- Name: Briena Erani Skysong
- Gender: Female
- Age: 34
- Alignment: Lawful Good
- Race|Species: Half-Elven | Half-Human | Shifter
- Breed|Subspecies: Serenian | Argohahnian | All Creatures except Vampires and Humans.
- Height: 6’0”
- Weight: 140lbs
- Physical Description:
[Image copyright to myself: TheCalraidanKingdoms at Deviant Art - BrienaSkysong Here.
Standing at precisely six feet, Briena is a couple of inches taller than the average woman of her father’s race – the Serenian Elves of the continent of Calraida – and towers over the women of her mother’s race; that of the Argohahnian humans of Calraida.
Her voice is a rich, warm caress of silk and velvet, carrying a highborn Serenian Accent (Educated English) mixed with inflections of her mother’s Noble Argohahnian brogue (Educated Irish), and the cadence of her speech is a lyrical, melodic Soprano, lilting and soothing.
Her scent, when under control, is a seductive, soothing mixture of rich summer hay, wild Jasmine and Lavender, with sweeter inflections of Vanilla and roses, sharper hints of evergreen trees, and a sepulchral undertone of stone and earth, joined by moss and herbal notes. With it all, is her natural feminine musk—alluring, inviting, and warm, yet sweet and clean.
Her scent when not under control, is an intensely powerful aphrodisiac. Having caused her no small amount of grief in the past, this scent has the capacity to drive a man to madness and fixation, and it isn’t limited to Humans or Elves, or even the living, as long as the male in question has a sense of smell. The reaction and type of desire is different between individuals, but once the scent is muffled, they may return to their normal state, though many might still remember the smell.
This seductive scent is held under a barrier spell, contained within the necklace she’s worn since she was small—namely, the pendant hanging from the chain. Since the age of sixteen, when the scent began to surface, Amadeus – a Vulpaeni mage of great power and skill – enchanted the pendant with a spell that would remove the pheromonal aphrodisiac quality of her scent and leave her with what would be safe—her ‘under control’ scent. This spell must be replenished and recharged twice a year, or the barrier will begin to crack.
This spell can weaken under high emotional stress or anxiety, letting wisps of the true scent escape and, if removed, the full force of it will be released without mercy.
No one is entirely certain where she inherited or gained this strange scent from, though Amadeus maintains a theory that it may be tied in with the Gifts he gave her when she was a child. It could also possibly be attributed to her being a Shifter. While the men in her father’s line bore none of this pheromone-laden scent, she is also the only female Shifter of her line—thus, it may be unique to her.
In looks, she took heavily after her sire, sharing his vibrant, rich fiery red hair, though hers is a shade deeper in color. Red as fresh blood, this luxuriant cascade of waves falls to just below her rear, curling in thick tendrils at the tips. However, this rich color is merely a base to paint upon. Glints of ruddy gold spark through, just a few strands at a time, natural highlights against the crimson backdrop. Sparks of flame-bright red add a fierce vibrancy to the wealth of locks, giving the impression under uncertain firelight of her hair being alive with its own inner blaze.
Her hair, when soaked through, deepens to a similar color to that of dark, fire threaded blood.
Not of uniform length, her hair curls about her face toward the front, stubbornly refusing to remain bound by a mere braid or pony tail, often framing or half obscuring her features in vibrant brilliance, while longer waves caress her shoulders. Not prone to tangling, her hair has the feel of the richest, highest quality silk. Smooth and luxurious to the touch, it defies the rigors of training and high winds, only small knots gaining a hold upon the strands, much to the relief of the head it grows from.
This vibrant color reasserts itself in her lashes—thick, long fringes of burnished coppery red-gold frame her eyes, adding to the allure of her features, and a sense of mystery.
Those eyes shine a deep, fathomless sapphire blue, the color vibrant and undiluted, save for fainter sparks of a slightly lighter shade of sapphire and ever fainter glints of sky-blue—the sparks of light upon a bottomless lake. They carry within their depths a wise gleam, vibrant intelligence, and a gentle tenderness toward those she cares for.
And yet, when the height – or, perhaps, the depths – of her fury has been reached, these same warm, inviting pools of gentleness shift to a deep, feral frigidity. Hardening to frozen sapphire pools at these times, they maintain a strange calm that is no less terrifying for their beauty. At these times, she is at her most deadly, and on the killing edge.
The height of her anger sees the opposite effect. High temper shows itself in a blazing blue glare—hot and temperamental. It’s not a true Queen’s Rage, but merely a fierce fire that will burn out far more easily than that chilling rage will thaw.
