Shrine singer - OOC thread coming soon?  (this link to an old ooc just for reference) (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=210179.0)<br/>Character sheet located<del>here</del>(https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByGGPVyPBLXWQVBKTmY3TVRLRTg/view)<span class="bbc_u">here</span><em>(updated)</em>(https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByGGPVyPBLXWdUNxa1h4aWxWRWM/view)<br/><br/><br/><hr/><br/><div class="floatright">(http://i.imgur.com/UArq18Y.jpg)</div>It hadn't been the easiest life for young Konayama Miyuki.  She had been raised in a shrine, as an entertainer, learning the lore, the songs and the music of her people and her faith.  On her eighteenth birthday she had been initiated into the temple in a ceremony that took her maidenhead and made her a woman as well as an official shrine singer.  Her voice was pure and beautiful, her fingers lithe and graceful on her favorite instrument, the lute, her face very pleasing to the eye.  Because of this it was not long before she started to attract the attentions of the warlords of her home land, wishing to take her from the shrine to become the bride to their sons.  She knew that her shrine could not resist an effort by any of the warlords, should they decide to take her by force.  So before it could come, she packed her belongings and left her home in the shrine to become a traveling bard, a seeker of knowledge, an entertainer, one who lived by her own code and choice.<br/><br/>She was pleasing of form, with a tight butt, small high breasts, and pale smooth skin, the last of which earned her the nickname 'Milky' while she traveled.  She occasionally traded on her looks and charm, finding respite for a few nights or a week.  She saw no issue with this, as it was her choice to trade her body for comfort, and her skills as a performer for coin.  She learned and grew as a woman, and traveled, always staying on the move.  But eventually she would attract the wrong attention or one of the warlords would locate her.  Always she was one step ahead, but finally she knew she had to travel further from her home.  So she had boarded a ship setting off for the far known lands.<br/><br/>The first few days of the voyage across the ocean seemed fine, but on the fourth evening a thick grey mist arose from the sea.  The boat traveled into the mists, so thick and dense that the sailors could barely see from mid ship to bow or stern.  The ship trimmed it's sails against the wind, slowing their movement for nothing could be seen between the night's blackness and the oppressive fog that surrounded them.  The next day brought a pale wane light that barely lit the ship even though it should be bright, as even the sun's rays barely seemed able to penetrate the fog.  The ship was cloaked in oppressive dimness that caused muttering among the experienced crew.  Miyuki heard the sailors commenting on how never before had they seen a fog like this, and never a fog of substance on the high seas.<br/><div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/TQlLJCG.jpg)</div><br/>Then sometime around mid-day disaster struck.  The ship ran aground of something in a horrible crash.  A wrenching noise that tore through the ship and the ears of those aboard signaled the doom of the ship she had booked passage on.  The ship listed and sank, too fast, faster then it should as the wood of the boat cracked and splintered.  The ship tore apart as if being pulled in several directions at once.  Miyuki was no trained swimmer, but she was trim, in shape, and wise enough to know to get clear of the sinking wreckage.  The event was a blur in her mind as action and instinct took precedence over rational thought.  But by the time it was done, she found herself clinging to a long section of the mast, floating among the debris field of what was left of the ship.  There were other survivors that likewise clung to floating boxes and chunks of the ship, crying out to the gods for salvation.<br/><br/>The next few hours passed in agonizing slowness as the cries from the mist vanished slowly over time.  The sailors and crew of the ship were slipping into the black waters, never to be seen again.  With every ounce of her will, Miyuki clung to the mast of the ship, trying to stay atop it with as little of her body in the water as possible.  When she knew that she could stay awake no longer, she lashed herself to the debris, praying that she would wake again and not find her eyes opening on the afterlife.<br/><br/>When she awoke the next morning the mist had cleared.  She was still on the open ocean, the debris field around her much more scattered than previously, and she was alone.  Not a single other soul did she see.  She clung to the mast for hours as the sun crawled over head, began beating down on her.  Her mouth was parched, her body and skin caked with salt, and she wept, thinking that this was the end.  But after the sun had begun it’s descent, hope returned as she spotted sails on the horizon.  What followed was one of the slowest hours of her life, but finally a ship approached and slowed.  She screamed out and cried tears of joy as a small boat dropped from it’s side and began making it’s way towards her.<br/><br/>She found herself aboard a boat named the “Dawnchaser” and quickly stripped down out of soaked clothing and ruined leather armor and wrapped in a rough but warm blanket.  The captain of the Dawnchaser spoke to her calmly as his crew began searching the wreckage for other survivors and any salvage.  They seemed to not know any of the places or people she knew, and she wondered how far she’d drifted off course.<br/><br/>But they promised she’d be safe now, and told her of their destination.  