolph]

I am not sure, but I think they will be wanting you to make a Physical Appearance, write some about her history as well.

[Lili the Elfcat]

They surely will, Verdolph. And right they are. But I'm still working on this (as indicated by the pencil icon). 

[Lili the Elfcat]

Ready for comments, pretty please! 

I've got more strengths than weaknesses, but one weakness is very severe ... So I hope I'm balanced?

[Valannia Incendarious]

Hello Lili and welcome to Santharia! Just a quick note on your 'Fighting Skills' strength. You have three weapons mentioned there, each of those are their own strengths and should be listed as such. With a couple sentences describing how good she is with each. You also have agility and speed listed there and those should be listed as their own strengths, since they are notable they are above the norm. Anything considered to above a normal peasant is considered a strength.

Hope these comments assist you in becoming titled soon.

~Regards Thamasár Artajoriás~ Valannia Incendarious

Edit: Don't worry about numerical values in regard to strengths and weaknesses. The goal is balance, not necessarily in number.

[Lili the Elfcat]

Thank you, Valannia!

Good points! I've separated the strengths, and added another weakness anyway. I've tried to make my fighting skills less-than-masterly. We don't want to be invincible!

Lili

EDIT: Oh, I forgot to colour the changes. Done now! Edits in response to Valannia are in green.

[Rhia]

Comments in yellow!

Name: Lili the Elfcat

Gender: Female

Age: 24

Race: Human

Tribe: Helvet'ine Kuglimz

Occupation: Retired Highwaywoman

Title: Endearing Cut-throat <--- Cutthroat

Overview

On first sight, she may strike you as a wealthy lady from the north – but that ghastly scar on her left cheek (the one you can’t see in the picture) <--- I think this is unnecessary seems to suggest there’s something more to her than that. Then again, you may think she’s a forest guide of sorts, for now she’s talking most knowledgeably about herbs, traps, making a fire in the streaming rain, and her fight with that bear. But she won’t tell you which forest she’s from, and anyway, why would a bush ranger wear those garish clothes? After a while, you may conclude that she’s as mad as a flitter-twitch; in any case, that would explain how she puts up with the infuriating bird that sits on her shoulder and keeps interrupting the conversation. And why is she singing a song in a little girl’s voice all of a sudden? And asks if she can have an apple, please? I love this overview!

Appearance

Height: 2 ped
Weight: 1 pygge, 9 hebs
Hair Colour: Blonde
Eye Colour: Brown

Physical Appearance: Tall, slim and muscular, with a weather-worn but handsome face that radiates both experience and gaiety, Lili isn’t easily overlooked. Her long, full blond hair and her lively brown eyes would make her a rather attractive woman if it was not for a deep scar on her left cheek, which is almost a palmspan long and will make it difficult for most people to look anywhere but at it – if they decide to look into Lili’s face at all.

Even without the scar, it would be obvious to an experienced observer that Lili has not led a quiet life. She holds her body upright, and her movements suggest a trained suppleness of limb. Her long arms are well-toned and obviously strong. Her large palms are calloused from outdoor life and work, as are her slender and slightly bony fingers.

Lili's voice is surprisingly deep and resonant for a slim woman, and when she laughs, she laughs fully and noisily, without regard for what others may consider propriety.

Clothing: Lili rather overcompensates for her rough-and-ready early life by choosing the most garish colours and finest fabrics that she can get. Currently, she is carrying with her a bright yellow dress, an orange overcoat, pretty green shoes and an extravagant pink hat. She will don these clothes when trying to pass for a lady in a city or town. For more adventurous undertakings, however, Lili will don the rather more practical and good-quality clothing she purchased after having come to riches: a tunic and trousers, both of oiled brown leather; sturdy brown leather boots for her large feet, and a wide-rimmed green hat.

Personality

If you like drink, bawdy banter <---comma and a good tale, and if you don’t mind her foul-mouthed interjections, her practical jokes, and her meddlesome bird, you may get on well with Lili. If you say something she likes, she’ll swing her long wide arm to give you a friendly slap on the back, which may well knock the breath out of you, if you’re of less-than-hardy constitution. The former cut-throat <--- cutthroat is not particularly choosy about whom she befriends (she could never afford to be), so she’ll make the best of the company that she has. Should she decide to throw in her lot with a group, Lili will be fiercely loyal, as she will work on the assumption that the greatest chance of individual survival is provided by mutual help, and that everyone else understands that, too. She is not naïve, though – and having lived among a rugged band of bandits most of her life, has seen her fair share of betrayals. Not particularly interested in leadership, Lili will be content to have others call the shots as long as she feels things are run fairly. Brave in the face of danger, cunning in battle, experienced in surviving in tough terrain, Lili may be a good companion to have around, if you can see past her secretiveness about her past and her vagueness about her plans for the future.

