Yayoi Summersong

## Biographical Information

### Date of Birth

Unknown, found as a child on the 23rd of October during the 4,945th year of the 6th Sanctus Era.

### Siblings

Kris and Jeanne Summersong, not blood related.

## **Appearance**

Yayoi stands at a respectable 5'6"(5'3" if you ignore her ears) and has a rather lithe and wiry frame. Scars cross her fair skin, the most noticable ones being a ragged slash across the bridge of her nose, the tearing of skin around her wrists, and the chunk missing from her left ear. Her emerald-green eyes compliment the hickory brown of her hair, ears, and tail wonderfully. Her hair is kept cut short and grown ragged, and has a nasty habit of accumulating detritus from her adventures. Anyone observing her from a distance would note that she heavily favors standing on her right leg, and walks with a very slight limp. Yayoi is usually dressed in a warm, heavy cloak that she can easily hide her vulpine features under, with well-worn leather gear beneath. She travels with her essentials in a belt-worn pack, separated into various compartments with plenty of room for trinkets picked up while wandering. Her wares, tent, and other heavy traveling gear are carried by her old trusty mare, Lilac.

## **Backstory**

"Yayoi dear, make sure to wear your hat when you leave the house, and let no one look under your skirt."

A young girl, dressed in warm clothes and carrying a large basket, hurriedly walks out of the back door of her home in Ironwall. Refugees from Haipan, she and her mother had been living in this small, run-down bakery on the edge of the slums. It was odd to see a girl her age on the streets alone, but deliveries had to be made, and her mother was counting on her. Yayoi was always careful when making deliveries, to populated areas and moving as fast as she could, but stormclouds leered down at her from up high, and soon the siren indicating an undead attack was ringing throughout the city. She looks down at her bag, only one delivery left to make. One street over. Following the main avenues, it'd take her about fifteen minutes to get there, but just one quick cut through an alley, and she'd be there in five, and then home before the rain drenched her and made her ill. She swallows nervously, and looks down the dark, narrow pathway. It seemed like there was no one there, and with this one sprint, her day's work would be done. She turns, booking it down the alleyway. All of a sudden, a shadow moves forward, and Yayoi runs headlong into something.

Crash.

The girl falls backwards, landing with a dull thump. Her hat flies off, landing softly a few feet away. Gently, she opens her eyes, staring into a set of rotted, smiling teeth.

"Wot we 'ave here? A pup wot ran away from 'er mam? Well.. Ol' Uncle Gritchin'll 'elp ye' get home, pup... Right back 'ome, where ye' belong."

The smell of fetid, unwashed Orc fills Yayoi's nose as a hand bigger than her head clamps around her mouth and neck, stifling any sound she could make. She squirms under the grip of 'Uncle Gritchin,' trying to worm a hand under her cloak, to grab at the small knife she always carried. The Orc's ruddy yellow eyes flash as thunder peals above and the storm rages on. The pressure around Yayoi's neck grows, and tears start to well up in her eyes. She raises the knife, only to have it slapped away by a heavy hand.

"Now now, pup. No reason ta' bare yer' fangs at ol' Uncle Gritchin, see? He's just 'elpin you. 'Sides, no one likes a pup that bites. Y' know wha' they do to pups tha' bite..?"

Uncle Gritchin leans close, and as Yayoi's vision fades, she hears two words that send a wave of fear down her back.

"They die."

Days later, a young girl sits in a musty, dark room in a cold limestone cave. Hands shackled to her neck, dressed in nothing but a bloodied sackcloth, and with her left leg broken, Yayoi sits broken in the corner of the room. Girls in the same condition as her surround her, some crying, others sitting in silent acceptance, as Yayoi is. On occasion, a half-orc opens the door, grabs a girl by the chains, and pulls her out. Such has been going on for the last few hours, and soon, the door is booted open again, the half-orc stomps in, and Yayoi is lifted by the arms, forced to hobble behind him. Yayoi whimpers in pain, and tries to pull on the chain, only to be slapped by the man, and dragged on.

"Stow it, lass. Yer' leavin' this cave dead, or someone else's property. All o' us'd prefer the latter. After all, a girl like you's worth more alive."

the half-orc grumbles, pulling her down the smoky, lantern-lit tunnel. Soon, they arrive before a moldering curtain, the murmurs of conversation leaking through. A loud, horribly familiar voice speaks up over the din, and Yayoi's eyes widen.