Her face itself is one of regal beauty and serene countenance. From her mother, she gained the flawless, creamy complexion—pale, but lit from within by the gentle warmth of a soft pink blush, color that tends to grow rosier during exposure to crisp cold weather or lit from within by good humor and laughter.
Gracefully slender, fiery red brows arch over those wide sapphire eyes. In shape, her eyes are almond-shaped; slightly oversized and exotic, slanting upward slightly at the outer corners. Her brow itself is wide, which is a feature often said to mean great intelligence. She possesses her father’s nose – long, narrow, and straight – but her mouth and lips are a mixture of both parents—her lips are full and inviting, much like her mother’s, but the width of her mouth comes from her father.
A stubborn, pointed chin centers an angular jawline, triangular in shape, and high cheekbones give her features a sharp structure beneath the feminine beauty. It is often said that she looks much like her grandmother, the late Queen and Consort of Lionel, former Monarch of Serenia.
Her father gave her the delicately pointed ears, perhaps half an inch shorter than those of Pure Serenian lineage at an inch and a quarter in length. They carry no piercings, and no curve breaks their straight edged appearance. Her neck is graceful and slender, belying the strength she possesses, and upon her throat, at the center, she bears a thin, white, horizontal scar that refuses to fade entirely, and shows starkly against her complexion.
Her shoulders are pleasantly wide, elegant and strong, and at the hollow of her collarbone, where her throat melds into her hollow, another scar, fresher, makes its home upon her skin. In the shape of a small, tribalized ‘S’, this is her subtler announcement of her status as Queen of Serenia.
Her torso and overall build are those of Elven slenderness; soft, creamy skin overlaying hard, lithe muscles. Despite this muscle, at a glance one might think she was a mere lady at court, untested in battle or labors of the body. Her strength can be seen in the subtle definition of her arms and flat stomach, and in the long legs. The body of a dancer, more than a musclebound warrior.
Her bosom is pleasantly sized, but nothing dramatically large or small. A comfortable middle-ground, and often bound during battle under armor, both for protection and comfort. She, personally, has little care about her own chest, and rarely goes to any effort to flaunt her assets, preferring modest attire unless unable to avoid low cut clothing—a style her seamstresses do tend to enjoy seeing upon their Queen.
She bears an hourglass waist, the right side marred by a thick horizontal scar a hand-span above her hip, spanning from her naval to the mid-point of her side. On either side, top and bottom, of the scar, smaller pinprick scars mark where the wound had been sutured shut by a healer.
Her hips flow wide and feminine from her waist, her rear is shapely, and she could be called leggy. Her legs are graceful, the right thigh bearing another scar on the outer edge, perhaps eight inches long.
Her feet are small, though proportionately correct for her body, and seemingly dainty. However, the undersides bear callouses from running barefoot in many different terrains throughout her life— though she will wear boots and slippers if she must. Her hands are graceful and well made, the fingers long and slender – and strong – with faint hints of callous from fighting, training, riding, and working with her people in the fields and orchards. They are as deft at playing an instrument or doing needlework as they are wielding a weapon or holding the reins of a horse, and are infinitely gentle with the injured, the sick, and the very young.
She moves with a regal, fluid grace, steps calm and assured, rather than light and traipsing. Her shoulders are held back, her head high, and her back straight. She has the capacity to hold very still for long periods of time, or to move with startling swiftness, and can maintain a quick jog for quite a few miles, thanks to a life filled with training from an early age. Her eyes are keen and far seeing, often scanning her surroundings with interest, catching tiny details to store away in her memory.
She is a Shifter, and the first female Shifter in the royal Serenian line. She has the ability to shift forms into nearly any living creature, and an incorporeal form, as well as an invisible, scentless, and soundless form that leaves no tracks. Since she has so many, it would take years to describe them all, or even list them. So, I will list only what she cannot become:
- A Vampire
- Fully Human
- Fully Elven
- Male (though there was a point in which I tried that out, but… eh. Neither she nor I enjoyed male Bri.)
- And she cannot change her appearance when in her birth form, or dopplegang others.
As well as this, she had to become a surrogate mother as well as a watchful older sister to her little sister Grace, a two-year-old toddler at the time of the attack. So, it is no surprise to anyone who knows her or of her, that she is that natural born leader. She is a woman that others tend to gravitate to for guidance and protection, and a leader that can be trusted to be just and fair, but still be able to deal harsh punishments and executions of the law.
