Leila Kaltenbrun

Picrew by @Crowesn on Tumblr

**Leila Kaltenbrun** (pronounced 'LAY-luh CALL-ten-bruhn') is a teenage runaway werewolf and a member of the Cryptid Crew. She is played by Madison Wagner.

## Description

> The Kaltenbrun family prophecy dictates that every couple generations or so, an unlucky child is born with the curse of Lupus Dei. This imbues the child with lycanthropy, a holy and furry form of divine rage. Leila is the latest to be born with the wolf gene, and she's SO over it. The weird glowy eyes are pretty cool, though.
>
> Madison Wagner,  D&D Beyond

Leila is a moderately short humanoid teenage girl. She has medium length, shaggy black hair, cut into messy layers. Her ears stretch to dull pointed tips, with double helix ring piercings and double lobe stone piercings. They have a scar above their left eyebrow. Their eyes are sullen and hooded, with amber yellow eyes that glow when enraged/engaging with magic. Her mouth is filled with sharp fangs, which she uses to attack when shifted.

She is usually seen in grungy street clothes; ie: a large, baggy, green flannel, a band t-shirt, a ripped pair of black jeans, and some beat up tennis shoes. Her most important possession, though, is her wolf totem, an item which prevents her from bloodlust and extraneous transformations.

## Personality

On the surface, Leila attempts to appear rough and tough on the outside. Their menacing appearance helps when trying to be intimidating or unassuming. Her behavior and speech, however, indicate the opposite. She's often seen goofing off, making modern day references, and connecting with her newfound friends. They are very empathetic, and generally try to show kindness to anyone whenever possible. However, she is quick to anger and violence as a means of self-preservation.

## Relationships

#### Selena Kaltenbrun

Leila grew up with their mother Selena in a studio apartment in the dingiest part of town. It was just the two of them, and they were inseparable. Selena was a starving musician, a part of a riot grrrl band she started shortly after high school **[COME UP WITH NAME LATER]**. As Leila got older, she also got more expensive, and Selena ended up needing to work two jobs to get by. Because they lived in such a seedy neighborhood, Leila quickly learned the rules of the street at a young age.

Leila and her mother had a falling out after her first transformation, as Selena refused to tell them about their family history beforehand. In a fit of rage, she ended up transforming again and harming her mother. This causes them to run away from home, and start their journey to Arkham. She regrets this action wholeheartedly, and longs for the day when her and her mother can have the relationship they once had.

#### Camille Aesteris

A fellow member of the Cryptid Crew. Leila views Camille as an older sister figure. Camille taught her to paint her nails after receiving the radianite nail polish from Darry'l.

#### Chell

A fellow member of the Cryptid Crew. The girls are FIGHTING!!!

#### Greyson Krause

A fellow member of the Cryptid Crew. They shared a moment during the battle against the umbral forces in the Brood Mother's layer.

#### Sirius Acronaut

A fellow member of the Cryptid Crew. More info soon.

#### Spilge Raguk

Newest member of Cryptid Crew. Melee besties.

#### JD

Leila first met JD with the rest of the Cryptid Crew at Camp 13. Instantly, they felt connected because they shared beast blood. In the early parts of the campaign, Leila would rest in the barn next to JD instead of inside the tavern with the rest of the group.

## Trivia

* Leila is allergic to chocolate, grapes, and silver.
* It is said that her hometown is "vaguely Midwestern flavored".
	+ An urban setting, somewhere like downtown Ohio or Michigan, even though this doesn't take place in the U.S.
* She carries around a copy of *Ripley's Believe It or Not!*, a book series notable for its wacky articles.
* Leila's namesake comes from Laelaps, a hunting dog from Greek mythology that has been immortalized in the constellation Canis Major.
	+ The story revolves around Laelaps and the Teumessian Fox, and their paradoxical chase throughout the heavens. Laelaps is known as the hound that always catches their prey, and the Fox is known to never get caught.
		- This is the basis of the familial curse.
	+ Leila's last name comes from Thiess of Kaltenbrun, a Livonian man who lived around the times of the Salem Witch Trials. He believed he was a werewolf, who, with his other lycanthropic brethren, would descend to hell and fight devils and rescue stolen crops.
		- Leila's last name was originally Thiess, but it was changed.