Appearance

Physical Description

A life of confinement and torment has left Kell's true form stunted and bent, with undeveloped muscles and awkwardly protruding bones. This disfigurement means she relies heavily on her ability to shapeshift to accomplish physically demanding tasks.

Kell's frame bears the marks of a monstrous heritage; the long, claw-tipped limbs and sharp teeth of the face-eating doppelgängers, her people’s close cousins. These features are what made her so attractive to her first captor—she was a novelty, a predator kept in a cage like so many others were, with no regard for her comfort or health. So despite her body's naturally capable build, she remains a weak and frail example of her race.

Body Features

As a shapeshifter, Kell has a much higher than average ability to control her appearance. Outside of her true, monstrous form, she can appear as nearly anything she wants to—to a degree, at least. Her disguise abilities become less and less convincing the more dramatically she alters her size.

The exception to this ability is her animal transformations. As a humanoid, she can hide everything about her natural form, from her weight to her colouration to her scars and beyond. As a beast—particularily a mammalian one— all of those permanent marks still show. Lichtenberg figures mark her forelimbs, her ribs and spine still show, and when the weather changes her left shin aches. Though she may rearrange her body, she does not completely rebuild it; and as such, the marks of her life show through.

Facial Features

Kell's face has a strange smoothness to it, leaving her appearing to have only the most basic of facial structures. Her eyes are round and nearly lidless, her brows smooth, her nose small. Her mouth is a lipless blank line that conceals her sharp teeth. All in all, her face resembles that of a mannequin more than a person.

The most characteristic feature she maintains is the smattering of gilt-like golden freckles—the shimmering flecks of colour are as much of an identifier as her name is. They are her calling card; whatever form Kell takes, if it is her own she will bear these beautiful markings.

Identifying Characteristics

Aside from her characteristic golden freckles, Kell bears permanent scars on her forearms from the null cuffs she was kept in during her captivity in Destov. Her malformed skeleton also gives her away, should she ever be spotted in her true form.

Apparel & Accessories

Kell has little preference when it comes to clothing; she will wear whatever best suits her situation. Recently, this has meant wearing armour over warm clothes for her own safety. Despite her lack of fashion preference, there is one accessory the always keeps on her: a small statuette of an antlered bird monster attached to a leather thong. She usually wears it around her neck so that it can be hidden in her shirt, but in rough conditions she'll wrap it around her wrist or arm so that she can protect it better.

Special abilities

Kell is a true shapeshifter. She can change her face and form at will, and can even mimic other people she has seen and observed. Aside from adopting masks, however, she can also take on the form of most beasts she has seen—a skill that serves her well, given the weakened state of her humanoid form.

Mentality

Personal history

Kell was raised on the streets by her parent for most of her childhood. She was left alone for many hours on end for her own safety, so she spent her time building connections with animals—even learned to take their forms eventually. Unfortunately, her parent was discovered and executed when she was only twelve years old, forcing Kell to flee to safety.

During her fearful flight, Kell was struck down and captured by a collector of strange and marvellous creatures as a gift for his daughter. She spent most of the next decade trapped in an increasingly too-small enchanted cage, leading to her eventual disfigurement. When not in the cage, she was kept on a psychological leash and used as a doll to be dressed up, or an obedient pet to be flaunted before others. Her spirit was nearly extinguished over those years in captivity; the only thing that kept her going was the calm companionship of a couple of her fellow captives—a cat-fey Phooka, and an uncanny peryton who refused to accept her fate even after many years of captivity.

Eventually, the Phooka and peryton managed to stage an escape, during which the other captive creatures were freed. The peryton carried Kell to the relative safety of the sea before abandoning her. Left to fend for herself, Kell eventually managed to make her way to the main island of Rompund, then to the mainland from there.

Lost and afraid, unsure of how to survive on her own after so long in chains, Kell once again took to the streets. Hiding in the shadows of the gutters and running along rooftops, she kept herself fed by running errands and deliveries for a shady ratfolk doctor named Himik, who often treated the people of the slums. She lived in a state of constant fear: fear that she might be found as her parent was, fear that she might mess up and be shunned from Himik's service and left to starve, fear that someone from Rompund might be hunting her down in secret—and worst of all, fear that her friends may have been recaptured after their escape.

