(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/b/b3/Avatar_Lori_Brighteyes.jpg)<br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">Lori Brighteyes</span></span>(played by TKtheExiled)<br/>Female Elf Wizard 1<br/><br/>When the wooden fetish made its way into Lori's hands, the elven woman found herself at a loss. On the one hand, she was ecstatic to be here, and she'd already learned a fair amount; but on the other, how was a greenling like herself supposed to talk to all these women who had traveled so far and seen so much?<br/><br/><em>Remember, it takes all sorts...</em><br/><br/>The thought was enough to stand her up, but it did nothing for the sudden, overwhelming sense of self-consciousness that had taken hold of her heart. As she looked around, she saw women who were slender and tanned from lives of travel and experience; but she stood before them with skin as pale as moonlight, and the thickness of 125 comfortable years around her bones. Though the humans would more likely see her as a young lady of about twenty...<br/><br/><strong>"I, ah..." </strong>The elven woman immediately felt the weight of everyone's eyes on her, and her tongue flicked out to dance across her pale pink lips. It was a surprisingly good feeling, to be watched like this; but it was also terrifying. Part of her wanted to just sit back down, and let someone else tell their tale first; but if she did that, she'd likely be asked to leave. So, after brushing a lock of sea-green hair off of her cheek, the elf continued.<strong> "I am called Lori Brighteyes. And I am here... well, because the Goddess called me." </strong><br/><br/>The statement seemed arrogant to Lori's own ears, and she felt her cheeks starting to flare up; but she reminded herself that confidence was a necessary component for deception, and she'd never be able to progress if she wasn't even confident enough to tell truths. So, rather than backing down, the elven woman reached into her top and pulled out her "proof": an amber medallion with a yellow-jacket wasp at its heart. A trinket to most, but to her the little amulet was her most important "proof" of her claims.<br/><br/><strong>"I have spent the last sixty years studying under the arcane masters in Kyonin, and worshiping the Savored Sting as my mother and her mother before me. The goddess teaches us to enchant and enthrall... but also to deceive. And while my tongue may not be as glib as some of Her followers, I have found my own...gifts... in the latter domain."</strong><br/><br/>To illustrate her point, the elven woman closed her eyes and drew upon her bond with the amulet to conjure a silent doppelganger of herself, which stood beside her and provided her a perfect mirror as she continued to tell her 'tale.' If she did it right, the clone should have appeared real to anyone who wasn't directly interacting with it...<br/><br/><strong>"But I couldn't find any teachers in the Green Forest who could help me truly harness the Goddess' gifts. And I couldn't seem to forge a true bond; no familiar called to me, and I just couldn't resonate with any of the tools my masters kept on hand. But then a merchant came into the forest with this pendant in his wares, and told me he'd gotten it here in Absalom."</strong><br/><br/>Both the woman and her doppelganger shrugged, as if any other details of her tale didn't matter from that point.<br/><br/><strong>"So I bought it, and came to a decision. If the arcanists could not help me to pursue my goals, I would approach the Goddess' devout for aid. I come to the temple in hopes of furthering my studies into the magic of Trickery and Deception..."</strong><br/><br/>As she fell silent, the elven woman scanned the faces of the women around her once more; for some reason, she just had to know. Did she intrigue them with her display? Were they unimpressed? Or did she actually alienate people by calling upon arcane powers in the face of the divine? She wanted to know... but saw nothing. So, with another sheepish smile, the elf moved to hand the totem off to the next woman in line...<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Lori found that she feels compelled to "prove herself" to her companions, and she found herself wastefully expending spells just to show that she could. She explained that she has come to the temple in order to improve her skills as an illusionist, since she could not seem to thrive under traditional arcane tutelage.