Elekiel Elyss

Race: Wood Elf
Class: Rogue/Ranger
Role: Martial Striker

Alignment: Lawful/True Neutral
Deity: Ioun
Background: Detective

Current Sheet

 Snapshot: Loyal, logical, methodical, efficient, outside-the-box thinker, has high standards, sneaky loves her work, contemplative, both big picture and detail-oriented thinker, deliberately polite and neutral demeanor, skilled liar, rarely seen artistic flair, pragmatic realist, rarely indulged sarcastic sense of humor, observative, curious, patient, enjoys competition, likes to be challenged, highly self-aware, no desire for power and spotlight, intuitive, does not mind being a tool of someone they have her respect and give her the freedom to do things as she sees fit.

Appearance:
Elekiel stands at 5'2 tall, with a compact, muscular frame that is the consequence not only of her elven heritage but of many long years of training in a variety of dexterous and athletic activities. She has hair of a medium burgundy tone, which she usually darkens in shade with indigo, and which is usually worn cropped short in the back and longer in the front - a compromise between her aesthetic and practical sensibilities. The elf's eyes are violet and her ears, even by the standards of her race, are especially elongated. She is a bit paler than the average wood elf, a byproduct of a life spent entirely in the environs of a city.

Elekiel ordinarily dresses in a crisp, classic kind of style - whites and blacks and browns, good quality clothing freshly washed and pressed, chosen to accentuate her form in a flattering way. It it neither especially revealing nor especially concealing, though practical in having hidden pockets, allowing free movement and the like. She tends to favor unisex or men's styles, though tailored to her own shape, and sturdy boots meant for walking. When working more covertly, Elekiel will usually ditch the white and stick to darker tones.

Personality:
Elekiel is by nature a loyal, exceedingly competent subordinate. She is methodical and highly persistent when focused on a task or goal, but able to think outside of the box when more mainstream solutions don't do the trick. She has high standards for herself and those around her, and though she rarely expresses her true feelings for others, is likely to lose much respect for anyone who she sees as lazy, irresponsible or incompetant. The elf enjoys her work, both the exciting and the more mundane aspects, and has been known to get lost in it. Inside and outside of work, she is deliberately polite in her speech and demeanor, even when frustrated or upset. She can be disciplined and patient when the situation calls for it, apt to look at the big picture as opposed to merely the present moment. She is also quite logical in her thought processes - she will go very far indeed in carrying out an order that makes sense to her, but will go just as far in questioning and refusing one that, according to her own analysis, is senseless.

Elekiel lies, easily and without compunction. She will say what people want to hear, what they need to hear for her to get what she wants. Likewise she has no issue with bribery, blackmail, or any number of other nefarious activities. She has a somewhat offbeat and sarcasm-tinged sense of humor, which she indulges not infrequently. She also has a bit of an artistic flair, though in a jack of all trades way rather than any particularly impressive talent: she can sketch well enough to accurately present activities or locales she observed; she can sing decently, has an ear for music though never bothered to learn to play an instrument; and she can memorize words with ease - though the latter talent she used more often to recall overheard conversations than to recite stories or poems. She is curious by nature, wanting to know why something happened, or how things work, even when that information is not strictly necessary. She likes to gather knowledge, to hoard it, to know far more than those around her.

Though her work rarely calls for it, Elekiel likes a good fight, and always keeps her blades on her person, polished and sharpened in fine condition. She is active in general, tending towards the more acrobatic end of that spectrum. To her competition is fun, and for that reason she only engages in it with coworkers, friends, people she has some degree of trust for. True work is too important for that kind of distraction. She is ambitious, but in a particular non-linear kind of way. She loves to learn, to do things that challenge her, to earn the respect of people whose opinion she values - but she has no desire for spotlight or more overt power. She is a tool of her superiors, and knows it, and likes being a tool, provided she is given the freedom to do things her way. With the exception of a select handful of people, she cares not at all what anyone else might think of her, or say about her - her loyalties in that sense were bonded years ago, and everyone else is essentially irrelevant. With those she is closer to, she will often speak in a joking, teasing, lighthearted tone - others may merely see detached professionalism, no-nonsense competence.


Background:
Elekiel's parents, both wood elves, were merchants Shoredan who immigrated to Harmon for political and economic reasons. Elekiel was born in a bustling quarter in the center of Whitestone, one generally populated by lesser merchants and artisans and such folk. Her family tried hard to give her an education befitting her elven heritage, and Elekiel did indeed learn eagerly, but as she grew older she also drew increasingly distant from them. Her family, and the larger community of Shoredon expatriates with which they associated, had a distinctly close-minded and somewhat (ironically) xenophobic view of the world that the young girl found senseless. So she rebelled by running wild in the streets, in neighborhoods far grimmer than her own with kids whose opportunities in life were far more limited. She learned all kinds of skills one does not learn from books, and in her youthful recklessness she enjoyed the danger that came with associating with street toughs, would-be gangsters and their ilk. Eventually she almost completely stopped coming home - when she did, she lied about where she was and what she was doing, and her parents believed her because they wanted to, because she was saying what they wanted to hear and that was better than the alternatives.

Years passed, and the company she kept in the streets changed by degrees. She made acquaintances with real criminals, of the professional kind. Most notably, Elekiel once got into a fight with one Odin Vox, cousin of Onyx Vox, both of whom were about her age, in the late teens at the time. Afterwards they grew to have a mutual respect for one another, and Odin offered more than once for her to come work for his family. The elf demurred - something held her back. "I like to keep my options open," she'd said. She was known to be fast, squirrely, and good with knives.

When she was twenty, Elekiel agreed to take part in a burglary of a duke's estate - mostly for the challenge of it, because life in the darker corners of the streets just didn't excite like it used to. She was still young for an elf, and boredom led to reckless decisions. The job went badly almost from the beginning, for the duke had unexpected house guests, and thus more guards than they had been expecting. Of the group only Elekiel, able to think quickly on her feet, managed to get out without getting caught. Never again, she'd thought. Two days later she was grabbed on the street, ambushed from behind by two men operating with ruthless professionalism. She expected to be thrown throat slit into a ditch somewhere, or else in some dank prison cell. Instead she found herself brought to a tastefully decorated room, the offices of the late Lord Sabriel, Lady Marisol Boor's predecessor. The aging leader of the Order of Shadows had been one of the duke's guests and had been altogether impressed by Elekiel's performance. He was further impressed during her interrogation, for the elf's early education distinguished her from many of her peers on the streets. Potential, he said. Yes, there is potential here. He made her an offer, and this time Elekiel did not refuse.

At first she was overwhelmed by how much she was expected to learn: about history, about the city, about its notable citizens and unsavory denizens, skills she already knew and those that were new, of how to speak to various people and how to search a room without leaving a trace of your presence, and how to follow someone without being seen and so much more. Then Elekiel learned, eager to impress, eager to excel, for once she started on she took to the work like a fish to water. Unlike her previous activities, this work had meaning, purpose. Four years later she was officially given full membership in the Order, now working for Lady Marisol. Having proven her abilities, her hard work soon earned her a place as one of Marisol's most trusted and reliable subordinates, sent on tasks across the city in both its highest and lowest reaches. So she works, watches, sneaks and smiles and lies as necessary.