Eventually, one of her fears came true. A mercenary group notorious for hunting monsters and aberrations began poking around the corners of the city, and Kell knew it was time for her to leave. Unfortunately, her niche skill set and lack of experience or education left her with little choice but to find a patron—and find one she did, in the form of a pirate captain who preferred anonymity to notoriety, and who was more than happy to employ Kell as a face for her operation. The two eventually became friends, with the captain teaching Kell about many of the things she had missed out on earlier in her life. In turn, Kell handled all of her dealings, donning a new mask each time, and in doing so kept her captain safe.

After a year and a half of sailing together, the captain charted a course that would take them off the coast of Rompund. Morbidly curious, Kell made her first and only request of the captain: let her have a day to explore a specific island. Though time was tight, her request was granted—after all, the captain understood how much freedom meant to her ward, and as this was the first personal request she had made, there was no question that it would be done.

Kell's exploration of the island revealed an unsettling discovery: the mercenaries were here before her, and had captured a familiar winged figure. Despite being trapped, the peryton was too vicious for them to get close enough to kill her: and, it seemed, had value beyond her antlers and pelt. Kell watched as several mages shrank and condensed her fearsome saviour down, down down until all that remained was a tiny statue of herself.

Kell was determined to free the peryton from her new captivity, so that evening she snuck in to the mage's tent as a small rat and stole the statuette away. Unfortunately, she was spotted transforming as she fled, and the mercenaries gave chase. By the time she made it back to her home ship, she knew that her time was up and it was time to move on. She didn’t want her crew to get hurt on her account. And besides: she needed to find someone who could undo the enchantment on the peryton.

When they arrived at port a few days later, Kell wished her friends well and fled into the city. To protect her friends from continued pursuit, she allowed herself to be spotted changing her mask before fleeing the area. Now with danger hot on her tail, she took fully to her first true home: the expanses of wilderness that suited only beasts and monsters.

she spent months without seeing another person. She lived as a beast as much as she could, but as she could only hold her forms for a little while she was unable to commit fully. Wary of potential pursuit even across as much land as she had covered, she pushed north into more hostile territory. Unbeknownst to her, the Destovian border was much more heavily controlled than she had anticipated, and after a desperate three day chase and a fight that left her exhausted and bleeding, Kell was taken captive by the military and put to use as a slave—no longer a pet, but a beast of burden.

New captors, and new slaves. Her years of freedom had not erased the survival tactics she had branded in her psyche; lower your head and do as asked, no matter how broken you are. She understood that there was no escape for her—not if she wanted to keep the peryton secret.

It seemed, however, that history would repeat itself again. One of her fellow captives bore a familiar expression when she thought no one would notice; the look of someone biding their time, waiting for an event that no one else knew was coming. So Kell stayed close to Ezra—if anything was going to happen, she wanted to be there. It was the best chance she and the peryton had of being free again.

Education

Kell was never given a formal education. Her parent taught her how to utilize her abilities, the animals she grew up with taught her how to become like them, she learned manipulation from the nobility that held her captive, and she learned practical knowledge of the world from Himik and the Captain.

Mental Trauma

Kell has been through a lot in her lifetime. Her time in captivity has left deep scars on her mind, which she is trying her best to repair.

One such scar is the lingering reflex to obey any direct commands immediately. Years of ingrained conditioning are hard to erase. This response could prove dangerous to her, as she is in fact more inclined to obey people she fears than those she likes, leaving her vulnerable in her enemies hands.

A direct consequence of this, and of other experiences in her life, is a host of deep-seared trust issues. Much of her life was built on lies and manipulation, and the few parts that weren’t were the most painful of all. She has a hard time believing that people can be genuine, no matter how sincere they might seem. She expects the people in her life to hurt her as soon as they no longer need her, so she tries to protect herself by being prepared to flee at the drop of a hat, and keeping her heart locked securely away. Her own feelings are very hard to access, even to her.