In a few days they would make port in the reclaimed city, the city of Laelith.<br/><br/><br/><hr/><br/><div class="floatright">(http://i.imgur.com/jki1Vbg.jpg)</div><br/>The city of Laelith sat upon the water like a hunched jungle cat, taut and ready to spring.  The early summer temperatures on the continent of Mara meant that the weather had started getting quite hot.  And around Laelith, that meant damn hot.  Inside the tropical region of the world's southern hemisphere, A tropical jungle sat not far from the cities borders.  Laelith sat along the coast, the entire city being built upon a slope that rose upwards to the west, leaving the small bay at the east busy with the hustle and bustle of several ships.   Most of the ships in the port were docked and busy.  Countless men, women, and neutral warforged, or 'forged' as some of them preferred to be called, swarmed up and down the docks and over the ships.  They loaded precious gems, antiques, or cargo, bound for a return to the Faded lands and the eager buyers there who clamored for the treasures of this lost land.<br/><br/>Some small flat boats made their way west, up Laelith river.  The river wound up stream to the west, between an increasingly higher and higher set of canyon walls, taking explorers deeper into the jungle wilds beyond Laelith's small claim of civilization.  They would stop at the hilarious, and yet appropriately titled outpost at the very edge of the jungle named 'Fort Last Chance.'  The small outpost was last place for adventurers to prepare before heading out into the wilds of Mara.<br/><br/>Other boats in Laelith's docks were floating calmly anchored however, and showed no signs of moving.  At least one powerful figure made his home on such a floating pleasure palace, enjoying the benefits of the cities protection as well as the independence of a floating home.  In fact one such boat, with a semi permanent dock, was the sound of much laughter and raucousness; Big Bronau’s Boat, the title of a riverboat casino at permanent anchor.<br/><br/>Around the city sat ancient walls, older than anyone could guess, but at least a thousand years old or more.  From the south walls one could, if one had a powerful spyglass, make out on the horizon the dead grey mists that marked the borders of the faded lands.  There beyond the mists lay an entire nation, no, several nations, of relative peace and stability.  But here, on this side of the mists, where Laelith lay, sat wild jungles, a savage group of pioneers eager to make their fortunes, and find the thing in this ancient wild world that would bring them whatever it was they were seeking.<br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/iqWFmYI.jpg)</div>This world was wild, there was no doubt of that.  Magic had sometimes unforeseen consequences, and everyone who lived in Laelith for more than a few days found out about the traveler's curse.  Some warping of reality caused the world to behave... strangely... at least in this area that people had explored.  Sometimes a path would travel a relatively straight line, and yet, other times it would twist and loop about, doubling back on itself.  A traveler who didn't know their way around could get lost, quickly and easily.  While the city of Laelith had seemed to be mostly immune to such strange magics, not a week went by when a traveler, new to the city didn't complain of it taking him half a day to walk around the block to the market or some other such odd tale.<br/><br/>Since Laelith was built on a hill, the town rose upwards, and the alleys and streets did too.  Space was at a premium as it was being reclaimed from the ruins of the ancient city, and people often build upwards, higher and higher, to find the space they wanted for their shops, businesses, or homes.  But one thing was certain, Laelith was a crowded city.  With travelers who came and went constantly, it's streets were packed and often alive with the feel of life.<br/><br/>Laelith's homes were often built right into the ruined walls of the cities ancient structures.  It wasn't uncommon to see a mix of architecture either.  Dwarven squat foundations sat below sturdy houses made in a human style.  Those homes sharing an ancient wall with an elven temple, graceful and curving where the home was blocky and firm.  Often too the homes had no distinct style, as people shored up the ruins and reclaimed more and more of the city with no feel for aesthetics.  Who had time to worry what the apartment house you were living in looked like, when there was ancient riches and ruins to explore beyond the cities walls?<br/><br/>Despite the cramped nature of the city, it actually remained fairly clean.  The tropical climate meant that there was at least one rain storm once a day, sometimes lasting only minutes, other times an hour or more.  The rain constantly washed any filth and dirt down into the ancient sewers of Laelith.  Sewers that the protectors of the city swore were finally secure.<br/><br/><div class="floatright">(http://i.imgur.com/Vpa05Nk.jpg)</div>But the rain never dampened anyone for too long.  It was too hot to stay too wet for long.  The brutal summer sun baked away moisture from the surfaces it touched after too long, leaving the humid heat of a city surrounded by jungle.<br/><br/>Every type of people were present in the city of Laelith.  The red skinned, horned demon people known as teiflings.  The metal and wooden people known as the forged.  The black skinned and white haired elves known as the drow.  Squat dwarves and tall humans, cunning halflings and wily goblins.  The angelic looking eldarin who shared blood with the earthy elven people.  There were gleaming scaled men and women known as dragonborn, and the sometimes feral, sometimes sensual animal people known as shifters.   