Kirsi Salju

**Kirsi Salju** was a female kitsune who lived in Gellis. She was the wife of Pyry and the mother of Cypress. She was slain in a duel by Aux after she challenged him.

## Appearance

Kirsi had long, straight, white hair and icy blue eyes. Like other Gellis citizens, her attire varied, though was always formal. She most commonly wore long, flowy, white dresses adorned with diamond snowflakes, or wimple white blazers and skirts. Her skin was fair and flawless, something she worked extra hard to maintain.

## Personality

Icy was the best way to describe her. She was extremely stubborn and strong willed, and would sometimes go out of her way to ensure that her opinion or thoughts were voiced and acknowledged. Kirsi was extremely intelligent and would often use this intelligence to her advantage, manipulating situations in her favor. She was extremely arrogant as well, almost a posterchild of old Gellis.

## Biography

Kirsi was born in Taaffeite as a middle class citizen. Her parents did not see much worth in her other than advertising her as a bachelorette to the surrounding upper class families. Her father taught her to fight in hopes that she would be able to garner some attention through her combat skills. This succeeded, and she managed to draw the attention of Kulku Salju, who happened to be the kitsune of the council at the time. So, when she was around one hundred, she was formally betrothed to Pyry Salju, Kulku's hapless and incapable son.

They were encouraged to spend time together and get to know one another in hopes that they would eventually fall for one another and further solidify the marriage. Unfortunately, this never happened. The two did not see each other as anything more than someone they were assigned to marry. They weren't happy about it, but they didn't dare entertain any other romantic fantasies, knowing their parents would only shoot them down and cause the object of their affections dire consequences.

Despite not being able to fall in love, the two remained on good terms and became something akin to friends. Kirsi pitied him and tried multiple times to assist him with his combat skills, though realized this was futile and gave up shortly after beginning. Pyry introduced her to Conven and Wisteria, who he labeled as his closest friends. She got along well with them and grew to consider them her friends as well. The four of them would often spend time together wandering around Gellis, discussing future career choices, or listening to stories of Conven's journeys outside the borders.

Kirsi was reminded once more of the state of her life when she and Pyry were wed. Typical Gellis weddings require very little of the bridge and groom, and she felt relieved that she did not need to fabricate any affection toward Pyry, despite knowing that should it be necessary, Pyry would simply use an illusion. They spent most of their honeymoon planning for the future. The only reason Kirsi had been wed to Pyry in the first place was to ensure that her heir was in at least blue diamond.

Some time following their marriage, Conven was slain in the crossfire of the beginnings of the first Great War. Pyry was distraught by this and closed himself off to everyone, including Kirsi. He was beside himself with grief and was unsure of what to do. Almost immediately after his death, the two received a letter said to be Conven's final wish. He wished for his mother to stay out of the wary and extend compassion and understanding on those who had accidentally killed him. Pyry brought this letter to Thada, though she didn't listen. Kirsi reprimanded Pyry for his behavior, saying that he was endangering their family by directly challenging Thada. Their reputation began suffering as well after Pyry was imprisoned for speaking against her.

During his imprisonment, Kirsi did her best to take care of Cypress and assure her that Pyry would return safe and sound. In reality, she was simply waiting for his sentence to be announced. She dreaded it and felt unsure of how to tell her son that his father had committed treason and paid the ultimate price for it. In the end, such measures were unnecessary, and Pyry returned. He didn't drop the matter though, and was arrested five more times before simply vanishing all together. Confused and angry, Kirsi assisted the military in searching for him, though it seemed every single trail she caught wind of led to a dead end.

Some years later, Kulku was slain by Auxillium. Still with no sign of Pyry, Kirsi moved out of the palace and into a manor previously owned by Kulku. She and Cypress spent their time together waiting for him to return. Eventually, her patience ran thin and she gave up the search. All of Pyry's responsibilities fell to her, she was forced to explain his sudden disappearance to his father and siblings as well. They all voiced disappointment and irritation. Pyry's father even believing that Kirsi should have convinced him to stay. The day Cypress left to search for Pyry, more and more duties were put onto Kirsi. Her rank continued dropping, and she found herself dangling just over the alexandrite rank. She was considered weak willed and pathetic for allowing both her son and husband to abandon her, and many lost respect for her.

Unable to cope with the blame and disgust from her fellow citizens. She challenged Aux to a duel, knowing he would emerge victorious. She fought to the best of her abilities, but was quickly overwhelmed and killed. Once arriving in limbo, she asked Josie to send a note to Cypress, apologizing for her caving and explaining everything that happened following his departure. She stressed that he should not feel guilty, and that the only one they had to blame was Pyry.

## Abilities

* **Kitsune magic** - Like other kitsunes, Kirsi was able to dreamwalk, create believable illusions, and transform from a fox form into a human form at will.
* **Swordsmanship** - It is assumed that Kirsi was extremely skilled with a sword, as she was able to garner Kulku's attention and approval after she witnessed several of Kirsi's spars.