Intellectual Characteristics

Kell is clever, but not especially intellectually gifted. She doesn’t enjoy puzzles or games meant to confuse the mind or promote alternate thought patterns. She doesn’t find joy in mental stimulation. She prefers to keep her attention turned outwards—she learns from her environment, and absorbs what she learns without difficulty. Given time, she could be taught nearly anything.

Morality & Philosophy

Her time in captivity has left Kell wit a rather stark moral code. Though her freedom is always her first priority and she will behave selfishly to maintain it, she has a pesky altruistic streak that drives her to help others too. And when it comes to seeing others in captivity, she will do whatever it takes to at least give them an opportunity for freedom—as long as it doesn’t put hers in jeopardy.

Personality

Motivation

Kell's foremost motivation is her freedom, which she recognizes can’t be maintained without some measure of security. She will do anything to achieve her goals, though she has an altruistic streak that causes her some trouble at times.

Savvies & Ineptitudes

Kell is an expert at deception and manipulation. She can easily take on the mannerisms of other people, and combined with her ability to change her appearance she can fool anyone into believing she is anything.

This all falls apart when she feels threatened, however, as her self preservation instinct takes over and she falls back into a deeply submissive headspace that forces her into blind obedience.

Likes & Dislikes

Kell enjoys freedom, and to her there is nothing that embodies that concept as much as the untamed wilds. Be it the forest, the steppe or the sea, she is at her happiest when she can live at peace with herself and the world unbothered by people who resent her existence.

After so much time spent living at the whims of others, Kell abhors being touched. As an animal, she may occasionally allow herself to be petted when trust has been built up, but in humanoid form she has next to no tolerance for physical contact—or, for that matter, physical proximity. She always stays just out of arms reach.

Virtues & Personality perks

Kell has a naturally kind heart. She wishes she didn’t at times, as it can get in the way of self preservation, but she feels guilty when she sees others suffering regardless of if she can help them or not. She also reviles captivity in any form, and will go out of her way to break any chains she discovers.

Vices & Personality flaws

Altruistic as she may be, Kell is also a selfish creature who survives by lying. She has a certain lack of social empathy, and will manipulate and deceive even the people she cares about to ensure her safety or acquire something that she wants.

Social

Current Residence

Nomadic

Contacts & Relations

Wealth & Financial state

Impoverished

Family Ties

None

Religious Views

None

Social Aptitude

Despite her ignorance on many topics, Kell is extremely socially adept—at least, she is on the surface. Truthfully, she relies so heavily on deception and manipulation that she has a very hard time reconciling genuine emotions in other people, and struggles to build relationships with any genuine substance.

Mannerisms

Kell has a unique ability to adopt mannerisms she observes in her surroundings, so it can be difficult to pin down if she's genuinely exhibiting a behaviour or just mimicking to fit in. One trait that remains consistent, however, is her wary eyes; every place she enters, no matter how safe, she looks for every possible escape route. The same applies to people—if there’s someone around, she'll keep close tabs on them and their mood.

Hobbies & Pets

As the possessor of the quartz peryton statuette, she could possibly claim the peryton to be her pet. The description is not terribly accurate though, as she has far too much wariness and respect for the captive monster in her possession to truly be defined as her master.

As far as hobbies go, Kell has never been given the opportunity to pick up a hobby. She would probably enjoy sculpting and painting though; she is very creative, given the chance. She does enjoy watching wildlife, but that has the practical advantage of allowing her to take on the shape of those creatures herself. Perhaps one day she will discover an activity that brings her joy.

Speech

Kell is a mimic that can adopt any voice she hears, or use her natural voice—which is in itself an artistic creation of hers. Similarily, she adopts speech patterns very readily, and can take on accents and affectations with ease.

At her most genuine, Kell is quiet and soft-spoken—like a rabbit, or deer. She likes to live in silence, unobserved and unheard.