Arashi Lylas

## History

Arashi was born to a tribe of dread gnomes living deep in the Rikan Jungles. In her youth, Arashi was an exceptionally weak and sickly child, being the last to learn to speak and to walk, and suffering from frequent asthmatic attacks that made it difficult for her to perform physical labor. Her tribe considered her dead weight and, when she came of age, the tribe sold her off to a merchant in Rike. Not even her own parents would stand up for her.

Her life as a slave, while demeaning, was significantly better than it was in her tribe. Her work was manageable, her master was fair and reasonable, and her master's wife, a woman named Illyana, taught her the basics of arcane magic. However, she would not live like this forever as, after a few years of servitude, Arashi and her master were attacked at sea by pirates. The pirates themselves were former slaves and offered Arashi a place among them, which she accepted on the condition that her master be spared.

Arashi would spend over a decade travelling the world as a pirate. Her crew was a mix; some were kind of heart and bordered on saintly, while others were ruthless criminals and heartless killers. Some would come, some would go, some would need to be thrown overboard. However, the world would catch up with the pirates, and the majority of her fellow crew mates would be either killed or arrested by Rikan bounty hunters. Arashi escaped and took on a modest life as a ship hand, using the skills she gathered as a pirate to excel. More recently, however, she has taken to mercenary work and adventuring.

## A Second Chance at Sea

In Arashi's younger years, she was regarded as nothing other than trash by all the people in her life. Not even her parents would stand up for her when she was sold off as a slave in Rike. Her time as a slave was not miserable; in fact it was in most ways an improvement in lifestyle. However, this could not stave off the growing depression and despondence, a fatal combination in a gnome which lead her to begin the Bleaching process at a very young age. In her state of mind, Arashi wouldn't have lived for even a couple more years.

Arashi would be saved from her fate, however, by a chance encounter out at sea. A band of pirates would pillage her master's boat one fateful day and, in her master's grief at the loss of his fortune, Arashi took the moment to seize her own fortune. After stealing what they could, Arashi snuck aboard and insisted that the pirates allow her to join. This began Arashi's life of crime as a pirate; a time which Arashi remembers fondly, yet feels tremendous guilt for the suffering and evil she stood by and witnessed and even participated in. Her time as a ruthless pirate helped her stave off the feeling of loneliness and unwantedness in her youth. However, now it serves mainly as a source of regret and impacts her psyche poorly and thus threatens to shorten her life further.

## Not Long for Life

As a gnome, Arashi has the potential to live forever but is plagued by an ancestral curse know as the Bleaching. As a gnome grows more and more detached and uninterested in life, their hair and skin begins to turn whiter and their bodies begin to age and wither, eventually leading to death. Normally, a gnome would live for hundreds of years before even seeing a sign of Bleaching, however Arashi's young trauma has caused an early onset of Bleaching, resulting a dramatic shortening of her lifespan.

How long she has left, she knows not; it could be as little as a couple years, it could be as long as a few decades. What is certain is that Arashi has far less time left than a gnome usually would. However, she stands to increase this time so long as she can remain positive about her life and the time she has left.

## Riddle Enthusiast

While living as a slave, Arashi was taught to read by her master's wife Illyana. Illyana had a rather unorthodox way of teaching, involving the use of a series of books called the *Riddles of Kivath,* which Illyana loved to collect and read through at a fanatic pace. Arashi very quickly developed the same love for the series and would later also grow to love the companion series to the books called *Sands of Time,* a long running series about a line of elven and half elven merchants guarding a secret that could destroy the Material Plane, should it be revealed.

The *Riddles of Kivath* and *Sands of Time* series were what kept Arashi going in her time as a slave and were truly what she lived for. She had fallen in love with the books and, to a lesser extent, the anonymous author who wrote them, named Sandy Palms. As a result, Arashi's adoration of the series would not end with her freedom from slavery. She would go on to collect every volume of both series as well as other books made by Sandy Palms and hoard them quite jealously. In her intense fandom, she developed an irrational crush on the author and thought about seeking her out in the past, but believed it would be far too dangerous and embarrassing to do so.

## Appearance

Arashi is about average height for a female gnome, equating to freakishly short by any other standard. She has long, red hair with a single long streak of white symbolizing the beginning process of her Bleaching. She usually ties her hair into a large ponytail, and she has the signature long gnomish eyebrows. Occasionally, when she get really angry, a long, sharp horn begins to protrude from her forehead, which often rams into the thing that angers her.

With Arashi at almost all times is her signature hooked hammer, a deadly weapon which she is in the process of learning how to throw to produce an even deadlier projectile weapon.

## Personality

Arashi is quiet and introverted, usually preferring to keep to herself when possible. Her past makes it difficult to open up to others, and she can be quite blunt or harsh with others as a result. However, despite her defensiveness, Arashi harbors an uncontrollable curiosity that more often than not get her into situations she'd have rather avoided.

When Arashi makes a friend, despite her outwardly bitter exterior, she is highly defensive of them and willing to put her own life at risk for their sake.

## Friends/Allies

Preston - Saved her life from the claws of a bear which was in the process of squeezing her to death. Afterwards, the two have gone on several quests together, and Arashi feels she owes a debt to him.

Knayde - After an admittedly poor introduction and a heated exchange, Arashi and Knayde forged a mutual friendship, which only grew stronger when Arashi witnessed Knayde's death at the hands of a grim reaper and risked her life to recover his body.

Ittei - Has had several pleasant conversations with Ittei during her stays in Jiyu over drinks.

Kairi the Cyclops - Her new lover. Squished some goblins and a giant spider together and the went out for drinks. Now in a committed, admittedly bizarre relationship with her and is seeking to start a new life at sea with her.

## Rivals/Enemies

Qretac - Cowardly fetchling who has stood in her way at several points and has annoyingly followed her at several points through her career.

Teryn - An elven druid whom she'd fought both alongside and against, and who nearly defeated her in one-on-one combat. She respects her talent and wishes to continue to measure up to her.

## Aspirations

One day, Arashi would love to travel to the deserts of Kivath to meet her favorite author, an anonymous novelist and riddler named Sandy Palms. She wants to learn whether or not Sandy Palms really is a sphinx like all the rumors claim, and hopefully not be eaten by her idol in the process.

Additionally, if she could, Arashi wants to start her own shipping agency with her girlfriend Kairi. The sea is all she knows and she loves sailing with all her heart, and it would make her very happy to make her living as a result of that.