Appearance

Physical Description

Small and fine-boned, Vela is a particularly delicate member of her species. Her hooves are small and quick, and though she is a little taller than the average kirin, this isn't much compared to other dragons. She's not particularly strong or hardy, but at least she's quick enough.

Body Features

Her body is covered in short, pure white fur, and the thick mane that runs down her spine is a creamier, off-white colour. Her scales and horns, once plain purple, now shift and shimmer like windows to the cosmos, flecked with glowing stars. She has scales on all four legs beneath the knee, down her back, around her eyes, and on the bridge of her nose. She has a long, broad, reptilian tail and small cloven hooves. A single curved horn rises from her brow, along with a pair of small blank antlers above two large, expressive ears.

Facial Features

Vela's face is slim and fine, with a slender, almost pointed muzzle. Her bright pink eyes are particularly large, and appear even larger with their lining of star-flecked scales. She smiles a lot. The fur on her face is especially soft and downy, and shorter than on the rest of her body.

Identifying Characteristics

Nothing is more noticeable about Vela than her starry scales and horn. Their colour always seems to be moving, shifting between shades of purple, pink and blue, and the stars appear to twinkle in dim light. This has led some to believe she is blessed by Varah herself.

Apparel & Accessories

Vela wears a rope necklace with a silver pendant that depicts Varah's religious symbol: a crescent moon turned on its side, and four 8-pointed stars. She never takes it off.
 
She also wears a golden ring on the tip of her horn, embedded with a large oval gem that appears to be flecked with stars, much like her scales.
 
On the end of her tail is strapped a single Starknife, Varah's favoured weapon, though she very rarely uses it.
 
She carries the rest of her items in a pair of satchels that strap around her torso and rest upon her withers.

Special abilities

Vela is full of strange magic gifted to her by Varah. As a cleric she is most skilled with healing spells, of which she prepares and uses many, though she also dabbles in offensive spells that most commonly appear as weaponised starlight or moonlight.
 
She is capable of making her entire body glow with white light, essentially turning herself into a living lantern. She can start or stop glowing with a mere thought.
 
As a kirin, she also has a kind of innate primal magic. Hers manifests as electricity, though she is less inclined to use it than her cleric magic.

Mentality

Personal history

A hooved kirin born on the island of Acora, Vela grew up surrounded by her close family: her parents, her uncle, and her older cousin Cirius. They were nomadic, and travelled far and wide across the island, sometimes staying in cities and more often living out in wild nature. They wanted for little and told stories by starlight. It was a peaceful, idyllic existence.
 
It did not last. In the wake of a great tragedy, fifteen-year-old Vela awoke on the shore alone and fundamentally changed. Glowing with starlight and full of a strange new magic, she had become a cleric of Varah with a single clear purpose: to find the Grey and destroy it.
 
She set out to do so, first in Acora and, when her search for information proved fruitless, later in Lasthold. She headed to Farmoor, where she stayed some months in the great city before, growing restless, she bought a ticket for the Iron Rail and headed east towards Colchester.
 
This turned out to be a fortuitous decision, as it led her straight towards the Grey, and the most promising lead she had yet discovered...

Education

Vela never had a formal education. As her family was always on the move, she was never sent to school and was instead taught everything she knows through experience and stories told by her parents and uncle. Though not particularly intelligent or well-read, she's skilled at gathering information and knows a lot about nature and surviving in the wilderness, as half her childhood was spent in this manner. She's always open to learning new things through word of mouth and loves nothing more than talking to strangers and hearing their stories.

Employment

Vela's family rarely held long-term employment. As they moved around so much, they would pick up odd jobs from the cities and towns they passed through, though as they were used to living wild they rarely needed money to support themselves. When Vela was old enough she joined her parents in these odd occasional jobs, though none of them ever really stuck with her.
 
These days, Vela often finds employment wherever she goes as a travelling healer, though adventuring has recently begun to overtake that as her main source of income.

Accomplishments & Achievements

• Became a cleric of Varah


• Became a talented and effective healer


• Travelled to Lasthold


• Gathered an unexpected adventuring party to help her combat the Grey


• Saved a wizard in a spooky ruin place, stopped a necromancer from destroying a town, helped a struggling mother who thought her only option was thievery... Helped a lot of people!


• Found a promising lead about something that might stop or at least resist the Grey


• Made friends with a nice shy drake and a cute butterfly dragon familiar (we're friends, right?)


• Might make friends with a grumpy dragonet.....?


• Talked to a tree once!