Growing up, her parents and godfather Darenello all strove to instill a code of honor and protocol into their daughter. The men worked hard in those early years and late childhood to nurture a tactician’s mind, quick wit and sharp thought, and the ability to make good, snap decisions when fast thinking was needed.
They were successful in laying this foundation. Briena is a fast thinker, strong willed and an apt tactician, and deliberate in her plans and the execution of them. She is patient, able to wait out a siege as long as needed during wars to ensure the safest, most efficient attacks on a fortress. She is a logical thinker, and an innovative woman, and unafraid of hard work and toil if it betters her Kingdom.
Her keen interest in weaponry and fighting have led her to be a quick study in nearly any weapon she’s thrown at to learn, and the same ability to learn quickly applies to most things in her life. She picks up languages easily, and enjoys learning a new tongue, as well as cultural history of other countries and kingdoms.
In being strong willed, she could easily – and truthfully – be called stubborn. It was this strong will and stubborn nature that led her to run away from the kingdom at the age of twenty-six to travel abroad over the globe of Galeia for nearly eight years in reaction to being forced by her grandfather (well-meaning though he was) to undergo courtship in hopes that she would find a husband to take Lionel’s throne and circlet as King, with her as their Queen and consort by their side.
She is proud, but this pride has never come close to hubris, with the lessons of her childhood well ingrained into her psyche. She is a woman of her people, and will fight and work alongside them as both a leader and an equal. They are all worth the time she can give them.
All three – parents, and godfather – instilled gentleness and loyalty. She would readily die for her people if that would save them from peril, and she possesses, like most Serenians, a deep love for children. She is devoted to her people and her kingdom, tending it with care and monitoring it. The health of her people is of great import to her, and she feels their deaths like a blow to her own family or a knife in the heart.
For all that she has a loving, intuitive nature, she is… oblivious… about the love between a man and woman. She understands the theory, yes, and the facts of reproduction, having grown up around breeding horses and livestock. But when it comes to herself, she is painfully oblivious to a man’s romantic feelings toward her unless told outright.
She herself is wary about romance, both for the reason that she is the Queen of her kingdom, and thus needs a man that can be thoroughly trusted with leading a kingdom, and for the fact of her strong willed, stubborn need to never be pampered and coddled like an invalid. And her fear is that a husband will lock her away during war, where she cannot fight beside her people.
She understands political courtship, however, and views it with disdain, spurning suitors readily. In modern terms, she could easily be called asexual, and perhaps even aromantic. It would only partially be true. She has grown up in Serenian culture, a culture that is well-known as being quite the home of hopeless romantics. She does want love, and believes true love and romance do exist, but feels she must always put her kingdom first.
That leads to her feelings about children. She adores children, cherishing her time with them and eagerly teaching them what she can. That adoration is, perhaps, the most likely catalyst that will lead her to marry—she wants children of her own.
Under the confident leader’s barriers, there is a shy and self-conscious young woman that has had to be set aside in order to carry the mantle of leadership and surrogate motherhood at a young age. She has fears and struggles like anyone else, yet has learned to compartmentalize them to reflect upon at a later date while bringing calculation and clear thinking to the forefront.
Her connection with the land, by now, has become a deeply important part of her psyche. If her bond and ability to feel the land and her people around her becomes blocked, it is much like ripping away her sense of hearing and touch. And like many amputees or blinded fighters, this can bring out a feeling of immense loss and helplessness. And fear.
She is a fiercely protective friend, and she can – and will – lash out viciously at those who hurt those she holds dear to her heart. This protective nature includes the horses and dire wolves that make up a great part of her normal day-to-day life. They, in particular the wolves, are much like extended family to her.
Briena is an invested leader, interested in the daily lives of her people and quite happy to spend a week or two just traveling to outlying villages and hamlets to partake in their lives, helping where she can and simply enjoying time with them. Education is, like with the majority of Serenians, highly important to the Queen, and she readily enjoys teaching others what she knows, whether it be a child or an adult several hundred years older than herself.
When in the company of strangers, her demeanor shifts to a Queen’s regal comportment. She maintains a slightly reserved, polite manner, yet still manages to impart hints of humor and easy-going nature. She has nothing to feel insecure about in her Kingdom, knowing it to be strong and united, and this shows in her bearing.
