Iliris Karion
"I once thought I looked into the eyes of beasts. Then one day I understood, that it was merely my own reflection."
Appearance
Iliris is above average height, but usually it is not that easy to tell. The most striking property of her looks, or, rather, the most prominent, is the fast that she can remain unnoticed around others. She has the talent to blend in with the grey rocks and cliffs, as well as people, her grey hair and eyes only accentuating the colors that other might bear with themselves.
But, if somebody goes through the trouble of actually looking and Iliris Karion, they are met with a determined gaze, straight posture and sharp, strong gestures. Her appearance radiates power, even if it is the calm and quiet type of it.
But, if somebody goes through the trouble of actually looking and Iliris Karion, they are met with a determined gaze, straight posture and sharp, strong gestures. Her appearance radiates power, even if it is the calm and quiet type of it.
Skills and Abilities
Predatory senses: Just as it is with everybody in her tribe, Iliris has senses that are far above any average human's. She sees, hears, smells, feels and tastes more, especially if she makes the effort to be attuned to something. This can be a nuisance in a crowded place.
One with mountains: The most secret and well-kept magical skill in her tribe. Iliris can, for certain periods of time, turn her skin into literal, if only enhanced, rock: grey, cold and almost indestructible by brute force or the elements. She maintains her consciousness while in this form, but cannot move until the spell is broken. The more damage she has to endure, the shorter-lasting the spell is.
Warrior: Iliris has beet though combat from a very early age. She is skilled in hand-to-hand techniques, can wield many types of swords, as well as an axe or a spear, as well as shoot a bow reasonably good. In a battle with only cold steel and no magical enhancements she is a terrifying opponent.
Iliris' prefered weapon is a sabre she got forget for her coming of age.
Lore of beasts: Raised to fight different beast, Iliris knows them well, at least those creatures, that can be found in and near the Spine.
Mountain dweller: Iliris has been born and raised in the Spine, between the peaks and valleys of high mountains, so she is used to the life in them. She doesn't feel discomfort in great heights, is a good climber and knows how to survive in and around mountains and rocky, cold terrain.
Languages: Having grown up in the Spine, Iliris is familiar with many local languages and dialects of dwarves and orcs, even if she can speak only few of them. She is proficient in draconic.
One with mountains: The most secret and well-kept magical skill in her tribe. Iliris can, for certain periods of time, turn her skin into literal, if only enhanced, rock: grey, cold and almost indestructible by brute force or the elements. She maintains her consciousness while in this form, but cannot move until the spell is broken. The more damage she has to endure, the shorter-lasting the spell is.
Warrior: Iliris has beet though combat from a very early age. She is skilled in hand-to-hand techniques, can wield many types of swords, as well as an axe or a spear, as well as shoot a bow reasonably good. In a battle with only cold steel and no magical enhancements she is a terrifying opponent.
Iliris' prefered weapon is a sabre she got forget for her coming of age.
Lore of beasts: Raised to fight different beast, Iliris knows them well, at least those creatures, that can be found in and near the Spine.
Mountain dweller: Iliris has been born and raised in the Spine, between the peaks and valleys of high mountains, so she is used to the life in them. She doesn't feel discomfort in great heights, is a good climber and knows how to survive in and around mountains and rocky, cold terrain.
Languages: Having grown up in the Spine, Iliris is familiar with many local languages and dialects of dwarves and orcs, even if she can speak only few of them. She is proficient in draconic.
Personality
Calm, collected and cunning. That's what she is on the outside: a fierce warrior, who, however, doesn't lose her head in the battle. She is protective of her beliefs and way of life.
And on the inside... She is a little girl, that has learnt not to show her fear and passion, not to anybody at least. Iliris is shrewd, yes, her intelligence isn't to be questioned, but she still has a very idealistic way of viewing the world. She longs for the company of others and those who share her beliefs, but at the same time is wary of getting close to other people.
One thing she abhors is unnecessary violence. Iliris dreads anybody who can kill or hurt just for the pleasure of it. She can kill for food, protection, but she doesn't find enjoyment in it. The only place where she takes life without pity is in battle, where her opponent and she are on the same ground, ready to face the same faith.