On first acquaintance, Lili will strike many as jolly, gregarious, and self-assured; yet there is another side to her. From the time when she was abducted by the bandits among whom she grew up, a part of her soul has remained attached to the happy childhood life that she can hardly remember. This part of her soul may, in certain situations, impose itself to the extent that Lili’s personality totally changes. She will then feel, act, talk and generally perceive the world like the three-year old girl that she was when the bandits took her. Her facial expressions will change to express a more limited range of emotions than the adult, but each emotion with pristine clarity. When there is fear, there is only fear. When there is joy, nothing but joy. With the voice of a child she may ask you if she can have a meldarapple. On a hunting raid through the woods, she may start to pick a bunch of flowers and show it to you, <--- no comma proudly, asking whether you don’t think that they’re pretty? She may ask about her parents, and may easily start to whine or cry. While in this state, which her bandit companions have called the “Little Lili Demon”, <--- ," Lili will not remember anything of her adult life. She retains her physical skills, but will only use them intuitively, rather than purposefully.

The personality change may be triggered by a variety of circumstances that somehow link in to Lili’s subdued memories of her childhood: a song, the Kuglimz language, a little girl that asks her an innocent question, a person that looks like her father. No single trigger will produce the change every single time, but the list of potential triggers is almost endless. The “Little Lili Demon” may stay for any span of time from a few blinks to several hours. How Lili snaps out of it and back to her adult mind again is unclear, although things that remind her of her time as a highwaywoman can help. But Lili does not know this herself. When snapping back into her adult mind, she has no recollection of what has just gone on, and feels as if she has just woken up, confused how she got to where she is.

Strengths

Forest Survival Skills. Lili knows how to make a fire by rubbing wood together, or using flintstone. She can set simple traps for small game such as rabbits, and can also use her sling effectively to hunt. She knows which forest plants are edible and which aren’t – and although this knowledge was mainly acquired in the Shaded Woods, she has developed some intuition that will help her in other forests, and indeed other kinds of terrain as well.

Fighting Skills.
   Cutlass. Lili is not a properly trained fighter, and certainly no master of martial arts. Nonetheless, she can handle her cutlass well enough to hold her own against many an adversary. To the eye of a connoisseur, Lili’s fighting style will look distinctly scruffy, but the former cut-throat has met and dealt with a variety of opponents, including human mercenaries and bears, and will not easily be daunted.

   Knife. Lili mostly uses her knife for cooking and practical purposes, but it lies easily in her hand, and she can use it efficiently for throwing at someone at close range, or threatening to, if she doesn’t want them to come closer. Lili may also draw the knife when space does not permit her to draw and swing her cutlass.

   Sling.  Lily is a good shot with the sling - but again, is far from perfect in her aim. She may use the sling to get an initial advantage over somebody she may want to launch an attack upon. However, if she was to try and hit the opponent of a friend engaged in a melee fight, the chances that she would hit her friend instead would be large enough to make this a risky enterprise.

Agility.  Despite her tall stature, Lili is quick on her feet and has a supple body. Her agility is an advantage in fight, as well as allows her to climb trees or rocks more easily than the average person.

Constitution. Having spent much of her childhood, youth and early adult years living outside, Lili has learned to endure cold and wet weather, hunger, and physical strain. Both physically and mentally, Lili is a tough doch nut, and her companions may count on her to lead the way when it comes to making the final push at the end of a long hike, or the extra trip to the freshwater spring through the freezing cold.

Languages: Tharian and some basic Kuglimz’seitre. Lili learned Kuglimz from her parents until she was four, and Tharian from the bandits that brought her up subsequently. Her Tharian is fluent, but she has forgotten most of her Kuglimz. She is hardly able to speak more than a few disconnected words, but would recognize enough basic vocabulary to identify a Kuglimz speaker if she overheard one.

Gaiety and Gregariousness. Joyful soul that she is, Lili is fun to have around. She enjoys company and doesn’t easily get huffy or aggressive; in fact, she is likely to answer a provocation with a lighthearted joke that more often than not can diffuse tension rather than exacerbate it. Even after a tough day, you may count on her to be up for a telling a tale or having a conversation about rabbit hunting. This quality may well endear the former cut-throat to companions who may otherwise have reasons to be suspicious about her.

Weaknesses

Disfigured Face. Lili has a long scar on her left cheek from a knife wound that healed badly. The flesh was slit open in palmspan-long line, and the split skin didn’t grow together properly afterwards, so that it the scar looks like a deep gorge of red rock in the otherwise white and smooth miniature landscape of the former cut-throat’s face. This is not the kind of scar that makes its bearer more attractive in an intriguing way. It is ugly, it is awful to look at, and may arouse suspicions, awkward questions, and even rejections from strangers.

Personality Changes. As explained in the Personality section, Lili may change personality and effectively become a child at unforeseen, and unforeseeable, moments. Potentially, this may have severe consequences. Crafty bystanders may be able to steal things from her without her caring or even noticing, or may lead her places that she doesn’t want to be. No less gravely, people who observe this state are bound to draw unfavourable conclusions about the woman, which may include one or several of the following: that she is possessed by a demon, that she is having a laugh at their expense, that she cannot be trusted as a companion, that she is a nuisance, that she can be easily exploited. The weakness is exacerbated by the fact that Lili is only vaguely aware that these personality changes occur at all, and has no conception of the peril they may put her in.