- Weapons:
- Sky Star: The sword passed down to Briena by her father on the day of her graduation from the first term of schooling in battle under her godfather, Darenello. This blade has been passed through the generations of the royal Serenian line, and will eventually be passed down to her firstborn. Treated bi-weekly with donated Lycanic blood (Kanixillo is a willing donor), and soaked at each season’s solstice in the magic of the most powerful Lycaernian Elders, this blade is particularly deadly to Vampires, Demons, and creatures of the dark, or of malicious nature.
If she shifts into her incorporeal form while wielding this blade, it will shift with her, becoming a transparent, blazing shaft of sapphire blue light, but retains its deadly nature, though becomes far more effective against malicious spirits than the living.
“The hilt and pommel were of a silvery metal, the pommel set with sapphire, emerald, diamond, and amethyst. She felt like she’d seen the colors before somewhere, and that they meant something, but at the moment, she was too engrossed with examining the fine blade.
She studied the cross-guard, also made of that silvery metal that wasn’t silver, but shone just as brightly as silver. It was engraved in winding knotwork and swirls like the wind, the ends studded in outstretched horse heads, giving them a slight forward curve, the horse’s chins facing out toward whatever enemy she may face one day.
Their manes swept back to join the swirls and knotwork, and their eyes were studded in sapphires, the faces carved to be fierce, teeth bared. The detail was exquisite, and she was certain that they could breathe if she looked long enough.
The grip was that of tough, soft leather, oiled to a rich red-brown color, and well cared for. She slid the blade free of the scabbard by a few inches and sucked in a breath. The blade was a deep, vivid sapphire, much like her own eyes, or her father’s.
As she drew the sword fully free, she marveled at the balance of the blade, and at how light it was, and feeling the powerful magic that it held. At the moment, it was longer than her usual sword, but she held it as though it were meant to be grasped in her hand, and she knew that she would continue to grow into it.
“It’s Lycanic steel, forged from the metals of their meteor spire in their sanctuary. This is a very, very special metal, my daughter. Very few can procure it, and even fewer can forge it into weapons.” “
The scabbard of the sword: “The leather was light, silver tooling extending its length from hilt to tip.
The hilt-ward end of it was detailed in birds, again so intricately engraved and detailed that they looked real, suspended in flight toward the tip of the scabbard.
At the center, a bird and a horse mingled to be one, poised in flight, before the scene continued on, horses prancing and wolves leaping until the scabbard was tipped in a cap of silver, and studded in a mixture of the four colors that studded the pommel. “
The Belt: “He called in a belt, made of the same light leather, tooled and intricately silvered to match the scabbard and sword, though the silver here was spelled to stretch and bend to accommodate the waist, with many small holes down the center of the tail end to half way for the buckle, which was made of the same bright silver that would never tarnish, and engraved in the same proud, fierce horse heads that made up the ends of the sword’s cross-piece. “ - Evus and Eilis: “Eevos” “Eylis” A pair of Dwai’wrinian-made daggers, given to Briena at her graduation by her mother, passed down through the generations of women in Argohahn’s royal line, mother to daughter. “Callania unwrapped it carefully, revealing two sheathed daggers. Sheathed in dark leather scabbards tooled in silver and gold stags and does, the daggers’ handles were made of what she thought at first was ivory, but upon closer inspection, she saw that it was actually a bright white wood.
The grips were wrapped in white, supple leather, pommel and cross-guards inset with silver inlay in swirls. When she slid each dagger from its sheath, she saw that the blades were made of a star bright steel, light and seemingly honed sharp enough to cut the air. The blades were narrow, tapering to slender points. They were a lady’s weapons, engraved with a doe on one blade, and a proud stag on the other.
She could feel the magic in them, just as she could in the sword, though it was far lower key. Her temple throbbed sharply as she tried to take a taste of the magic with her own, but she pushed through, identifying the magic as endowments to prevent breakage and chipping.
“These are Evus and Eilis. They’re dwarven steel blades, and they’ve been passed down through my family for ten generations. And now, I’m passing them down to you.” “
- Cleir’weil: “Clair-weyl” “Clear Sight” A longbow given to her by her grandfather upon her seventeenth year, on the anniversary of her first year of life in Skysong Castle. The bow is made from a redwood, imbued with magic for strength and repelling water. It's elegantly carved with gentle swirls, much like visual interpretations of wind currents.
Endowed with spells to repel water and retain strength, this bow is several hundred years old, and well cared for. The strings used with it – and with all her bows – are made from the sinew of cervine beasts, such as elk and moose, and tightly woven with the tail hairs of the winged horses of Serenia.
