I ran across this today while looking for something else. I have written previously about LARPing. When you start in a game, you design a character. This is the original write up for one of those characters...the bones of who she is, where she is from and her motivations. I played this character opposite a good friend that was playing the brother I was traveling with. The characters were a collaboration, but the write ups were written individually. That is why Aros' brother's name is not mentioned...I don't think he had one yet.
My name is Allura Kaj, I was raised in a small enclave not far from Shonar. My father, was a merchant, a wealthy merchant it seems, once he married my mother. I was their second and last child, since my mother died bringing me into this world. I know very little of my mother. Her name was Amrona Kaj. I never met her family, and very seldom was she spoke of in our home. What I knew of her, was discovered in dusty corners and whispers overheard between household staff. My brother, Garnett, was 10 when I was born and he always blamed me for her death. I guess it\'s reasonable to say we were never close. He avoided me whenever possible, often following our father to work. My father, Elim Ander, traded goods among the clans, providing people with those things they could not secure themselves, he dealt with many of the local craftsmen. We lived comfortably and entertained lavishly. He was always shown respect by the visitors to our home. My father employed a teacher as soon as it was thought I was old enough to learn. He often told me it was important that I be educated, so that I could become a proper gentleman’s wife. I had other ideas about what life held for me. I often snuck away from home. I could be found exploring the local woods or in the bazaar, listening to the stories from those that frequented the stalls. I would climb to a vantage point above the market and just watch the people. I knew what everyone was doing, knew their secrets, knew the thieves and eventually could spot the victims before they’d even been hit. I learned everything I could. I became a student of human nature.
Then one evening, at one of my father’s parties, I overheard him speaking to a long time business associate of his. The elderly man was in need of a wife, he and my father were discussing my availability to fill that position. This would be a beneficial business arrangement for them both. It seemed I was to be bartered for, much like anything else my father owned. I left home that night, my pockets heavy with the better pieces of my mother’s jewelry and her family’s name. I considered it my inheritance, since I knew I’d never see it any other way. I once heard my father was in a nearby town asking after me. You learn to hear these things even from a distance. I wondered if he worried for his only daughter. I suspect, more likely, he was upset that I had interfered with his business arrangements, or perhaps he was looking for the jewels I had hidden away.
It did not take me long to realize that I was crafty enough to survive on my own. My studies, those from my teacher and those in the markets, served me well. It is easy to make coin telling futures, who can contest what you say? I used people’s fears against them. I have worked in many capacities, not all of them legal. I have protected travelers, and I have robbed them. I will state however, that I have never killed another, at least one that didn’t deserve it. Once I give my word I am true to my allegiances, which can be bought. I do not like going hungry or sleeping on the ground. I spent a few years moving from town to town through the woodlands, avoiding attention as much as possible. Then I met Aros, literally running into him in an alleyway. He never asked why I was running in an alley at night, cloaked in black. I never asked about the pouch he swiftly hid in his jacket. It just seemed to be an unspoken agreement from the beginning....don't ask.
I do not know why I trusted him. There was something about the way he looked at me. We accepted each other on face value, found each other's company agreeable and offered something the other lacked. We settled into his cottage at the edge of the clan's land. We spent our days apart, never asking how the other spent their time. I knew he shared a business with a brother I never met. He occasionally talked about some of the people that he had dealings with, but never by name or what their associations were. Some of them were very powerful, and it seemed Aros was in a position to know their secrets. We shared our nights, except when he traveled for business, then we celebrated his homecoming. We were happy until a year later. Aros was traveling, but this time he did not return home as expected. Word soon came to my door that he had been slain at the hands of another.
Reluctantly, I sought out his brother, to discuss info I thought might lead to those responsible. Something that Aros had said had made me uncomfortable because he had seemed nervous about it. Aros had told me that he held a secret on a dangerous man, but he would not tell me any details. I needed more than I had, and thought his brother might know more. They shared a business and spent their days and many of the travels together. I thought perhaps he had confided in him. I did not know if he would see me. He had never cast shadow upon my home, and I assumed he had not approved of me. I almost left without knocking. When he opened the door I thought I was seeing a ghost. I stood there staring. The way he looked at me, I thought perhaps I was to be blamed, once more, for a death I could not prevent. But he invited me to the fire and we spoke long into the night. He felt certain he knew who had murdered his brother. There had been a misunderstanding with a client, things had gone badly. He had already spoken to those that traded in information, and the one that he blamed had left for the wildlands. He stated his intentions to follow him and claim the vengeance that was his right. I reminded him that the right was mine. We argued, but eventually agreed to travel together into the wildlands. He agreed the right was mine, unless he got there first.
Unknown to us we were chasing after the wrong person. After we left our homelands, the true killer, a very powerful nobleman, stepped forward with evidence pointing to a conspiracy between myself and Aros’ brother to kill him and claim the business fortunes for ourselves. Now it appeared that instead of seeking justice, we had fled from it.
I have written up a number of characters over the years I have been doing this. I am actually surprised at how many years it has been...I'm guessing maybe 10-12 years, I don't remember exactly when it started. The first character was Masiah, she lived a long time. Then there was Quinn Nightshade in a different game. I probably got to know her more, integrated her more, than any other character. She was strong and willful...and somewhat rude and clueless about the rules of society. I expected her to die quickly...she ended up ruling the city. There has been Allura Kaj, above, Storm Diego and Raven. They all feel like people I know, friends...pieces of myself.
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