Raini Moontrace
Raini
"Everything about me is defined by that giant glowing ball in the night sky. I can never forget that and I won't!"Raini is an Alluthian from the kingdom of Elam. She has been traveling with Saya, Chryssa, and Myles for the last eight year or so through various elven and human kingdoms of Eastern Vreathe. Alluthians in Eastern Vreathe are not rare, mainly seen near port cities, but those with the moontrace are almost unheard of. This causes everyone to take notice of Raini wherever she goes. She has the goal of returning to her homelands someday and changing it but for now is content to be traveling with her friends.
Personality
When Raini was young, she was taught to stay quiet, listen to men and elders, be dainty and respectful, accept things the way they were. This was the result of years of growing up under a woman named Nisaba, who was very strict with Raini, always worrying about how presentable she was to future suitors.
Since leaving that part of her life behind and after spending years with her friends, Raini is now a much louder more confident person, though still generally gentle and kind. She is outspoken and argues with everyone equally, especially when it comes to certain things.
Physical description
As an Alluthian, Raini is taller than the human of Eastern Vreathe, but still much shorter than the elves. She also tans easily so has darker skin than virtually anyone else in this part of the world. This contrasts against her white hair and bright aqua colored eyes which will glow when casting magic. Her hair will get dimmer and start to show its original color (dark brown) the longer she is out of the moonlight. During a New Moon, her hair and eyes are dimmest, and during a Full Moon, she glows.
Raini has dyed her hair many times in the past, but the moontrace burns away the dye after several days, with an instant effect the moment she casts any magic. Instead she often wears a hooded waterproof cloak.
The rest of her clothing is somewhat plain and expected of a traveler, normally a leather vest of some kind, as well as leather shoulders and gauntlets, boots and gloves. Raini wears much more feminine clothing when staying in town, preferring light, flowy clothes much more than the dull functional stuff she normally wears.
Full name: Sera Sitaari
Nickname: Raini Moontrace
Race: Iron Human
Ethnicity: Alluthian
Age: 19
Birthday: September 25th
Height: 5'9"
Gender: Female
Titles:
Nickname: Raini Moontrace
Race: Iron Human
Ethnicity: Alluthian
Age: 19
Birthday: September 25th
Height: 5'9"
Gender: Female
Titles:
Children
The Moon Trace
Raini's white hair and aqua colored eyes are a marker of the moontrace, a genetic marker of her descendance from the Goddess Kalbeth. If Raini was the only living girl with the moontrace in existence, she would have become the Avatar of the Moon. She would have become the head of the church in Alluth and be worshipped for the rest of her life.
But, there's at least a dozen other girls with white hair spread across Vreathe. Anyone who isn't the avatar and living in Alluth is executed, so Raini was sent to Eastern Vreathe by her parents when she was very young, to the empire of Irellith where she would see a better life.
Because Raini has the moontrace, she is one of the only humans on Vreathe able to store Aether in her body, though this aether is specifically from the Greater Moon, which radiates it across the night sky. her magic is also marginally more powerful and appears very different, such as having blue flames from fire spells.
Equipment
Shattered Sisters
Model 2914, Star Lilly
This strange 'springlock' pistol is of elven make and has an internal tube that can hold up to four paper cartridges containing powder and bullet, plus one in the chamber. It reloads by twisting a spring around a wheel, which also primes the weapon for firing. It has a quick reload speed but isn't rifled, so accuracy is poor past a few dozen yards. Multishot pistols are known outside elven countries, but also rather rare. Raini uses that to her advantage in a fight, tricking many into thinking she's out of ammo and defenseless.
Large Seashell
Back when Raini was a child, Myles gave her this large seashell. Back then it filled the palm of her hand. It is quite plain looking, being orange and yellow with a few chips and cracks. It was Raini's first possession and the first thing she ever held dear. She often holds it in her hands when he thinks others aren't looking.
Ki's Shard
This shard is from Raini's former weapon, the Shattered Sisters. This shard somehow found its way into Raini's possession and she decided to hold onto it. Ki's mind is still inside and will act on its own. Ki protects Raini and can turn into a large crystal shield in emergencies, absorbing almost any type of attack with ease.