Secretive by necessity. Having been a highwaywoman for most of her life, in most situations it won’t be opportune for Lili to share details of her past. She will answer questions evasively, and may have to invent reasonable accounts of her purposes on the spot. This is a disadvantage when seeking employment and companionship. In addition, Lili has had little practice in moving among human society other than a band of outlaws, and therefore may add to a dubious first impression through social gaffes and clumsy excuses for her secretiveness.

Selflessness. Not as oddly as you may think for a former bandit, Lili has the tendency to forget about her own interests when in a group. She may easily identify with the group’s aims, and assume that the others will do just the same. Although she is not so naïve to take everything people say on face value, and may detect signs of treachery when she’s got time to think, in the heat of a battle or a tricky situation she may forget what’s best for her and do what she thinks is best for the group. This leaves her open to exploitation -- and makes her vulnerable if others don’t stand by her when she’s having a fit of selfless courage.

History (Dialogue with Kassandra)

”Tell us a story, Lili!”

A story? What story do you want to hear, my ugly little daggerbeak?

“Tell us a story, Lili!”

My, aren’t you the helpful one today! Let’s see. Why don’t I tell you about Lili? Haven’t done that in a long time.

”My ugly little Lily!” <--- Lili?

Thank you kindly, ma’am! Well, my first memory is of a song, although I can only remember two lines. (Sings in Kuglimz: ) The world is different now, though still the seasons run.

(Joining in: ) ”The world is different know, though bright still shines the sun <---period”

Oh, I’ve sung that before, have I? Well, the second memory is of a burning house, and a terrible commotion. And next thing I know, I was one of Hadyuk’s Gang. Well, not one of them, obviously. I was their mascot, I suppose. I played in the forest a lot, and learned to cook with Pitjov, the fat Avennorian, who stayed behind when the others went out on their raids. They were bandits, they were. Can you imagine, Kassandra? I was the only child in a gang of bloody robbers! Well, Pitjov told me a thing or two about cooking, and about the forest plants you could gather. And setting traps for animals to get caught in. We were in the Shaded Forest – a few of your cousins are resident there! Anyway, that’s where we ended up catching you, of course, when you were nothing but a young chick.

”Never trust a wretched bastard, child! <--- closing quotation mark

Yes, that’s what Hadyuk used to say. He was the lord, <--- uppercase L? as he liked to call himself. The wretched Lord of wretched Hadyuk’s wretched Gang! And for some reason, he liked me. Patted me on the head, called me his Little Lili, and all. So there I was, Little Lili, growing up. The Gang brought food and clothes and shiny things and money in from I knew not where, but I soon learned that not everyone liked where they got it from. Because it was all stolen, of course.

...And sorry, I'm running out of computer time. I'd just like to say that I absolutely love your CD! As you can see, I have only nitpicks for you.

[Lili the Elfcat]

Hi Rhia!

How kind of you to give me such a thorough check! I've corrected the mistakes you've pointed out (changes not coloured, as I guess they're pretty uncontroversial). Except I've left the hyphen in "cut-throat". Dictionaries have both spellings, and I like the hyphen, 'coz it separates the cut from the throat (har, har!).

With appreciation for your help,

Lili

[Elspeth]

Hello Lili and welcome to Santharia! My first question is, why would her family give her the name Lili the Elfcat? Kuglimz probably don't care much for elves and the character's name probably wouldn't include a title, which 'the Elfcat' seems to remind me of. Possibly she has a surname that could replace this? Or maybe an alias she uses now?

Also, below your avatar should not include anything but Race and Tribe. Instead of 'Lili the Elfcat' it should be 'Human~Helvet'ine Kuglimz'.

 

[Lili the Elfcat]

Hi Elspeth and thanks for writing in!

It's not the family who called Lili the "elfcat", but the bandits (of multifarious tribal origins) whom she grew up amongst (as the history explains). So it's a kind of bandit's nickname, which she may not necessarily use or reveal to people she happens to meet. Hope that's acceptable.

Will fix the sub-avatar text this minute.

Regards, Lili

[Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels]

Lili, that is a lovely, well written and well thought out character! I didn't want to read it (the name caught my eye, for I have a cat named Lily), but then I could not stop reading!

Enjoy your roleplaying here!

[Eléyr Fásamár]

Been reading bits and pieces of this since you posted it, and can only agree with Talia! The idea behind the character is intriguing and the writing executed it flawlessly.

~First Approval~

[Garret Arroway]

Gotta Second Approval from me.

[Lili the Elfcat]

How wonderful!

My heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped and brought me joy with their kind comments.

I've taken the colour out of the CD.

Lili 

[Kalína Dalá'isyrás]

Alrighty! And how you are titled and placing this in the archives!

Advanced search

[Members]

Members Total Members: 2849 Latest: abigailjordan Stats Total Posts: 214569 Total Topics: 8052 Online Today: 76 Online Ever: 216 (November 30, 2006, 09:08:03 AM) Users Online Users: 0 Guests: 86 Total: 86

[Artimidor]

	Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2005, Simple Machines TinyPortal v0.9.8 © Bloc
Theme based on Cerberus with Risen adjustments by Bloc and Krelia Modified By Artimidor for The Santharian Dream