And, unsurprisingly, she is deeply fascinated by dragons.
And on the inside... She is a little girl, that has learnt not to show her fear and passion, not to anybody at least. Iliris is shrewd, yes, her intelligence isn't to be questioned, but she still has a very idealistic way of viewing the world. She longs for the company of others and those who share her beliefs, but at the same time is wary of getting close to other people.
One thing she abhors is unnecessary violence. Iliris dreads anybody who can kill or hurt just for the pleasure of it. She can kill for food, protection, but she doesn't find enjoyment in it. The only place where she takes life without pity is in battle, where her opponent and she are on the same ground, ready to face the same faith.
And, unsurprisingly, she is deeply fascinated by dragons.
Biography & Lore
They had come to the Spine some generations ago, from the Eretejva tundra and Blightlands, but The Tribe rarely regarded themselves as being outsiders here. Yes, they were one of the rare islands of the human race here, but they had won their place under these mountains. Almost literally.
They were monster hunters, slayers of beasts, who had found each other, bonded and made the first settlement in the corner of the Spine where nobody wanted to live before. There were a few dozens of them to begin with, but with the birth of Iliris The Tribe counted more than two hundred people. For the most part. Their deaths were fairly frequent, after all.
Iliris was raised knowing no other truth that this: all beasts must be slain. It was her and her people's purpose on this earth: to clear it from at least a little fraction of the darkness that it was inhabited with, by killing monsters and creatures unworthy of life.
She grew up to be one of them, a skilled and deadly hunter, afraid of nothing and nobody, with her weapon and magic in hand, ready to face any beast. At least, that's how the people wanted her to be, and who was Iliris to disagree? After all, she knew no other truth than this one.
She was the daughter of one of the most respected families in The Tribe, so her coming of age was a very special occasion. It was the day when she, reaching the age of seventeen, would finally step into the role of a proper warrior.
And she did.
Iliris slain beast after beast, be it wolves and bears, undead monsters or other foul creatures. She did, yet she felt no fulfillment, no joy. But she wasn't supposed to, until there were still dark beast on the land, right?
It was all meant to change one faithful night when she had been a warrior for barely more than four years. The messenger came to The Tribe with fascinating news: there was a dragon in the Spine. Now, obviously, there were several of these creatures there, but finding out their location wasn't always an easy task. This time, however, Tribe knew, and this time, they were ready for battle.
Almost half of them went to slay the dragon.
And in the end, only Iliris was left standing. It was only her and the dragon, an ancient creature, which seem to suffer from its old age. They were both beaten, wounded, but Iliris knew that she could kill the beast. She still had enough strength left. Yet... looking into the eyes of the dragon, she suddenly saw such pain and sadness, that her sword fell helplessly to her side.
Then the dragon talked with her.
When Iliris left the cave, the beast was slain. But her heart was shattered by the words she had shared with the dragon. She left the cave weeping and with a promise to never kill any of these creatures again. Never.
She returned to her tribe, and for a moment, though their grief was giant, they met her as a victorious warrior returning home. Until she told them the tale of the dragon, until she tried to reason with them and explain, that these creatures were no mindless beasts at all.
Obviously, nobody listened to her. They cast her out.
And so Iliris was left: all alone in this world. But she knew how to get along, hunting for food, selling her skills in battle, although not against innocent creatures she had called beasts, no more. She got on, and now she had a mission: to protect the few dragons there were still left with everything she had.
Soon she found assistance in this mission, in the form of a new group and family she could join: the dragon keepers. And so they settled in the Spine, their ranks growing and their helping hands spreading far across the land, helping any dragon that required it and was ready to accept their assistance. Iliris found herself to be at peace again.
Especially when she and her fellow dragon keepers rescued a now orphaned, young water dragon in the gulf or Ryt. Thus she met Umno, her new companion, and the sense of guilt she had been carrying with her all this time started to get lighter with every day. Maybe this could be her redemption.
They were monster hunters, slayers of beasts, who had found each other, bonded and made the first settlement in the corner of the Spine where nobody wanted to live before. There were a few dozens of them to begin with, but with the birth of Iliris The Tribe counted more than two hundred people. For the most part. Their deaths were fairly frequent, after all.