"For the next item from Uncle Gritchin's Carnival o' Delights is somethin' ye' only see once in a lifetime, lads! One a' the mystical fey, guaranteed ta' remain young an' spry fer decades! Ladies an' gentlemen o' the night, I present to ye', a mythical kitsune cub!"

The half-orc yanks her forward, dragging Yayoi out onto the worm-eaten stage. The murmers grow quiet for a moment, as hundreds of eyes bore into the girl. Yyoi stares at the rotting floorboards below her, tears welling up again. Hushed conversation picks back up as Uncle Gritchin begins speaking again.

"Correct, gentlemen! Th' very same kitsune tha' can change their face an' has a voice more beautiful than a harp! The very same kitsune whose blood can grant ye' eternal beauty, an' whose eyes can see th' spirit world! This one's young, so there's no fear a' her turnin' ya' into a frog, an' she's guaranteed ta' stay pretty fer' decades, no matter how little ye' feed her!"

the orc bellows, yanking Yayoi's arm above her heads. She lets out a wimper, trying to avert her eyes as Gritchin's horrid, rot-toothed smile comes into view.

"...Let's give 'em a little show a' that voice, pup. Let 'em hear it, niiiiice and loud."

Gritchin brings something up in his other hand. Yayoi shutters as she feels heat growing closer, and as feiry pain overcomes her, she lets out a scream. Red fills her mind as she struggles violently against Gritchin's grip, trying with all her might to get away from the brand. Soon, the screaming stops, and Yayoi hangs limply from her chains, held up by the brutish strength of the orc.

"..You 'eard it, lads! Th' sweetest voice yer e'er gonna hear! Now, th' bidding starts at 500 gold pieces!"

"550!" a voice shouts from the back.

"625!" A man clad in an ornate robe screeches from the front row.

"700! I simply must have her, Gritchin dearest!" says a woman in the front, surrounded by guards.

"3,000 gold pieces."

Gritchin sits there, staring blankly at his hand as he counts on his fingers over and over. The orc grimaces, leering down at the man.

"Yer' sayin' you got three thousand gold ta' drop on this pup? Three-gods-damned-thousand?! Where's it at, then, rich boy?! Yer' sneaked a chest that big in wi'out my boy's see-"

The orc is cut off by the dull clink of coins hitting wood. Clink. Clink. clink clink clink. The man standing before the stage calmly raises his arm, a mountain of gold dully flickering in the torchlight.

"Three thousand gold. I'm not a liar."

Twenty minutes pass in silence as the pile of gold is tallied up. Three-thousand gold, not a coin more, not a coin less. Gritchin grins wide enough that it seems his head would rip in half.

"SOLD!"

Yayoi slowly opens her eyes, staring up at sunlight filtering down through autumn leaves. Her ear flicks, and she hears birdsong, the clop-clop-clop of a horse along a clay path, and the dull creaking of wagon wheels. She gently sits up, wrists still shackled, but now draped in a warm fur, with her leg bandaged in a splint. Her eyes widen, and she tries to sit up. Across from her, an elvish woman with silver hair looks up from her book, a look of suprise on her face.

"...Hans! Hans, look! She's awake!"

"What? Wait, what?!"

The rhythmic clop-clop of the horse slows down, and a human man dressed in a soft, mossy-green tunic turns quickly in the coachman's chair. His bearded face softens into a smile as he looks over Yayoi.

"..Hey there, girlie. You've been asleep for two days now. We were worried that you wouldn't get up."

Hans flashes a smile, and Yayoi instinctively flinches, the rotted teeth of Gritchin flashing in her mind. Hans's smile is nothing like his, though, and soon, she calms down. She tries to sit up some, wimpering from the effort.

"Oh, no no no! Don't move quite yet. Freide's magic is good, but it can only do so much. You need to rest, okay?"

Hans says, standing up from the seat and hopping into the back with the two girls. He gently kneels at Yayoi's side, holding a waterskin for her.

"Here, drink a little. My name is Hans, and this is Freide, we're a pair of adventurers. We found you a few days ago, lying on the side of the road."