Lunar blades
A pair of short swords. Technically they were forged as ceremonial weapons, used in the country of Rinea during harvest festivals, but they are made of weapon grade Gem Steel and are as deadly as any other sword. She bought them after she destroyed her previous sword.
The blades are enchanted to glow under the light of the moon, similar Raini's hair. While normally that would be the most the enchantment can do, because Raini has the moontrace, the blades can also channel Raini's magic.
The blades are enchanted to glow under the light of the moon, similar Raini's hair. While normally that would be the most the enchantment can do, because Raini has the moontrace, the blades can also channel Raini's magic.
Family
Lunar Sisters
The six other girls Raini grew up with, all with the Moontrace. they range from four to eight years older than Raini. Though they were unrelated and were from vastly different Alluthian kingdoms they loved each other as sisters. It was always a sad day when one of them left, almost always because they were marrying an Elven Lord in Eastern Vreathe.All seven of the sisters made a promise with each other that they would meet each other again in the Alluthian city of Qamari, on a day when those with the Moontrace can live in Alluth without persecution.
"Zurah
Seren
Jaleh
Aisha
Kahina
Sana"
"I still haven't forgotten the promises we made!"
Friends
Myles
Myles usually calls Raini by her real name Sera, which annoys her to no end. Myles has confessed his feelings for Raini multiple times, but Raini always gets angry and declines to return the feeling, not because she hates him, but because of how the first half of her life went.
Saya (Vyerin)
Raini never understood why Saya is so reluctant to return to North Cassel and retake the crown, as things don't change by sulking in self hate. As Saya got worse, Raini has tried numerous times to get Saya to open up more, but like everyone else has had little success.
Chryssa
Raini and Chryssa are able to relate to each other in many ways since the two are from lands completely foreign to Eastern Vreathe. Raini's knowledge of magic was very basic on the day she escaped and Chryssa has been teaching Raini more advanced spells for some time, helping her reach greater levels of power.
"Saya may have been kind of sulky recently and Myles might always be annoying, but they're my best friends! And Chryssa is like a sister to me, every bit as much as Seren or Aisha or Jaleh! Until the day comes that I travel back to Alluth, I will do anything for them."
History
Early Life
Sera was born in the city of Anshan, in the Kingdom of Elam. Sera was born with a head of white hair, indicating she had the Moontrace. Her parents were supposed to submit her to the temple priests who would deal with her. As there was already a living Avatar of Kalbeth, her parents knew what that meant. They tried to hide Sera from the authorities as much as they could, but it was getting more difficult the older Sera got. When Sera was 4, they traveled east to the port city of Issus, and gave Sera away, hopeing she would find a better life somewhere else.
Sera was traded between several parties until she ended up in the Empire of Irellith, under the care of Nisaba, a wealthy Alluthian Nobless. She raised several other girls with the moontrace and with Sera, she now had Seven. Nisaba determined that Sera was far too common of a name, so changed it to Raini.
Over the next several years, Raini was taught Eastern Common, taught how to write, and was taught various customs and practices of the elven nations. Even though she had the power, she was never taught magic and was forbidden from practicing it. Raini never really understood why she was learning and not learning some of these things when they lived in a human kingdom, but she took to her studies and became as perfect of a young noble lady as she could.
"Anshan is always frustratingly described as romantic desert paradise and Eastern Vreathe seems to have hundreds of paintings of the place. But I don't remember what it looks like..."
Each of the girls were from different Alluthian Kingdoms. Raini was from Elam, but Seren was from Cimmeria. Aisha was from Asur. Zurah and Sana were from Nekhen. Jaleh was from Tayma. Kahina was from Magan. In their free time, the girls traded stories about their homelands. There wasn't much else they had. All had the common belief in the Moon goddess and all agreed that the so-called 'Avatar' of Kalbeth was nonsense if they were all alive.
The seven sisters grew very close to each other, and while the two oldest sisters knew what was going to eventually happen to them, they couldn't bear to tell the younger girls what their fates were. They made promises to each other that they would always be together, that they would eventually be allowed to live in Alluth again. They made promises that they would be the ones to change the world.
Seeing the World, sort of
When Raini was 9, she was allowed to travel to on the Bride Ship to Eastern Vreathe with her sisters. The journey took several weeks, but they eventually ended up in a more humid, colder part of the world. They first stopped in the Shining city of Tesiadem, then a few weeks later were in the Elven city of Karrask. A few weeks after that they were in the city of Lornar. Only the oldest sisters Zura and Sana were allowed to leave the ship for extended periods of time. Raini though saw very little of these cities. All her glimpses of the great cities of Vreathe was of the busy ports and docks from inside a ship.