Failures & Embarrassments

• Lost everything..... but let's not talk about that


• Couldn't save a poor tatzel father from the Grey...


• Still not very good with offensive spells


• Can't figure out how to help Cas :(

Mental Trauma

Once an optimistic, happy-go-lucky child, Vela was changed irreversibly in more ways than one by the event of almost two years ago. She now has a crippling fear of the ocean and other sources of deep water, a phobia she struggles to overcome.
 
In the roughly six months after the event, Vela went through such a period of grief and distress that she hardly sees the kirin of those days as herself. She was desperate, aggressive and depressed, and her approach to gathering information and warning people about the Grey more often than not drove people away from her. She has since pulled herself out of this deep shadow, but some part of it still lingers inside her, pushed down and hidden away...

Intellectual Characteristics

Vela isn't book smart and doesn't particularly care for traditional study, but she is socially adept and quickly picks up on things she learns from the people around her. She's not hugely fond of reading and prefers to learn by experience.

Morality & Philosophy

Vela believes everyone deserves kindness and a chance to do good (maybe even a second chance. Or a third chance). She will go out of her way to help people in need, even if doing so might bend the law a little. As long as she deems someone deserving of help (which doesn't take a whole lot for her) she'll do just about anything to help.
 
Even when faced with danger, Vela is more likely to attempt diplomacy than violence. When forced to fight, she will rarely strike to kill, and in the event someone is fatally injured in front of her she will not leave them to die, regardless of what they did to her.

person.sexuality

Vela is bi, but she isn't focused on finding any kind of romantic relationship. Her life belongs to Varah and she is fully devoted to her goal. There is no room in her existence for romance.

Taboos

Though Vela is deeply devoted to worship of Varah, she accepts everyone's beliefs and wants people to worship whoever and however they please. She deeply dislikes the idea of pushing religion upon others and believes they deserve to decide for themselves.
 
She is also greatly offended by any kind of slander against her god, especially if it implies anything unsavory about Varah.

Known Languages

Common, Kyrith, Celestial

Personality

Motivation

Driven by devotion to Varah and the need to drive the Grey from Lasthold and Acora and even the whole world, Vela will stop at nothing to achieve her goal. Her reasons are both personal and spiritual, and if anyone asks she will only answer that her life belongs to Varah, and Varah wills it of her.
 
Haunted still by her own past, Vela is motivated to help and heal others by the need to spare anyone else the pain and despair she has gone through. She is particularly drawn to those who remind her of herself as she once was, in those dark days after she lost everything... She would do anything to help someone out of that, recalling how difficult it was to draw herself from that darkness with no one to help her.

Quotes & Catchphrases

• "Everyone deserves a little kindness."


• "There is always someone who is willing to help."


• "Varah, help us..."


• "Hey, Slate, wanna race?"


• "I have always loved the stars, ever since I was very small."


• "I'm sorry you got dragged into this because of me. You didn't have to do this. But, for what it's worth, I'm glad you're here."


• "...To find the Grey. To destroy it."

Likes & Dislikes

Likes:

• The stars and the night sky


• Talking to people


• Helping people


• Making friends


• Being in nature

• Pollution (especially when it chokes the sky)


• The suffering of others


• Cruelty to others


• Negativity


• The Grey (wow who'd have guessed)


• The ocean and deep water


• Upsetting people

Virtues & Personality perks

• Always willing to help others


• Not judgmental


• Optimistic and hopeful


• Always tries to spread positivity


• Friendly, open and talkative


• Understanding


• Determined and driven


• Energetic


• A leader

Vices & Personality flaws

• Bottles up her feelings


• Can become aggressive when tested


• Can be pushy and controlling


• Impatient and restless when doing nothing


• Tries too hard

Social

Birthplace

Mirorvale, Acora

Contacts & Relations

Travelling Companions (aka future friends hopefully)
 
Kadoren: Vela still feels somewhat guilty about dragging this sweet shy drake into her dangerous quest. If she hadn't sat next to him on the train he probably wouldn't have gotten caught up in it all. But she's very grateful that he chose to follow and help because he's strong, dependable and kind and she enjoys his company, even if he doesn't speak much. She feels safer with him around and she's very glad he's there. She hopes they can become good friends, but she can tell he's a bit shy and nervous around people and she doesn't want to push him.
 