There was even the odd person who defied any of these racial groupings, but suffice it to say that all had their place in Laelith, no matter what they looked like... of course... Laelith was a city of constant change and while one might find a home there for a time, caution was advised, lest it also be your grave.<br/><br/>It was this city that was the focus of so much attention, so much strife, drama, and potential that all of the civilized eyes of the faded lands were set upon.  Since the magical border of dead land and sea that ringed the faded lands has begun to fade, the thousand years of exile of the civilized races has ended.  Explorers have struck out, most never to return.  But the ancient city of Laelith has grown and become a powerful center for trade, exploration and adventure.  It has drawn people from all walks of life from the Faded Lands for a thousand different reasons.<br/><br/>Now, Miyuki was one of those people.  She stood on the deck of the 'Dawnchaser' a two masted schooner bearing passengers and trade goods for the reclaimed city.  Sapphire waves broke across the Dawnchaser's bow as it cut westward towards the active and bustling port of Laelith.  Behind her, the deck bustled with frantic activity as people made ready to land in the city.  The day's hottest period had passed, and much of the afternoon and evening would be in front of the passengers when they'd finally made berth.  Late afternoon and evening being the most busy time for the residents of Laelith city.  The oppressive heat that blanketed the city had broken by third bell in the afternoon, and by the time they landed it would be closer to fifth bell.  The heat of the jungle climate would still cling to a person once they were off the ocean, but it would be much more bearable.<br/><br/>The captain of the Dawnchaser had told Miyuki much during the few days voyage since she had been rescued.  One of the things he mentioned was that she could find decent lodgings at the inns near the docks, though if they sought a place to call home, they might find more civilized accommodations further west, higher up in the city.  The docks were the bailiwick of the sailors and merchants that came and went every day.  He also said that after night fell, many of the sailors camped out on the dock side, and she was welcome to stay in their company if she could find no other lodgings.  Though camping out in the open air on the docks of a city, surrounded by sailors might not be the safest of choices for her.  He also suggested that she might find fantastic opportunities for profit in the dock side markets.  Or if she were looking for a guide to the city, a local who could help them for a price.  He let her know about the various guilds that ran the city, and to steer clear of deals that seemed too good to be true.  There was a temple in the northern part of town which several faiths shared, though he did not know if Teimu had many organized worshipers.  She'd heard that the adventurer's guild would be a good place to find work, and that the mages collective had an impressive library and access to old recovered knowledge, gleaned from the ruins of the old world, rife with stories and books as well.  Finally she had been told, several times in fact, that with her looks, she could easily find employment at any of the city's brothels, which there were several of.  The captain even went so far as to suggest that with her looks she might be able to name her commission rate, and not settle for a standard deal.<br/><br/>So as the Dawnchaser pulled into a slip and was roped off by active sailors, Miyuki knew that despite all that had happened so far to her.  Her turmoil in her homelands, the shipwreck, the journey to Laelith, the adventure before her had truly just begun.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">ooc</div><div class="spoiler_body">Putting this here for future reference.<br/><br/>Unfettered Code [Unfettered]  (5th ed. variant)<br/>  You live by a strict code of undress.  While this severely limits your equipment options, you gain a defense bonus because of your grace and unrestricted movement.<br/>   Benefit:  A character with this feat is more proficient at fighting while unfettered than a normal person. <br/>   Increase your dexterity score by 1, to a maximum of 20.<br/>  While your character is ‘unfettered, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus.  You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.   <br/>  These bonuses only apply while you are “Unfettered.”  Unfettered is a state that a character can be in, similar to dazed or sickened.  To be unfettered you can not wear any armor, carry a medium or heavier load, or wear almost any clothing that is constricting in any way (this last stipulation is left to GM discretion).  If you don armor, carry a medium or heavier load, or wear too much clothing, you lose your “unfettered” state.    Until you can regain your state of being unfettered you lose your AC bonus, as well as any feats that use the Unfettered Code as a prerequisite, unless specified in their description.<br/>  Any condition that would make you lose your Dexterity bonus to your Armor Class also makes you lose your armor class bonus from this feat.  Note that dodge bonuses (such as from the dodge feat and this one) do stack with each other, unlike most other types of bonuses.<br/>   Special:  A barbarian may select this feat in place of Unarmored Defense at first level.<br/>   Special:  A fighter may select this feat in place of one of the other Fighting Styles at first level<br/>   Special:  A monk may select this feat in place of Unarmored Defense at first level.</div></div><br/><br/><br/><br/>