Kera Rabbitsfoot

## Looks

On the tinier spectrum of gnomes, Kera stands 110cm tall. Their skin is brown and physique burly, and especially the arms hold lots of strength: being someone who works a lot with their hands, the palms of their hands are worn and the skin is thick. Kera's face and fingers are quite chubby, and one of their most outstanding features are the big nose and dark brown eyes. The dark brown hair is mid-length and wavy, and preferably held up in a bun, sometimes kept together with a piece of silk. Thick burns frame the side of their face.

Kera very much prefers earthy tones in their clothing, as it reminds them of their childhood years living in Suolu. They only wear loose and practical clothing, and as Kera usually gets quite hot if it's not winter, they are usually seen wearing shorter sleeves and pants.

## Personality

Kera is internally very panicky and anxious. Most of the time they are unsure of whether they are doing the right thing or not- excluding work within their field- observing carefully how others react to anything they say to see if they happened to make anyone upset. Making anyone upset is the last thing they want, the comfort of the people around Kera is extremely important to them. The gnome is very easily intimidated and won't speak back at the slightest bit of assertion. Physical signs of this stressed personality can be seen in sweatiness, fidgeting, shaking and stuttering.

Even though one would think that Kera is someone who is gullible and easily tricked, their overthinking tendencies actually make them consider extremely many outcomes, even the evil and unexpected ones, and whenever fear doesn't blind them Kera is actually good at picking up details in their surroundings and other people's mannerisms. They rarely want to confront someone about deception outright, however.

Kera will always, without hesitation, put all their fears aside for their patients or anyone else in need. They would probably take a bullet for a complete stranger. Their bad self-esteem makes them put others on a pedestal, and for them it's more important to take care of somebody else rather than themselves.

They very much appreciate laws and order. Rules give them comfort and structure, and their respect for Masks and guards is big. If Kera ever judges anyone, it would be those who defy order and would rather bring chaos than follow society's rules.

## Background

Kera was born in the Forest of Suolu, nearly by the border of the Barrier in a smaller forest gnome colony referred to as the Den. Kera and their family had lived there all their life. Kera spent their early years living by the principles of the Den, tending to nature and protecting the environment. Their colony didn't have direct connections to the Church, but as every member, Kera included, truly cared about the well-being of Viridia, every now and then Den members were granted powers through Viridis.

Since a very young age, Kera was extremely kind and humble. They were liked by everyone in the colony, sometimes maybe a bit too much, as many gnomes liked to rely on Kera for tasks and support. They were often overwhelmed but refused to ever let anyone down. When Kera did reach a limit, and refused somebody, they got negative reactions as the other gnomes were used to always get help. This is what mostly caused the development of their extremely anxious personality, along with the pressure from being the eldest sibling of the family.

One autumn day when Kera was a teen, they were on one of their usual forest walks, all alone. They encountered a Deathbringer that had newly gotten past the border. The two scared each other, and the human went to attack Kera, leaving after causing what they thought were lethal wounds. Kera was on the ground, on the brink of unconsciousness, when they reached out to nature as they did every day in its honor. This time, as the gnome was bleeding onto the ground, nature answered. For the first time, healing magic was released from Kera's hands, entering their wounds and saving them from a certain death.

Kera decided to leave the Den after getting attacked, as it scarred them enough to be scared of living this close to the Barrier. They wanted to see the rest of Viridia, especially Riikki, where many different creatures and their cultures meet. They also aspired to become a better spellcaster, as at this point they didn't have great control over their powers.

When arriving at Riikki, Kera got a part-time job and accomodation at the Howling Gut. During this time, they met a higher rank mage who quite grew fond of Kera, agreeing to mentor them. Kera moved in with this mage, as they owned a small quarters at the Docks. The gnome got better at healing, and started offering it as a service. After building some reputation, Kera practically paid for both of their living expenses, bought the rented quarters for themselves still having some money to spare. Kera named the estate the Healer's Den.

But then came the day when their mentor disappeared. Kera still has no clue where the mage could've gone, but decided not to leave Riikki as that would be the first place their lost mentor would look if they wanted to find Kera again.