Cas: This grumpy, unfriendly dragonet has thrown Vela for a bit of a loop. She has encountered such negativity before, but she's usually been able to soften it with careful kindness and unfaltering optimism. But Cas doesn't seem to want anything to do with her, no matter what she does. It didn't help that her strange, Grey-like powers startled Vela so much at first that she couldn't keep herself from snapping, and that seems to have alienated Cas even more. She doesn't hold anything against Cas for these powers now, but she's not sure Cas would believe that even if she told her. And right now, it seems like she just wants to be left alone... Vela desperately wants to help her, though for the moment she isn't sure how and is just trying to be friendly and unobtrusive. Maybe Cas will warm up to her eventually...?
 
Slate: Cas's little butterfly dragon familiar is entirely her opposite, and Vela finds him very easy to get along with. She thinks he's adorable and very pretty, and she likes his optimism and enthusiasm. He does tend to mouth off a little, though, and Vela has a feeling that has something to do with Cas rubbing off on him. She can tell he's worried about Cas and wishes she could help them both, but doesn't want to intrude where she's not welcome.
 
 
Other Allies
 
Kale: Vela thought this flustered, scatterbrained dragonet wizard was both endearing and helpful, and she's glad they have someone smart like him who can help them research further into the Grey. With his help, maybe finding a way to stop it is possible...
 
Thean Lokore: This strange skeletal dragon makes Vela very curious. She has never heard of someone surviving the Grey before, if this can be called 'surviving'... Very curious indeed... She's not sure if they can trust him, but he seems to know more than anyone about the Grey, so she's willing to for now. She wonders what he knows about her and her companions, especially Cas, seeing as he somehow knew her name without being told.
 
Mr. Tree: A huge talking tree they met on the outskirts of Colchester. Vela didn't know trees could talk and found him most enrapturing. He was very kind and helpful and she hopes they might meet again. A very old tree like him might have all sorts of stories to tell.

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Vela gave herself the name Fallenstar the day she awoke alone on the shore, full of Varah's magic and branded with starlight. She considers it a mark of her devotion to the goddess of the night.

Wealth & Financial state

Vela has never had a huge amount of money. She's used to roughing it in the wilds and not needing to buy anything, so it hasn't bothered her much. More recently, offering her healing services and taking on adventuring jobs have started paying more, though. Now she can afford staying in inns more, but she's not sure she prefers that than staying outdoors.

Family Ties

Vela once lived with a small close family group that included her parents, her uncle (her father's brother), and her older cousin Cirius. She was close to all of them, especially Cirius, but they are long gone now and she will not speak of them. She is alone, without ties to anyone.

Religious Views

Vela has been a follower of Varah all her life. As a child, her parents told her stories about the lost history of the kirin race, and they believed that kirin were stars pulled from the heavens by Varah and sent down to live as mortals on the material plane. Vela believed this for all her childhood and loved Varah's night sky above anything else. They prayed to Varah often, and in her darkest of times, Vela prayed the hardest.
 
Her prayer was heard, she became a cleric of Varah, and ever since Vela has followed the goddess of the night with unwavering devotion. She will hear no slander against Varah's name and believes Varah loves all mortals equally, whether they worship her or not. At night she will often whisper prayers to Varah and ask her guidance.
 
Though it is Varah she is most devoted to, Vela does not hold her above the other gods. It is her own personal choice to devote herself to the goddess of night, and she holds nothing against those who worship otherwise.

Social Aptitude

Vela is nothing if not a social butterfly. She loves to talk to people and will easily and happily approach strangers in almost any situation. She is not shy about speaking her mind or sharing stories with people she doesn't know, and one of her favourite things is hearing tales from strangers from far away. She is good at reading people and can often tell when someone is shy or uncomfortable, and will take it upon herself to take charge when others are uncertain. She doesn't mind speaking for others if they can't do it themselves, and she's usually good at telling what someone needs. She makes friends easily.
 
Constant negativity does bring her down, however, and she will distance herself if pushed too far. She's very good at hiding bad feelings and somehow always has a smile on her face. Well, almost always. Some things do bring out the aggression she usually tries to keep hidden...
 
When faced with particularly unpleasant feelings and unable to hide them any longer, Vela will up and vanish to go vent where no one will notice. The last thing she wants is to bother others with her unpleasantries.

Mannerisms

Vela finds it hard to stay in one place for too long. She grows restless after very long, especially in cities, and needs to keep moving to keep herself happy. She doesn't like to dawdle and will commonly lead the way when with others. Ask her for a race and she'll always accept.
 
She picked up a small harp not long ago, to give herself something to do when sitting still for a long time, but she's not particularly good at playing it yet. She fiddles with it when stressed, sad or feeling impatient.
 
She has a tendency to ramble if you let her talk too much.