3. Silhouette

Silhouette


  • Character name: Silhouette
    Player name: MojoJoe

    A shadow looms over the memories of the carnage that had been wrought on her people. Pained that she was too weak to help, unable to help, the hin known as Marie Hiltold casts her sights on becoming a guardian of her people.

    Having grown up in the Hiltold family, daughter of Mara and Maero, sister of Maki the sorcerer and a few years born after she was, Mabel, she had lived a mostly peaceful life in the valley. Fenberry tea and biscuits for breakfast, studies throughout the day, and learning how to do the things most hin women learned to do, things were reasonably peaceful. She was a bit of a scamp, often sneaking out now and then to have fun with her friends, her father indulging her behavior while her mother somewhat frustrated, Marie was a fairly happy child living a normal hinnish childhood.

    Around the age of 11, the frequency of goblin attacks became more and more of a burden. She wanted to learn how to fight, but her mother refused. More and more she pushed and more and more Mara dismissed the idea, saying that the dragoons were more than enough to take care of town, and that her mother would help protect as well. Still, Marie persisted, and finally with great pain and heavy heart, her mother decided it would be best to indulge her daughter.

    Explaining the rules to Marie, Mara would engage her daughter and offer her the opportunity to grow exponentially, but only if she survived her people's initial rights of the warrior, one bestowed upon their child by normally a chief of the ghostwise tribe's leader that Mara was a part of, but with none to be found, being a daughter of the chief herself, Mara decided she would let her child endure the trial.

    It was child versus mother, and the fight would last as long as the chief felt was necessary to allow the potential warrior to qualify. The most frightening 10 minutes of perhaps both their lives at the time, Marie had absolutely no chance. Defending herself to the best of her ability, while normally subject to a spank or a slap from her mother in the past when Marie had mouthed off or done something inappropriate, today was different. Any opportunity for defense was over come, any chance to perhaps strike at her mother was met with crushing force and brutality.

    Marie, bloodied, broken, bruised, in pain, in tears, knees trembling though, never gave up… looking to her mother with anger and determination, she could see the tears on her mother's face, marred by the crimson of her own blood from the beating she took from the wooden poles they used in the trial. Finally passing out then, Mara had carried her child to the healers in tears, bringing her to be healed. Her child had never given up, pride being overshadowed by sheer dread that she may lose her first baby girl one day on some adventure.

    She explained after to her husband and other two children what had transpired, and told them that Marie was required to be brought to her tribe in the glacier for additional training. The family agreeing, they had told the valley that they'd be gone for a few tenday, taking a boat up the Icelace to the glacier to have their daughter trained. Marie was excited at the prospect as well, the beating she had received leaving not so much a scar, but a memory that she passed something her brother did not.

    Upon finding her tribe using Maki's skills in divination, nomads as they are, she explained to them that Marie had passed the trial, and communicated to the ghostwise wordlessly after to 'not go easy on her, but do not let her die to her own foolishness and inexperience up here in the north.' Marie's mother knew that asking a special favor would cause her to lose some clout with the tribe she had not visited since a few years after her first child's birth, but she also knew how headstrong Marie was, and how inexperienced she was in the ways of her people.

    After spending a few days with her tribe, being shown about, Marie was somewhat dejected to realize just how much of a hell hole she ended up in, but as much as she wanted to plead to return with her family, such a thing would cause her to lose all face and respect from both her mother and the tribe.

    With farewells dealt with, and the Hiltold family returning back to the Silver valley, little did they know that their village now lay in ruin, destroyed by goblins. With great pain and anguish, to this day, Marie's mother, father, and brother all feel a heavy burden for not being their in a time of need. Something Marie would not find out for the next five years she endured her people's teachings.

    And brutal, difficult, painful the teachings were. Marie was quick to learn and train when it came to things that involved physical prowess. When it came to things that required patience like tracking and spirituality that were fundamental principles, she seemed unable to wrap her head around it. Marie being a point of frustration, the tribe had to honor her mother and to a certain extend accommodate her behavior and adjust to it. Not a complete disgrace since she began to adapt to the social structure, even making friends with others her age and was likable, and always willing to help with things like cooking, laundry, hunting (less the tracking part and more being able to slay the animal efficiently), as well as other day to day tasks the tribe bestowed upon her, Marie thrived.

    For five years, overcoming most trials, the tribe had finally decided to bestow upon her the honor of being 'honored and revered ally to the tribe', and this was a title Marie was not happy with. She knew the reasons why, being unable to become spiritually in tune with her environment, lacking the patience to track, hunt, and meditate. Being short tempered and resentful of it, she grudgingly accepted the title. Genuinely caring for the tribe, but not caring for their way of life, she looked forward to finally returning home.

    The entire time, little did they know that Maki was watching from the guise of invisibility the entire time, having even helped slay the polar bear that had caught Marie off guard during her final trials from the shadows. An achievement Marie had been proud of to this day. Finally revealing himself as if casually visiting, Marie had asked her brother to take him home. Charming as he was, he talked to the tribe and communicated to them that Marie's presence was needed at home, in which the ghostwise tribe understood, and the two of them teleported back to the Narfell region.

    It was a heavy experience; seeing her people in the refugee camp, having been explained what had happened in their absence. The feeling of helplessness, pain, and frustration a heavy burden to bare, Marie had ho harness all the mental faculties she had available to her not to completely lose her cool and go in a rampage with her new skill set.

    The family spent some time together in the camp, eating, getting reacquainted with the people of the camp, but everything spilled over when her mother expressed her disappointment in Marie failing to achieve what she sent her daughter there for in the first place, and it was just the straw that broke the camels back.

    A fallout inevitable, Marie now set off on her own to achieve what she feels she needs to do. With her skill set and natural abilities, she decided to take the name of Silhouette, deeming that her appearance would be the last thing her enemies should see before being cut down.

    Bearing a guise of facetiousness upon performing her daily activities, her happy go lucky demeanor acts both as a disguise and a barrier to keep her pain in check, but there's always a hint of seething hatred about her in how maliciously she fights in combat, rending her enemies limb from limb with a weapon in each hand when fighting in melee until there's nothing left but a bloodied corpse; a testament to the might of one halfling who should not be trifled with.


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