One day in Lornar, a boy had snuck onto the ship, and somehow ended up in Raini's Cabin. This boy was named Myles. Raini didn't call the mercenaries to deal with him, and instead talked. For the entire week the ship was in port, Myles kept sneaking aboard, and the two kept talking, learning about each others lives.
Myles learned that the Alluthians aboard the ship were all to someday be in arranged marriages in the elven countries. Raini had fully accepted her fate, but Myles didn't understand what that meant, or rather, why she would accept that. Before the ship left port, Myles gave Raini a large seashell as that was all the boy could find to give her, but Raini kept the seashell and still has it.
"Sure I heard of the ivory palaces of Irrelith and the great towers of Faeon and Ordland, but I never saw any of that! I was never allowed to leave the ship..."
Doubts
It started a few months later, with Zurah when the ship landed in the country of Terrask. Rich important looking people were led on and off the ship for several days. Zurah then left the ship. She was dressed up, appearing to Raini like the most beautiful girl there could be, like the literal moon goddess in human form. Zurah didn't return that night when the ship left port.
Two months later, the same thing happened to Sana in the country of Mire. Raini knew what their eventual fates were going to be, and she had accepted it at one point, but she wasn't so sure now. Seren had told Raini what their purpose was before, why they spent years being taught Eastern Common and being taught all the elven customs, taught to act like perfect young women. They seemed like they were free compared to how they would be treated in their homelands, but they were still slaves to their heritage.
With the Moontrace, they were going to be executed somewhere in the deserts of Central Vreathe. In Eastern Vreathe, they are a rare curiosity, a relic of much older times when humanity regularly mixed with the gods. The Elves, ever worrying about their past and future legacies, desire girls with godblood to add to their bloodline. They would have to provide heirs to barons and possibly even kings, but it wouldn't be a bad life. They would become nobility themselves, at least for as long as their short lives last against the immortal elves.
Raini had accepted this, but she was starting to waver in her belief. She didn't want to be stuck on some frozen island for her whole life having children for some lord she never loved. Some of her sisters were still fine with their fates as the alternative was literally dying in Alluth. Raini was eventually not okay with it. After the ship returned to Irellith, she started planning her escape. She was forbidden from learning magic, but she practiced in her free time away from everyone else. She didn't even trust her sisters to not say anything.
Escape
Raini got her chance to escape about two years later. Seren and Kahina were already gone. Jaleh and Aisha were approaching the age to be sold and married off, so the bride ship made the journey once again to elven lands. The first nation they stopped in was Faeon. Raini took her chance when she had it and jumped in the water at the port city of Pollux. Using her magic, she created a glowing ice bridge to the shore. It was several hours before anyone realized she was missing.
Raini ran for a bit into the city, but was drawing the attention of literally everyone. It was night and there was a full moon, and her hair was glowing. If anyone was looking for her, everyone else would remember her. She ran into an alleyway, unsure of what to do, and that was when she saw Myles of all people. He was arguing with Vyerin and Chryssa over where to spend the last of their coin.
Raini ran to Myles and asked him to hide her. After some more arguing, they decided to spend the last of their coin on a room for the night. Chryssa threw a cloak over Raini's head and they headed for the closest tavern. Once inside there was quite a bit of noise outside about an Alluthian girl that ran through and mercenaries that were searching for her. Chryssa went out and came back with the blackest ink she could find and helped Raini dye her hair as dark as the void.
Within a day the dye was already breaking down and her hair was turning white again, but it was enough to get out of town. Raini started traveling with Vyerin, Myles, and Chryssa after that, and became the only one to ever escape Nisaba. She promised herself after that that she would eventually find each of her sisters and they would all go back to Alluth and fix the land together.
Author's Note: raini's history will continue in a future article with the following characters: Chryssa Sil, Saya Diaz, and Myles. The reason is that nearly all of the next eight years of their lives is spent traveling together, so it makes more sense to just write it all at once in a linked article. I might add a shorter summarized version here that is strictly about Raini later.
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Author's Notes