Blithe Lark Spirit

    Certainly an eye-catching young lady, this blonde beauty stands around five feet eight inches, with a lithe build not lacking feminine curves in all the right places. The young woman, for she must be around twenty, would be drawing glances even if she wasn't also for her highly unusual features, most notably the bird-like wings that sprout from her back, raising over her shoulders several inches and long enough to reach her ankles even folded. Fully extended they must spawn nearly twenty feet. The feathers are bright white, turning pale blue at the outer tip of the feathers. Her eyes are also remarkable, a very pale and eerie bright blue-gray. The young woman's light golden hair is cut short, barely falling past her chin, the bangs midway her forehead, framing they girl's flawlessly symmetrical features, with delicate cheekbones, a small straight nose and full, rosy lips.

     She is wearing comfortable, practical clothes, which nevertheless manage to flatter her slender figure. A red suede bodice covers her torso, laced at the front and held in place by spaghetti strands around her shoulders, designed to leave most of her back bared to avoid restraining her wings. Her arms are also bared from the shoulder to elbow, but she is wearing thin, fingerless gloves that seem to meld with the gold bracers covering her forearms, those decorated with intricate abstracts designs. The winged woman's long legs are clad in light brown cotton pants, which vanish into the ankle-high leather boots.

Lark appeared in Nexus around 768 RY, and although she often traveled through the Scavenging lands, often as far as to the Rock River basin, she was most often found singing and dancing in some of Cinnibar or Nexus district inns. Somewhat famous because of the wings growing from her back and her exotic beauty, the rumor was she is a dragon-blooded, and that despite her appearance and friendly disposition, she is a deadly martial artist with some supernatural abilities. Very few in the Age of Sorrows are able to identify her for what she is: a member of the supposedly long extinct People of the Air. Even less people knew she is one of the Hidden Suns, the night caste of the Chosen of the Sun.

Update: August 23, 2008

After some wandering across the Hundred Kingdoms, Lark meet and befriended several other solars, and formed a perfect circle with them late in Descendent Fire RY 768. The circle’s formation made her move her base of operations from Nexus to Tajome. Soon, the ‘Circle of Tajome’ had to face several treats, including insane death knights and vengeful immaculate monks.

After some misadventures, lark was able to convince the other solars to help her return Sezakan, where she was declared being the foretold savior and ruler of the People of the Air and promptly crowned queen, much to her surprise and consternation. Fortunately, her solar circlemates managed to solve many of the Sezakanian problems during their visit, making the prophecy mostly true almost by accident.

Realizing the People of the Air was trapped in a bubble city at the edge of the world; Lark took a bold decision, leading an expedition of winged folks to the East, to found a new city.

Update: December 25, 2008

Upon returning the East Lark found herself responsible of leading a large group of settlers of the People of the Air. With the help of her Sidereal contacts she found and took over the abandoned Blackruby manse, and around the manse the settlers began the construction of the City of Resplandent Dawn, more commonly know as Eagle Hill in Rivertongue.

Unfortunately, on a personal level she also faced tragedy and distrust. Her circlemate Minus the Bear was killed by the Dynast Cathak Zuriel, an event that has made Lark swear vengeance on Zuriel and the Immaculate Order. Minus' death also seem to have lead to the dissolution of the "Circle of Tajome", as Talia semi-retired to defend Tajome and Orduin and Alseia have come to distrust Lark because of her contacts with the Sidereals. Lark eventually met Minus' new reincarnation, Philokrates of Greatforks, but she is haunted by her memories of Minus and hesitant at befriending Philokrates.

Lark was in the great meeting of celestial exalts, but she participated little in the discussion, doing her best to appear like a silly, bored blonde. She resolved to help the war against Thorns on her own terms, and not Zera's, from which she has heard horrifying stories. But her attempt to kill Mask of Winter's right hand (the Abyssal Typhon) wasn't successful, although she managed to lay the blame in the Immaculate Order.

During the meeting of the celestials, she also met her Lunar Mate, the 'musician' lion-man Roaring Sonata. After a few encounters the pair have become close friends and allies, and Sonata has gained her gratitude with his selfless aid to the people of Eagle Hill. Although Lark was originally freaked out by the concept of being mated to someone, the young woman feels a very strong attraction towards the changing moon lunar. 

Update: March 7th, 2009

Lark joined the effort to defeat the Mask of Winters during the assault on Thorns, and although she feigned to be mostly useless, she managed to provide accurate recon reports to the allies army and to convince Lookshy officers to place large group of dragon-blood warriors within Orduin's army. Those dragon-blooded later helped to keep Mask's deathknighs away from their master, ensuring the celestials would face him alone.

After Thorns was taken, Lark used charms and raw charisma to keep the peace in the city, trying to prevent an uprising against the Lookshy troops (traditional enemies of Thorns) and to convince the citizens to reject the "protection" of the Realm.

Meanwhile in Eagle Hill, Lark's diplomatic advances with the neighbouring regions led her to a nasty clash with Emperor Darius of Vir Sidus. Lark unveiled a conspiracy against him, but not before he killed hundreds of people in the Barony. As consequence she does not like him much now. Ultimately a treaty was signed by the rulers of the Barony and the People of the Air, the Barony will supply Eagle Hill with some raw materials in exchange for technomagic and geomantic advice with their manses and demesnes.