Iliris was raised knowing no other truth that this: all beasts must be slain. It was her and her people's purpose on this earth: to clear it from at least a little fraction of the darkness that it was inhabited with, by killing monsters and creatures unworthy of life.
She grew up to be one of them, a skilled and deadly hunter, afraid of nothing and nobody, with her weapon and magic in hand, ready to face any beast. At least, that's how the people wanted her to be, and who was Iliris to disagree? After all, she knew no other truth than this one.
She was the daughter of one of the most respected families in The Tribe, so her coming of age was a very special occasion. It was the day when she, reaching the age of seventeen, would finally step into the role of a proper warrior.
And she did.
Iliris slain beast after beast, be it wolves and bears, undead monsters or other foul creatures. She did, yet she felt no fulfillment, no joy. But she wasn't supposed to, until there were still dark beast on the land, right?
It was all meant to change one faithful night when she had been a warrior for barely more than four years. The messenger came to The Tribe with fascinating news: there was a dragon in the Spine. Now, obviously, there were several of these creatures there, but finding out their location wasn't always an easy task. This time, however, Tribe knew, and this time, they were ready for battle.
Almost half of them went to slay the dragon.
And in the end, only Iliris was left standing. It was only her and the dragon, an ancient creature, which seem to suffer from its old age. They were both beaten, wounded, but Iliris knew that she could kill the beast. She still had enough strength left. Yet... looking into the eyes of the dragon, she suddenly saw such pain and sadness, that her sword fell helplessly to her side.
Then the dragon talked with her.
When Iliris left the cave, the beast was slain. But her heart was shattered by the words she had shared with the dragon. She left the cave weeping and with a promise to never kill any of these creatures again. Never.
She returned to her tribe, and for a moment, though their grief was giant, they met her as a victorious warrior returning home. Until she told them the tale of the dragon, until she tried to reason with them and explain, that these creatures were no mindless beasts at all.
Obviously, nobody listened to her. They cast her out.
And so Iliris was left: all alone in this world. But she knew how to get along, hunting for food, selling her skills in battle, although not against innocent creatures she had called beasts, no more. She got on, and now she had a mission: to protect the few dragons there were still left with everything she had.
Soon she found assistance in this mission, in the form of a new group and family she could join: the dragon keepers. And so they settled in the Spine, their ranks growing and their helping hands spreading far across the land, helping any dragon that required it and was ready to accept their assistance. Iliris found herself to be at peace again.
Especially when she and her fellow dragon keepers rescued a now orphaned, young water dragon in the gulf or Ryt. Thus she met Umno, her new companion, and the sense of guilt she had been carrying with her all this time started to get lighter with every day. Maybe this could be her redemption.
Umno
Umno is a young water dragon and Iliris' companion. He has just reached the age that allows him to be large enough for carrying a grown human, so he is quite tiny when compared to almost any other dragon of substantial age. Yet, what he lacks in strength Umno compensates with agility and wits, being quite a smart fellow.
As a water dragon, he has the ability to breathe underneath it, as well as breathe long sprays of magically conjured water, as opposed to the fire of the more renown fire dragons. He can also create large clouds of water vapor.
Umno is as about two times larger than an average horse, with wing span to match his size. His scales are pale blue, although they often seem more gray than colorful, but in the right lighting they glisten as the sea in the sun. Otherwise his appearance matches that of a dragon anybody could imagine.
Umno is a young and curious individual, although his rather cheerful nature has been obscured by the events in his past, mainly the death of his family. Despite this, he has still remained rather peaceful in his heart, allowing him to trust elves, humans and other folk quite easily. Even so, he does hold a grudge against creatures that live underneath the earth. Or the ones who could ever hurt his fellow dragons.
References
Dragons Bound in Ice and BloodWhat mountains hide
A Dragon for Company
Through the Mountains and Over Yonder
Sea of Blood, Sea of Mercy
Those Who Play With Fire
Expanding Beyond the Horizon
Death's Gaze
New Horizons