Yayoi bites down on the lip of the waterskin, cold clean water filling her mouth. She drinks slowly, and after a while, drains the whole thing. Hans takes it away, sitting down gently on a pile of furs

. "..Your name is Yayoi, right? Can you tell us where you're from?"

Yayoi answers in a raspy, hushed voice. "..I-I'm.. I-I'm.. from.. f-from.." Yayoi's eyes go wide. All she can remember is the gnarled, evil smile of Gritchin, and two words ringing in her ears, over and over. You die. You die. You die. The small girl whimpers, rolling onto her side and curling up, despite the pain.

"H-hey hey! It's okay, it's okay. You're safe now, Yayoi. You... You don't need to answer if it scares you. Freide and I... We're heading back to our guild hall. You'll be safe there, no one's going to hurt you again, okay?" Hans offers.

Freide shuffles over, gently brushing Yayoi's hair and incanting a quick spell. The girl feels her pain lessen, and Gritchin's teeth fade away. She slowly uncurls, her tail flattening back out. "..We're going to take care of you, Yayoi. We're not too far away from our guild hall. Until you're better, you're welcome to stay with Hans and I, okay? Our home is your home." Freide says, giving a gentle smile down at the girl. Yayoi slowly rolls onto her back, the two looking over her. A word rings out in her head, over and over. Home. She quietly nods. Hans stands, taking a seat on the coachmen's bench once more and whipping the horses into motion. Freide sits next to the girl, gently stroking her hair. Soon, Yayoi's eyes feel heavy, and she drifts back into the darkness of sleep.

Years pass, injuries heal. Yayoi never recalls Ironwall, but to her, it doesn't matter. Yayoi gently awakens in her bed, situated in the loft of Hans and Freide Summersong. Spring light gently plays off of the crystal obelisk on her shelf, refracting light all across the mechanical spider. Trinkets, found by her while training with the guild, or brought back by her adoptive parents from a dungeon. The smell of bread fills the air, as does the crying of her two infant sibling, Kris and Jeanne. She stands and stretches, her ears flicking and her tail quivering. She quickly changes from her sleeping clothes into a simple tunic and pants, sliding down the ladder and landing lightly on the floor. Freide smiles gently at her, standing before an oven and regulating the flame with a wand.

"..Good morning, dear! Hans is out at the market. Today's a special day, you know? Now, help me with breakfast, dear."

The day passes into night, and soon Hans returns. He guides behind him a tawny old mare, loaded down with fresh foods and various commodities. He gently opens the door, and steps inside.

"Yayoi! Happy birthday, hon. Ten whole years you've been with us, how the time flies.. And now, you're an adult, ready to set out on your own.." The large man hugs Yayoi, burying her head with his beefy arms. "..We're both so proud of you. A member of the guild, setting out to be a trader.. It feels so soon that you're setting out, but.."

Yayoi slips out from the man's grip. She smiles, pirouetting backwards a few feet. "There's so much to see out there, though! I wanna get out there, and explore! I want to find things that'll make people happy, and spread it as far as I can. And.. I want to meet whoever saved me back then. Maybe they can tell me more about who I am.."

Hans is silent for a moment. Freide steps out from a back room, quietly moving the groceries and goods in on a floating disk.

"..D-don't take that the wrong way! You two found me and you raised me. As far as I'm concerned, you're my parents. I just.. I want to fill in these missing gaps, you know? I... That didn't come out right, I'm sorry.." Yayoi's ears droop. Hans gives her a half smile, and pats her on the shoulder roughly.

"It's fine, hon. Now, go get ready. The boys from the guild are coming, and we're gonna have a celebration better than this town's ever seen!"

After a long and merry night, Yayoi lies on her bed, gently staring into the flame of a candle. She slides open the drawer on her nightstand, taking out an old, yellowed parchment. She reads it once more, scrutinizing every word.

This girl's name is Yayoi. She was wrapped in an unfortunate incident, and got badly hurt. Please take care of her.

She sighs, folding it and setting it back into the drawer, right next to the ornate dagger the letter was pinned to a tree with. Closing the drawer and blowing out the candle, she rolls onto her back, staring at the strands of moonlight leaking through the thatched roof. Someday, I'll meet you. And thank you properly she thinks, as she slowly drifts off to sleep.