Groups

Description

Appearance;;
Rikki's true form is a short, curvy Core standing at 5'5" with mid-back-length, dark brown hair that is kept up in a ponytail with a band of lucky four-leaf clover, and large, dark blue-gray, fathomless eyes. Her face is heart-shaped and her skintone is tan from days in the sun. Jagged scars run down her arms and legs. She has a cross-shaped brand on her arm, since the cross is a representation of the religion most humans practice, which she hides. Rikki, like most Core Beings, usually wears a robe-like garment (in the picture), light green and soft, coming to her knees with slits up the sides to allow for easy movement, yet it ceases to seem too revealing. Made of a silk-like material, it fits just right: not too loose, not too tight, vaguely reminiscent of today's traditional Chinese wrap dress with its high collar and lack of one sleeve, while the other is long, wide and loose, like a sleeve on a Japanese kimono. She goes barefoot most of the time. Of, course, she can plant an illusion in someone's mind and make her own appearance look entirely different.
Race;;
Mainland Core Being: Witches and wizards, amongst themselves known as Core Beings, reside mainly in the large clearing of Moonflower Grove, located in the center of the Adalei Forests. The Adalei Forests occupy the center of the continent of Srinne, which is the sole (known) continent in the flat world of Frimnul.
It is well-known throughout the Core Being population – though maybe not in the human world – that each Being is gifted with a Core Magyck (hence the name ‘Core’ Being), which is a certain element or specialty that a Being has unlimited and effortless access to, despite other spells or elements that would take time and energy to utilize. For example, a Core Being with a Core Magyck of Fire would be able to instantly create a massive amount of flames, while to a Core Being with another Magyck could take hours to cast or create the same effect.
For every Being that has a Core Magyck, they also have a Core Weakness, which is a certain element or specialty that is like an Achilles Heel to a Core Being. For instance, a Core Being with the Core Magyck of Fire would stand no chance against a Core Being with the Core Magyck of Water or Ice. Water or ice spells, even if they were not a Core Magyck, would also greatly weaken such a Being.
Core Beings can indeed cast spells, though it takes a toll on them. A young Being could get exhausted after only one spell cast. It takes time to perfect the casting ability, and then some more time to memorize spells and chants, not to mention the materials needed for more complicated spells.
Differences in power are referred to as titles among the Beings, from Youngling (a Being who has yet to cast one spell) to Apprentice (Being in training) to Core Being (full-powered Being) to Elder (an older or more powerful Being). With these titles come different levels of respect. Example: An Elder is highly revered, while a Youngling is looked down upon or sympathized with.
The Elders Council is the main Core Being brand of government, whether it be mainlanders or originals. Those who do not use the Council are usually small bands of renegade Beings, who are led by a sole leader. The Elders Council is made up of up to six Elder-ranked Core Beings, They decide what is best for the “village” of Beings in Moonflower Grove – and in Chiduline, as the case may be – and their decision is final.
Core Beings are notoriously hard to kill, sometimes immortal since once they reach a certain level of physical maturity, they cease to physically age. They do not die of age at all; the only way to kill a Being is to use its Core Weakness against it, which could involve using renegade Beings or even wiccans and lesser Beings.
Mainland Core Beings in general tend to act aloof and rather arrogant towards mainly humans; if a Core is compassionate enough to tolerate a human’s presence, they will treat them in a manner as they would a nasty little bug: insignificant enough to not concern them, but repulsive and weak enough to inspire disgust. However amongst themselves Cores are rather friendly and hospitable, acting much like a small, prosperous community of humans would.
Rank;;
Core Being
Core Magyck;;
Illusion. Rikki's powers deal with illusion, whether it be from making herself appear different to creating the fake reality of floating. The important thing to remember around her is that anything you see probably isn't real.
Core Weakness;;
True Sight. The ability to see past what lies before the naked eye. True sight practitioners can read auras, minds, see through any illusion, and even sometimes practice clairvoyance.