Better result had the advances towards the Snakemen beastmen in the region. Lark found them be peaceful and intelligent beings, although somewhat primitive, and also found out there are many Dragon-Blooded among their numbers. Eagle Hill agreed to help them improve their living conditions, and the People of the Air Dragon-Blooded will teach sorcery to those snakemen Dragon-Blooded with talent for the occult arts. They will also help each other against the Arczeckh barbarians.

The dealings with the Arczeckh have been generally violent. But Lark found some tribes follow a solar Arczeckh. A woman called Spirit-Eater that behaves very differently than the other Arczeckh.

After the war Lark closed ties with several other celestials of similar mindset. Including Philokrates of Greatforks, who is Minus' reincarnation (and she helped him recover his father's hands). And Unfolding Lily, which revealed to be Zera's real self, much to Lark's surprise. They, alongside Scipeo of Nexus and Roaring Sonata, are planning to try to change the world for the better through more peaceful means than war and violence.

Goals and projects, Feb/March 2009

Lark is pretty busy.

She is trying to keep the situation in Thorns stable, keeping the Realm out, the ghosts civil, the living peaceful and the Lookshy troops nice.

She is looking for the Silent Peaks Hekatonchire. Such monster needs to be watched.

She is being the queen of Eagle Hill, although she tries to do little more than cheerleading there, letting the Solar Council rule.

She is going to try to turn the CDL into something more than just a military alliance, reintroduce concepts and laws from the First Age that have been forgotten and try to raise the culture and moral of the East (she is letting Orduin to handle the science part). Fort this, she hopes to have the help of other celestial exalted.

Update: June 19th, 2009

Many of Lark's projects were left aside when her circlemate, Talia of Tajome, was murdered by dragon-blooded, her last words before sliding into Lethe being request to Lark to avenge her. Lark asked for help to severalother celestials, and went as far as to master celestial circle sorcery (at a steep cost for her soul) to track down the killer. Finally, blessed by sederal astrology and with the mighty Lunar Fudou (who had been Talia's lover) to watch her back she dared a trip to the Imperial City in the Blessed Island, and killed Peleps Maruko inside the very Imperial Palace.

Now she is back to the East, trying to catch up with events.

Update: October 31st, 2009

On the wake of the Infernal attack on Nexus, Lark was charged by her allies to find out about this new kind of Exalt. She went to Yu-Shan to talk with Lytek, she tracked numerous witnesses of the actions of the Infernals (up and including the Emissary) and finally got to talk with one of them, Amat, which naively told Lark most of what she needed to know.

Along the way she helped Augustus Maro to crush an infernal cult in Nexus, which also revealed there are more cults. The Emissary does not care. Gah!

Now her Yu-Shan friends owe her a favor, which it is going to come handy, as she has decided to go ahead with her old plans and try to unify the quarreling Hundred Kingdoms. Numerous other celestials exalts seem to want to help, which makes her a happy rogue. The first moves have been quite successful. People is talking of peace, alliance and fairer laws. All she needs now is convince them to go ahead and beyond empty words.

Tropes

The Action Girl: Lark is, yes, your typical spunky martial artist/ninja. Also an Extraordinarily Empowered Girl.

Loveable Rogue: Lark always means well, but her methods aren't always as honorable and heroic as they should be. We can blame that to the Sidereals that raised her, yes?

Plucky Girl: Yes, kill the boy she really liked, force her to murder a whole village, tell her she is a traitor because she has Sidereal friends, kill hundreds because she was busy for a few hours. She will be depressed a day or two and then be back to happy and bouncy. At least she -pretends- she is fine really well.

Good Bad Girl: Hey, I just want to have some fun, and the East is matriarchal, yes?

Not quite the Dumb Blonde, more of an Obfuscating Stupidity type girl. Lark's blondeness is not so much as an act designed to deceive but a reflection of what she really would like to be: A carefree winged Valley Girl.

Alright, perhaps it is a bit of an act. It is good to be regarded as an Rich Idiot With No Day Job when one is a hunted woman. She does most of her job at night, anyway. Dumb Blonde works as a Secret Identity.

Favored Backgrounds:   

Influence: 1, 2, 3 and 4 favored with Taboo-Inflicting Diatribe, Second Socialize Excellency, Socialize Essence Flow and Mastery Of Small Manners.

Followers: 1, 2, 3 and 4 favored with the Second Presence Excellency, Heart-Compelling Method, Second Performance Excellency and Phantom-Conjuring Performance.

Virtue Flaw: Giving Up (Compassion)

Frustrated by the mistrust and scorn of those she cares for, Lark turns her back to the world and her first priority becomes her own pleasure. The young woman becomes an irresponsible hedonist with little regards for the feelings or needs of others, and abandons her projects and duties without looking back. She will spend all her time carousing, partying and doing what she most likes to do, which usually involves dancing and handsome men. Ironically during limit break she behaves very much how she feigns to behave at most times, making very difficult to notice she has trully lost control of herself.

Partial Control: Lark will still fulfill her obligations and can even be talked into helping in new projects, but she will show little initiative, drive or planning capabilities for anything that is not pleasurable to her.

Duration: One full day at least, often several.

Limit Break Condition: When people that she is trying to help or she cares about berates her, or shows distrusts, fear or hatred for her, Lark gains limit.