A U - R A - X A E L A
Details
Full Name: Au Ra Xaela
Race: Lysanrin
Sex: F
Age: 18
Height: 5' 7"
Weight: 120 lbs
Birthdate: Glade 25 106
Birthplace: Zaichaer
Profession: Artificer
Housing: Estate in Zaichaer
Partners: None
Titles: None
Factions: None
Fluencies: Common, Vallenor
Conversationals: None
Ineptitudes: None
Appearance
Au-Ra, or Aura for short, is a pure blooded Lysanrin. Pure as she is, she is still somewhat of mixed heritage. Her Ashborn mother and Stormborne father are the reason for her startlingly blue eyes that can shift towards white or black depending on her mood. Her skin is a smooth shade of alabaster that contrasts against her dyed brown shoulder-length hair. Aura’s black horns start at the sides of her head and curve forward.
Aura’s wardrobe is neatly split into three different aspects of her life. There’s the uniforms she wears to school which are appropriately well-tailored. Then there’s a pile of work clothes which she uses when smithing or artificing. They typically in good condition, but it doesn’t take long for them to get stained enough to get tossed & replaced. Lastly, there’s an empty section for her armor. She has a design in her head that she'd like to create - a sleek set of plate with a cavity in the chest to store a dragonshard - but she has yet to craft it. She generally sticks to red as far as colors are concerned and her go-to material for jewelry is gold.
Personality
Aura is defined by an inquisitive nature that is as relentless as it is methodical. She approaches her studies and work with the gaze of a scientist, engineer, and artificer rolled into one and often with combat applications on her mind. While she is a quick learner, her hard work is often confused for natural intellect. She is very much a ‘learn by doing’ kind of person which requires her to fail many times before she gets things right.
As a descendant of Lyrielle, Nefrim specifically, Aura has always had a knack for convincing people to do things they shouldn't. She is a natural at seducing people without having to actively try to do so. As a child this often manifested as people bending the rules 'just for her' or trying to seek her favor. As an adult, she finds herself being often stared at, though she often assumes it's because of her non-human heritage rather than her looks.
Aura is confident, to say the least. She is not one to shy away from challenges. She is also quick to stand up for herself and her family. Family is incredibly important to her and she would happily die to save any of her immediate relatives. Because she tends to be loyal, she is often very cautious about who she sides with. She doesn’t worship any gods, thinking it a waste of her time.
In line with the rest of her race, she does tend to prefer to be alone instead of in groups. She is a Lysanrin with the ability to Aether Siphon at quite an advanced level which turns out isn't the best ability to have when one spends a lot of time around mages. She hardly hides her abilities though. She's proud of her heritage and would rather make others upset than to pretend not to be herself.
When faced with issues, her go-to strategy is to tackle them bluntly and head-on. A pack of wolves in her path? Blast them down. A rival at school? Study hard and beat them. A design not working? Spend all night making tweaks until it does. She very much favors straight-forward and practical solutions.
History
The Xaela family history is one steeped in the history of Zaichaer. Aura’s family's roots go back many generations with each generation building upon the wealth and status of the last. The family tended to stay out of politics directly as they were discriminated against. So while Aura’s family wasn't anywhere near as rich as a noble, they were still very much better off than the common citizen.
Aether Siphoning runs strong in Aura’s bloodline, a gift that has manifested in all members of her immediate family. As the eldest of four siblings, Aura found herself in a position of quiet authority from a young age and the expectation was that she would be someone her brothers and sister could look towards.
Unfortunately, Aether Siphoning was both a gift and a curse. At least one person of every generation that Aura could recall had someone die because hunters got to them. Her father met that fate when Aura was 13. He’d gone away for business and that’d been the last they ever saw of him – supposedly the poison that killed him didn’t leave anything to send home. Aura’s mother and one of her brothers died in the catastrophe that struck Zaichaer.
(Searing, 119)
Aura develops her Aether Siphon ability. She spent a lot of time in the forest near Zaichaer practicing and becoming a force to be reckoned with.
(Glade, 121)
Aura becomes infatuated with the idea of becoming a smith. Her parents put her in an apprenticeship to have her learn the ropes, hoping that she comes to her senses and pursues something more profitable, such as runeforging.
(Searing, 122)
In the wake of disaster, responsibility fell upon young Aura’s shoulders like a mantle too heavy for one so young. She was thrust into adulthood, forced to balance the rigors of surviving in a crazy new environment with taking care of her remaining siblings. Once the opportunity arose to become a lawful citizen, she took it and began helping the Order which put to use her respectable Aether Siphoning ability. On top of that, her aptitude for artificing was recognized and she began learning under Minister Dornkirk.
The income she received from her work was enough to hire help with caring for her siblings. This allowed her to focus most of her time on helping rebuild Zaichaer through her natural magical ability as well as golem creation.