Personality

The illusion she puts up is fairly convincing, like the forms she can take or the illusions she can cast. Rikki pretends to be sardonic and sarcastic, witty and high in self-esteem to the point of arrogance. While she does act calculating, she is rarely cool like the stereotypes may say, instead prone to blow up at people for the littlest offense since her temper, like her sense of humor, is fairly unpredictable. She shows no visible compassion and is often gruff and rather mean, though her mercy is apparent in the fact of the company she keeps.
The real Rikki, however, the one you come to know only if she is too exhausted to put up a charade or trusts you enough to let you see, has little confidence, convinced that she, like her Core Magyck, is an illusion – a sham, hurt by the nasty remarks of her fellow Mainland Cores though she doesn’t show it. She believes that she is a coward, and that the mistakes she has made can never be repented. Haunted and suspicious because of her experiences in the human kingdom, she is very introverted and trusts no one except perhaps the half-human prince who lives with her, despite whose presence she still feels lonely. Rikki is also convinced, though she would never tell anyone, that she should spend the rest of her life locked away for her previous actions but even she knows that it’s just an excuse because she’s afraid of ever setting foot outside of Moonflower Grove again.

Equipment

Skills & Attributes;;
Rikki is adept at climbing - especially trees, which are her favorite place to be. However, she relies completely on her Core Magyck, and so while her illusions are extremely realistic, she possesses no real physical prowess in the form of stamina or strength or speed. Otherwise, her singing voice isn't quite hard on the ears, she is also an amazing liar (a part of her Core Magyck that extends beyond simple spells) and has a good judge of character.
Weapons;;
None as of yet.
Other;;
Rikki likes to sing, but only does so when no one is looking. If someone managed to sneak up on her, they might hear a haunting melody that speaks no words but communicates the darkest of thoughts, the loneliest of peoples, and the memories of a past best forgotten.

History

Bio;;
Rikki was born into the coven of Beings that resided in Moonflower Grove, and there she was raised to be a good little Core Being. It was just too bad that she had a curious side, and a stubborn streak too. She didn't heed the warnings that the older Beings gave, Rikki made ventures into the human world.

Sometimes, she made such ventures with her best friend, closer-than-a-sibling, almost-boyfriend, child prodigy Shinn, whose Core Magyck of Perception was a category of her own Illusions. They were best friends because not only did they grow up together and had similar interests, but they learned Magyck together. However, as young Shinn even then showed the qualities of a flirt and future womanizer, Rikki could usually be found sulking behind a tree whenever he attempted to pick up a woman a hundred years his elder.

Well, one day when she was venturing out alone in spite towards the flirt Shinn, she paid for her mistake. At age 65, about 12 in human years, Rikki was taken prisoner by a Renegade gang on one of her ventures and turned in to the humans, with a Renegade to guard the then-Apprentice Core. What went on in those dungeons, no one will ever know – except perhaps those who heard the screeches as they echoed up through the palace floors.

Finally, the Renegades had a heart – when they saw Rikki again, broken and dispirited, they broke her out of the castle and took her with them. For a while, Rikki became a Renegade herself – finishing her Magyck education and proving a valuable asset to the band. But then the Core Beings of Moonflower started to hunt the Renegades, who fought to the end – all except her, who acted as a coward and surrendered, agreeing to the ‘better’ way of life, the boring way.

And for the last few decades, Rikki has resided in Moonflower Grove, longing for adventure, and yet terrified to leave the safety of the Adalei Forests. Shinn had mysteriously disappeared on a multiple-decade-long journey in her absence, apparently, and she lived, secluded and lonely, on the outskirts of the Grove. Until she met a half-blood boy, at least – a boy who was a prince of the human world; the Northern Kingdom to be exact. The boy has slowly brought Rikki out of her shell. She has, since the conversion back to regularity, always felt like an outcast from her world and the prince helped her in that respect. In him, was someone she could talk to, someone who was in the same boat. Rikki feels no need to create illusions when the prince is around; she stopped that long ago when he finally gained some of her trust. Of course, Rikki has never really trusted anyone since the castle dungeons, but the prince is the closest thing she has to a friend - what with Shinn having disappeared on her.
[To be continued...]

Tarakina "Rikki" Bleu's Story