These hairs are renowned for their strength, and are a common ingredient for bowstrings among the Serenian archers, rangers, and winged cavalry and mounted archers of the forces. The strings are imbued with further spells to prolong their serviceability, strength, and keep them from drawing damp. - Cleir’Sveil: “Clair-sveyl” “Clear Flight” A recurve cavalry bow, given to her by Lord Emeraldhaven’s brother as a gift. Made from several pieces of strong wood, it’s smaller than her longbow, made for use in the saddle.
- ^ With all her bows, she uses Serenian-made arrows. The shafts are comprised of light, straight wood, and tipped in highly valuable Lycaernian steel.
This steel is razor sharp, and strong enough to punch through plate armor when used with the longbow. At any point of time, her quiver contains several arrows made from heavier wood, the tips barbed. The arrows are fletched using dropped feathers from the Serenian winged horses.
- Sky Star: The sword passed down to Briena by her father on the day of her graduation from the first term of schooling in battle under her godfather, Darenello. This blade has been passed through the generations of the royal Serenian line, and will eventually be passed down to her firstborn. Treated bi-weekly with donated Lycanic blood (Kanixillo is a willing donor), and soaked at each season’s solstice in the magic of the most powerful Lycaernian Elders, this blade is particularly deadly to Vampires, Demons, and creatures of the dark, or of malicious nature.
- Accessories:
- Keepsakes: Items she received that do not correlate directly to her status as Queen of Serenia.
- Wolf Pendant: A gift bestowed upon Briena at her birth by her godfather, Darenello. A bright silver wolf’s bust, exquisitely detailed, with small sapphires for eyes, bears a rainbow moonstone against its furry breast, tucked beneath its chin. The pendant hangs upon a gold chain, and is the item which is enchanted with a warding spell to keep her true scent under wraps, allowing her to pass among men without causing lust and chaos in her wake.
This spell requires annual recharging, or the barrier will eventually begin to crack and allow wisps of her scent to escape. Uncharged for too long, and the barrier will break entirely. Briena is never without it, and wears it infinitely, as to remove it would also remove the barrier. - Graduation Amulet: The amulet given to Briena and her fellow students to celebrate their graduation from their respective terms of battle training: “Made of silver inlay and bright yellow gold, the amulets were comprised of the Sword Knot, the intertwining, never ending knotwork that made a stylized shape of a sword, point down, pommel up, engraved into each round disc of gold. The edges of each amulet were studded in garnets.”
- Wolf Pendant: A gift bestowed upon Briena at her birth by her godfather, Darenello. A bright silver wolf’s bust, exquisitely detailed, with small sapphires for eyes, bears a rainbow moonstone against its furry breast, tucked beneath its chin. The pendant hangs upon a gold chain, and is the item which is enchanted with a warding spell to keep her true scent under wraps, allowing her to pass among men without causing lust and chaos in her wake.
- Important Status Accessories:
- Circlet of the Queen: A mark of her status, this golden, jeweled circlet shifts appearance with each generation’s Queen whose brow it graces. With Briena, it’s a solid circle as a base, vine like twists and tendrils winding along it’s circumference. These vines form elegant Serenian knots and roses, with the Skysong crest and colors centering the forehead in glittering gems. Each intricate golden rose is studded with rubies, sapphires providing the background, and diamonds forming dew drops on the roses’ petals, while emeralds glitter upon the golden leaves.
- Skysong Family Signet Ring: Vibrant yellow gold circles her right ring finger, the Skysong Crest engraved in proud, reverse relief upon the top. This is the ring used to press her mark into wax seals upon messages or decrees, and is a mark of her family line.
- Keepsakes: Items she received that do not correlate directly to her status as Queen of Serenia.
- Mounts: If Applicable
- Pets|Companions: She doesn’t necessarily have a pet dog or cat, or even a pet dragon. In all technicality, all of Serenia’s Winged horses of both breeds belong to her, though they may choose a rider of their own that they prefer, even if all the Serenian horses tend to view her as their Queen and ruler, and defer to her.
- Abilities|Skills:
- Shifter: You’ve probably guessed by now that Briena can take just about any form of living creature, mundane and mythical. The shift is painless after the first time taking a new form, and a seamless, graceful transformation. When in a form other than her birth form, she retains her intellect and power, though her weapons in battle will usually be what the form already has naturally—such as claws and teeth as a big cat, and fire, tail, talons and teeth as a dragon that breathes fire.
- Disadvantages|Worst Skills:
- History:
