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Description

UPDATE: I WON!!

Brief commission intermission - I really wanted to try out for a Shinlai, since it's been well over two years since the last time the group held an adoption contest. I hope you guys will forgive me. I'll be right back to commissions starting tomorrow.
The one I'm trying out for is #8:

#8 designed by OddOsprey
Shinlai species © AlanaRoseheart

___________________________________________________________

“Rise and Rise again,
like the Phoenix from the Ashes,

until the Lambs become Lions,

and The Rule of Darkness is no more.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BASIC INFORMATION:

Name: Aysu Asherah Lazuli

Pronounced: Eye-soo | Ash-air-uh | Lah-zoo-lee

Name Meanings:
- Aysu - (Turkish) meaning ‘moon’ + ‘water’; ‘moon stream’.
- Asherah - (Israeli) meaning ‘she who walks in the sea’.
- Lazuli; short for Lapis Lazuli. A bright blue metamorphic rock consisting largely of lazurite.

Nicknames: Ay, Moon (a name her mother called her)
Species: Shinlai
Gender: Female
Age: 67 (Adult)
Birth Season: Summer, 1803
Height: 7’6”
Length: 9’4”
Weight: 6,407 lbs.
Body Type: short and compact; Aysu has a stocky & bulky body-type. She’s also extremely fluffy.

Voiced By: Colleen Clinkenbeard – Riza Hawkeye (Full Metal Alchemist), Setsu (Mushishi); quiet, soft-spoken, controlled.
Family:
- Sire: Nereus Caspian Lazuli
- Dame: Avani Ira Lazuli
- Siblings: [None]
- Mate: Eth Tandr Lancaster [deceased]; None
- Sister-in-Law: Vina Lancaster
- Offspring: Iri Leone Lancaster[deceased]
- Friends: Ĕlōhím Raizgoul, Seldszen Cobaeir, Docia Etheldred, Lynndercote Vanneli (?), Shinsen Vanelli(?); [will be open to more if I win]

Allegiance: Follower of Daila

Area: Currently Aysu lives near Aldhollow, in West Rendali. She was born and raised in Talin, to the North, and once lived in Elona, in the West. She’s been to Tamara and East Rendali before, but she’s never been to Falden.

Politics: Although Aysu held no particular interest or involvement in politics in her younger years, incidents dealing with the Dark Blood revolution and their warped ideals have caused her to reconsider her previously un-invested attitude when it comes to the political climate of Elaisha.

Element: Water.
One of the more difficult elements to master, because of the taxing amount of physical strength that it requires of its user, it is no surprise that short little Aysu has become such a stout and hale Shinlai throughout the course of her life. She is muscular and compact as a direct result of using her element frequently, and from an early age. Aysu has spent many years seafaring, and therefore her primary talents lie in water manipulation; she can help to ease rough currents for a ship’s safe passage, or even calm the crashing waves of a fearsome storm almost altogether. While on land, Aysu can also control water around her person, manipulating it as a tool. She is able to wield it in a long ribbon which she uses like a whip; she can knock foes off of their feet with it, or use it to pluck them up off the ground and out of her way. Aysu can also create a sphere of water around herself also, to use as shield, when she concentrates hard enough. Although many water Shinlai use echolocation, Aysu doesn’t find it as handy of a skill unless in a particular pinch; like trying to guide a ship back home through a thick fog. She rarely uses the skill otherwise. She has only a moderate talent for ‘regeneration’ (the healing of herself and others), and she is not nearly as practiced at wielding ice or snow.

Physical Description:

Shinlai Classification:

- Fur Classification: Rare - Heavy coat, Short Tail.
- Facial Classification: Rare – Two sets of eyes, plus Dailan

Face: Aysu’s muzzle is largely a pale, silvery-gray colour, which matches a fair portion of her mane and underbelly. She has two slightly-darker coloured spots above the larger set of eyes, which look something like ‘eyebrows’. The fur on her face is short, although the fur surrounding it gets readily thicker, longer, and plusher very swiftly; the thick furry mane around her neck is the densest portion of her entire coat. Her face is extremely short for a Shinlai with two eye-sets, giving her profile a uniquely ‘compact’ look – a description which seems to match the rest of her rather nicely. The inside of Aysu’s mouth, as well as her gums, are a dull pinkish-coloured flesh tone. Her tongue is a slightly lighter colour. Her teeth are a healthy ivory, and rather sharp. Aysu uses a semi-permanent earth pigment in order to stain her fur with a type of ‘tattoo’. Along with the markings on her body, Aysu sports a red circle on her forehead, and a larger red circle on each cheek with a smaller white circle inside of that.

Horns: Aysu’s horns are large and curved. For the most part they look similar to the horns of a male great-horned sheep. However, unlike a ram, Aysu’s horns have a large spur on each segment. There are ten of these spur-like spines in total, which grow from small to large, back to small again, in two sets. This gives the spines on her horns an almost wave-like rhythm. Aysu is rather proud of them, because they remind her of a conch shell. Despite being barbed, however, because the spikes grow away from her face rather than facing forwards towards it, they can really only be used for more defensive purposes rather than them being much use offensively. Both horns are a sandy Isabelline brown in colour.

Build: A wee bit on the short side, Aysu’s body is rather compact. The phrase ‘short and stout’ fits Aysu to a T, as she is a rather muscular lady Shinlai. One could even potentially describe her build as tank-like. Most of Aysu’s bulk is in her shoulders and the barrel of her chest. Her neck is mostly fluff, and she has dainty feet. But it would be a mistake to think that she could be knocked off of them easily. Ayu’s a very hardy Shinlai, with rather sure footing. She is built so thickly due in part to years of practicing with her element, which requires a lot of physical strength in order to manipulate.

Eye Colour: A brilliant aquamarine in colour, Aysu has two pairs of large, shimmering eyes, and one smaller pair of Dailan; the vestigial eyeball-like organs housed within her nasal cavity. The Dailan are practically blind and of little use. Her eyes are vibrant, healthy, and clear. They are almost jewel-like in appearance and seem lit from within with a sort of inner-glow.

Fur Colour: The base of Aysu’s body is a medium grey colour, which gets lighter as you move towards her extremities. Her face, a decent portion of the mane surrounding it, as well as the wrists and ankles of all four of her limbs are the lightest parts of her body. Her ankles fade from lighter grey to silver with a distinct ‘striped’ pattern. Likewise, Aysu has light grey stripes across her hip. The darkest portion of her body is the back portion of her mane. Although only semi-permanent (so she has to get them touched up from time to time) Aysu sports a type of tribal-looking stain across both of her flanks. The ‘tattoo’ is both rust and white in colour. The symbol features a long, red, swirling s-shape which houses a much smaller red and white circle. Beneath the s-shaped brushstroke there is a white and red ring, and three ripple-like waves in white preceding it.

The Mask: Made of a light-weight drift wood, Aysu’s mask is largely round and rather flat, compared to other Shinlai’s masks. This is due in part to her rather flat face shape. The mask is smooth, and has two wing-like protrusions on either side of the cheek. These protrusions come down to neatly encircle and protect Aysu’s face, something like a helmet. Her mask is painted shale grey with Botticelli blue markings. These markings are meant to resemble ripples on a body of water.

Scars: None to speak of.

Accessories: Aysu wears two very large, discus pieces of jewelry crafted from great slabs of pearl. Although she may refer to them as ‘earrings’, the two disks on either side of her face actually hang from her horns, not her ears. They are tied to her horns with a long strip of burgundy-coloured leather chord.

” I aim to be lionhearted, but my hands still shake and my voice isn’t quite loud enough.”

Personality:

Positive Traits: Faithful, diligent, kind, stalwart, perseverant, long-suffering, thinks of others first, good-humored, loyal, dutiful, determined, aims to be strong-willed.

Negative Traits: Passive, doesn’t always express the way that she feels; keeps a lot to herself – prone to internalizing and has a rather reserved personality. At times she can be rather blunt without even realizing it; she doesn’t sugar coat her words, when she does speak.

Born from humble origins, Aysu is a modest and provincial girl at heart. She is used to working hard, and is never one to underestimate the value of family. Aysu’s a very kind person, beneath the skin of a seasoned sailor, and she doesn’t like disappointing others. Although she can appear outspoken and opinionated at times—because she will often choose the bluntest way to say what needs to be done—in reality she is often left choosing what is morally responsible over the wishes of her own heart; She’s used to having to put her own thoughts and desires second to other people’s needs. Aysu is extremely loyal. Perhaps even to a fault. And as such, when her loyalty is betrayed it is all the more cutting. She isn’t an extremely sad person, despite certain cards that fate has handed her. Rather she tends to be an optimist, even if her natural disposition is somewhat quiet and reserved.

She has a strong sense of duty, and heavy convictions to be brave when she is needed. Although rather ordinary, she longs to be a fierce protector of what is good in the world.

History:
Sweet, soft-spoken Aysu is not a Shinlai who enjoys speaking about her past. Born and raised on the glistening seashore of Talin, to a mated pair of water and earth Shinlai – Avani, her dam, and Nereus, her sire—Aysu had a quaint but happy childhood. Her father, the water Shinlai, worked alongside men as a humble fisherman, using his elemental abilities to help his fellow seamen to traverse dangerous parts of the sea unharmed. Her mother, the earth Shinlai, worked helping to repair homes or buildings in the city, since most of Talin’s buildings are made of hewn stone. However, as this is as well-known fact, and many earth elemental Shinlai occupy the same vocation; her mother’s job brought little to the table. They were not an impoverished family of Shinlai, however they were not particularly well-to-do. But Aysu was quite content, as most children are, with the surroundings that she had grown up in. Simple pleasantries in life where the things which made her happy; collecting sea shells, playing along the sea shore – dipping her toes in to that point where the water meets the land, and then scampering away from the impending waves—curling up with her mother at night, and listening to the soft hum of her lullaby. It was not until she was in her adolescents that Aysu came to understand her small family’s difficulties.

By the time that Aysu was 20, she had become her father’s daughter. Though small in stature, pound for pound, Aysu was hale and hardy as any buck her age. She needed the bulk, because mastering the element of water is an incredibly taxing chore on any Shinlai’s body, and Aysu made her living helping man to tame the sea. Teasingly, she was often called a maiden of the ocean; having more love for the water than for land. She was often criticized as being unladylike and told that at this rate she’d never find herself a husband. Neither of those things particularly bothered Aysu, however, as she had her family’s best interests in mind. Helping to foot the bills was what made each hard-working day worth getting up for.

At 25 Asyu was provided with a mask. A little late, having had her ears docked for two whole years previous – When her parents first commissioned the mask, they had supposed that they’d be able to afford it then, but a bad year at sea, with few catches, meant putting paying off the commission on hold. Still, when Aysu finally did receive her mask she couldn’t have been happier: Her mask was made of lightweight driftwood, painted a shale gray with Botticelli blue markings. The markings reminded her ocean waves, and the way that ripples look on the surface of water.

By 40, Aysu was still an unwed maiden. Though this didn’t bother the water Lai, it troubled her parents. Nereus and Avani wished to do more by their child; Aysu wasn’t quite little girl anymore, and all she had ever known was a hard-working and provincial life. They wanted better for her than they’d been able to do for themselves. So when one of her father’s friends from another province, who was more well-to-do than they were, offered a marriage proposal between his son and Aysu, it wasn’t any surprise that Aysu’s parents encouraged her to think very seriously about the offer. Aysu loved the sea. She loved Talin. But she loved her parents more, and she didn’t want to disappoint them. She thought that perhaps this way, she would not be a burden on her family, and felt that because it was expected of her, it was her moral obligation to do as her parents wished. Accepting the proposed union, she moved to Elona, where she met her new husband, Eth, for the first time.

Eth was kindly to her, and handsome. He was generous with his things, and treated her well. They didn’t have much in common though, and so Aysu never felt any particularly strong bond with him. At 54, after nearly 14 years of having lived together, Aysu finally conceived and bore Eth a son, whom together they named Iri.

Although Aysu had adapted to her live in Elona rather well, there was still a silent part inside of herself that always ached for home. She longed to return to the shores of her childhood; to smell the salt in the air, to hear the cawing of gulls, and the groaning of the docks as boats were loaded with crewmen or sailors hurriedly hauled in their catches. She wanted to partake in the merriment shanties or other forms of song, or relive the excitement of navigating their way home through a storm; anything but the dull life that she had been living up until this point.

There is, however, that age-old saying: Be careful what you wish for. Although Aysu eventually would return to Talin, it was not to happen in the way that she would have supposed. Although her husband, Eth Lancaster, was a fire elemental Shinlai, his younger sister, Vina, was born a Dark Shinlai. With the more recent on-goings and turmoil throughout the land of Elaisha, an entire revolution at hand, it is not just the Dark Shinlai who have begun to feel oppressed by the concept of Daila and the old ways; many non Dark Shinlai have become impressed with Darius’ new dogma as well. Having a sister who had always been treated poorly, because of her nature as a Dark Shinlai, Eth began to buy into the opinions of a prominent political figure in Elona – Teg Kagamě Raizgoul. Vina was the one who first introduced Eth to the rather opinionated Darkblood male, and so brother and sister were slowly brought into the fold, and made honorary members of Teg’s inner-most circles. Before too long, it seemed as though even Iri, their young 13-year-old son, began to speak favorably about the Darkblood Revolution.

And then, it came: the fateful march on Talin. Teg had personally invited both Vina and Eth to come along with him, on a very ‘influential’ visit to West Rendali’s north-eastern most city. The City where Aysu had been born. Not knowing the full details of what she was getting herself into, and eager to see the windmill-dotted community of her childhood once more, Aysu went along with Eth, taking their child, Iri, in tow. She could not have guessed that her husband was marching them, knowingly, off to the field of war. When the onslaught started, Aysu was caught in the crossfire of chaos and confusion. Assumed to be the enemy, she was forced retaliate in order to defend herself. Eth fell early on into the battles, slain by a much larger and much more talented Shinlai. And for her hesitance to help, Vina—her sister-in-law—abandoned her, leaving Aysu to try and protect herself and her son in a world of violence. The only thing that Aysu could think of was to get to the sea; to get out into the water as far as she could, with her boy, and wait out the dreadful massacre. But upon reaching the docks of Talin, an explosion left her legs injured and her son mortally wounded. With no other options, Aysu stayed on the seashore, enclosed in a sphere of water for shelter, for three whole days. She had tried to save Iri by means of regeneration; the Water Element’s form of healing. But she had never been very practiced at it, and Iri’s wounds ran too deep. On the third day, the battle was won. There was much rejoicing throughout Talin, for having beaten the enemy forces at bay. But there was no rejoicing to be had for Aysu. Husband and son murdered, abandoned by her in-law, Aysu was considered just as guilty as the rest of the lot and driven out of the city. Shamed that she no longer had a place in Talin, she decided that she only had Elona to call home now.

Making her way back to the city in the west, Aysu was ambushed by a rather cross Vina and Teg, whom gathered that she should have her throat torn out. Much smaller than the two dark Shinlai, and still injured from the explosion, Aysu would have been done for if not for the aid of an air Shinlai—Inten Cobaeir—who had heard her cries for help. Inten managed to hold off Vina and Teg, so that Aysu could escape, but the attempt cost the older Shinlai his life. Now certain that she could not return to Elona as well—for Vina and Teg wanted her dead in order to protect their own political positions of power, and cover up any evidence of them having been to Talin—Aysu changed her course of direction and simply kept running, until finally arriving in the human community of Norport. Here, she figured, she could be safe. Months have passed since that time, and Aysu has taken up the occupation that is most familiar to her. Although she lives just outside of Norport, in a cave in the woods, she provides services as crewman on whichever ship she can, doing heavy lifting and controlling the waters, fishing and importing goods. She works wherever she is needed. The pay isn’t outstanding, but she had anticipated that. It’s enough for just herself at least, to barter for things in town with.

The assault on Talin still haunts Aysu, as she feels deeply grieved by what has happened; if she had never listened to Eth, her son might still be alive, and if she had never let Eth listen to Vina, then maybe both her husband and her son might have been spared. She never would have been banished from her home. Never would have lost everything.

In a deep state of depression, having withdrawn from everyone around her and concerning herself only with her own survival, it isn’t until she meets Ĕlōhím Raizgoul—Teg’s twin brother—and Seldszen Cobaeir—the son of Inten Cobaeir, the Air Shinlai who had saved her life in exchange for his own, back in Talin—that our lamb finally begins to become the lion. Realizing Seldszen to be Inten’s son, because of their distinct physical similarities, Aysu relates to the Air and the Earth Lai what has happened in Talin, and what wrongs Teg is conducting within the city of Elona; he has gotten away with murder, and more than once. Ĕlōhím, having known, but not wanted to accept, what atrocities his brother was capable of, has finally decided that he must now act. He intends to return to Elona try to clear his own name. But he is afraid to do this task alone. Fierce with an indignation and rage at the wrongs that have been done to her, Aysu has agreed to accompany Ĕlōhím, alongside Seldszen on a quest for redemption. She ran away once, fearful for her own life, like a lamb with her tail between her legs. But the politics in Elisha are changing. One can no longer remain a fence-sitter. The Darkblood Revolution poses a very real, and very dangerous threat. While she thought that she might be able to return to her old way of life, Aysu now knows that there is no going back. The brave thing is to move forwards, and make a stand, until the Rule of Darkness is no more.

Misc:

Likes: the ocean/the sea. swimming, fishing, practicing her elemental talents. Listening to or participating in sea shanties. Music, laughter, jovial moods. Crafting, jewelry, the simple pleasantries in life.

Favorite
Color – aquamarine, like the stone.
Food – cod, halibut, salmon, shark; most types of fish. Coconut.
Place – the beach; being near any large body of water
Weather – warm or cool weather; anything pleasant enough to be outdoors in.
Season – summer.
Memory – her childhood; being curled up with her mother and father, long and happy evenings together as a family. Being a first time mother and looking after her own pup.

Dislikes: The Dark Bloods and their entire movement. War, violence, anything threatening the peace of Elaisha. Being away from the sea. The fact that she feels like she can never return home. Harsh winters. Shipwrecks.

Least favorite:
Color – yellow
Food – a fair few vegetables. Beets, tomatoes, and yams namely.
Place – dry, overly-hot, and barren places – ie, deserts.
Weather – ovely hot weather (because of her thick dense coat), very dark, long, and cold weather.
Season – Winter
Memory – the entire attack on Talin. The death of her son. The death of her husband.

Interests/Hobbies: collecting sea shells, making pottery and jewelry, fishing, sunbathing.

Goals/Ambitions: currently – revealing Teg and Vina for the monsters that they really are, to the city of Elona, where they both hold much political sway. Ultimately – to protect others and become a stronger and less-passive person.

Fears: dying/death, explosions, lightning storms

Diet: Like all Shinlai, Aysu is omnivorous. She likes to eat namely fish and a lot of tropical things, Coconuts and mangos, banana and plantain. She likes nuts and berries as well. She’s a little more stubborn when it comes to vegetables. Her favorite vegetables are squash, potatoes, and cabbages – things that you can make a stew out of. She is fine with eating roughages and plenty of wild plants. She tends to prefer small game over big game animals.

Themes:
- In my Remains (Linkin Park)
- You are the Moon (The Hush Sound)

Description

UPDATE: I WON!!

Brief commission intermission - I really wanted to try out for a Shinlai, since it's been well over two years since the last time the group held an adoption contest. I hope you guys will forgive me. I'll be right back to commissions starting tomorrow.
The one I'm trying out for is #8:

#8 designed by OddOsprey
Shinlai species © AlanaRoseheart

___________________________________________________________

“Rise and Rise again,
like the Phoenix from the Ashes,

until the Lambs become Lions,

and The Rule of Darkness is no more.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BASIC INFORMATION:

Name: Aysu Asherah Lazuli

Pronounced: Eye-soo | Ash-air-uh | Lah-zoo-lee

Name Meanings:
- Aysu - (Turkish) meaning ‘moon’ + ‘water’; ‘moon stream’.
- Asherah - (Israeli) meaning ‘she who walks in the sea’.
- Lazuli; short for Lapis Lazuli. A bright blue metamorphic rock consisting largely of lazurite.

Nicknames: Ay, Moon (a name her mother called her)
Species: Shinlai
Gender: Female
Age: 67 (Adult)
Birth Season: Summer, 1803
Height: 7’6”
Length: 9’4”
Weight: 6,407 lbs.
Body Type: short and compact; Aysu has a stocky & bulky body-type. She’s also extremely fluffy.

Voiced By: Colleen Clinkenbeard – Riza Hawkeye (Full Metal Alchemist), Setsu (Mushishi); quiet, soft-spoken, controlled.
Family:
- Sire: Nereus Caspian Lazuli
- Dame: Avani Ira Lazuli
- Siblings: [None]
- Mate: Eth Tandr Lancaster [deceased]; None
- Sister-in-Law: Vina Lancaster
- Offspring: Iri Leone Lancaster[deceased]
- Friends: Ĕlōhím Raizgoul, Seldszen Cobaeir, Docia Etheldred, Lynndercote Vanneli (?), Shinsen Vanelli(?); [will be open to more if I win]

Allegiance: Follower of Daila

Area: Currently Aysu lives near Aldhollow, in West Rendali. She was born and raised in Talin, to the North, and once lived in Elona, in the West. She’s been to Tamara and East Rendali before, but she’s never been to Falden.

Politics: Although Aysu held no particular interest or involvement in politics in her younger years, incidents dealing with the Dark Blood revolution and their warped ideals have caused her to reconsider her previously un-invested attitude when it comes to the political climate of Elaisha.

Element: Water.
One of the more difficult elements to master, because of the taxing amount of physical strength that it requires of its user, it is no surprise that short little Aysu has become such a stout and hale Shinlai throughout the course of her life. She is muscular and compact as a direct result of using her element frequently, and from an early age. Aysu has spent many years seafaring, and therefore her primary talents lie in water manipulation; she can help to ease rough currents for a ship’s safe passage, or even calm the crashing waves of a fearsome storm almost altogether. While on land, Aysu can also control water around her person, manipulating it as a tool. She is able to wield it in a long ribbon which she uses like a whip; she can knock foes off of their feet with it, or use it to pluck them up off the ground and out of her way. Aysu can also create a sphere of water around herself also, to use as shield, when she concentrates hard enough. Although many water Shinlai use echolocation, Aysu doesn’t find it as handy of a skill unless in a particular pinch; like trying to guide a ship back home through a thick fog. She rarely uses the skill otherwise. She has only a moderate talent for ‘regeneration’ (the healing of herself and others), and she is not nearly as practiced at wielding ice or snow.

Physical Description:

Shinlai Classification:

- Fur Classification: Rare - Heavy coat, Short Tail.
- Facial Classification: Rare – Two sets of eyes, plus Dailan

Face: Aysu’s muzzle is largely a pale, silvery-gray colour, which matches a fair portion of her mane and underbelly. She has two slightly-darker coloured spots above the larger set of eyes, which look something like ‘eyebrows’. The fur on her face is short, although the fur surrounding it gets readily thicker, longer, and plusher very swiftly; the thick furry mane around her neck is the densest portion of her entire coat. Her face is extremely short for a Shinlai with two eye-sets, giving her profile a uniquely ‘compact’ look – a description which seems to match the rest of her rather nicely. The inside of Aysu’s mouth, as well as her gums, are a dull pinkish-coloured flesh tone. Her tongue is a slightly lighter colour. Her teeth are a healthy ivory, and rather sharp. Aysu uses a semi-permanent earth pigment in order to stain her fur with a type of ‘tattoo’. Along with the markings on her body, Aysu sports a red circle on her forehead, and a larger red circle on each cheek with a smaller white circle inside of that.

Horns: Aysu’s horns are large and curved. For the most part they look similar to the horns of a male great-horned sheep. However, unlike a ram, Aysu’s horns have a large spur on each segment. There are ten of these spur-like spines in total, which grow from small to large, back to small again, in two sets. This gives the spines on her horns an almost wave-like rhythm. Aysu is rather proud of them, because they remind her of a conch shell. Despite being barbed, however, because the spikes grow away from her face rather than facing forwards towards it, they can really only be used for more defensive purposes rather than them being much use offensively. Both horns are a sandy Isabelline brown in colour.

Build: A wee bit on the short side, Aysu’s body is rather compact. The phrase ‘short and stout’ fits Aysu to a T, as she is a rather muscular lady Shinlai. One could even potentially describe her build as tank-like. Most of Aysu’s bulk is in her shoulders and the barrel of her chest. Her neck is mostly fluff, and she has dainty feet. But it would be a mistake to think that she could be knocked off of them easily. Ayu’s a very hardy Shinlai, with rather sure footing. She is built so thickly due in part to years of practicing with her element, which requires a lot of physical strength in order to manipulate.

Eye Colour: A brilliant aquamarine in colour, Aysu has two pairs of large, shimmering eyes, and one smaller pair of Dailan; the vestigial eyeball-like organs housed within her nasal cavity. The Dailan are practically blind and of little use. Her eyes are vibrant, healthy, and clear. They are almost jewel-like in appearance and seem lit from within with a sort of inner-glow.

Fur Colour: The base of Aysu’s body is a medium grey colour, which gets lighter as you move towards her extremities. Her face, a decent portion of the mane surrounding it, as well as the wrists and ankles of all four of her limbs are the lightest parts of her body. Her ankles fade from lighter grey to silver with a distinct ‘striped’ pattern. Likewise, Aysu has light grey stripes across her hip. The darkest portion of her body is the back portion of her mane. Although only semi-permanent (so she has to get them touched up from time to time) Aysu sports a type of tribal-looking stain across both of her flanks. The ‘tattoo’ is both rust and white in colour. The symbol features a long, red, swirling s-shape which houses a much smaller red and white circle. Beneath the s-shaped brushstroke there is a white and red ring, and three ripple-like waves in white preceding it.

The Mask: Made of a light-weight drift wood, Aysu’s mask is largely round and rather flat, compared to other Shinlai’s masks. This is due in part to her rather flat face shape. The mask is smooth, and has two wing-like protrusions on either side of the cheek. These protrusions come down to neatly encircle and protect Aysu’s face, something like a helmet. Her mask is painted shale grey with Botticelli blue markings. These markings are meant to resemble ripples on a body of water.

Scars: None to speak of.

Accessories: Aysu wears two very large, discus pieces of jewelry crafted from great slabs of pearl. Although she may refer to them as ‘earrings’, the two disks on either side of her face actually hang from her horns, not her ears. They are tied to her horns with a long strip of burgundy-coloured leather chord.

” I aim to be lionhearted, but my hands still shake and my voice isn’t quite loud enough.”

Personality:

Positive Traits: Faithful, diligent, kind, stalwart, perseverant, long-suffering, thinks of others first, good-humored, loyal, dutiful, determined, aims to be strong-willed.

Negative Traits: Passive, doesn’t always express the way that she feels; keeps a lot to herself – prone to internalizing and has a rather reserved personality. At times she can be rather blunt without even realizing it; she doesn’t sugar coat her words, when she does speak.

Born from humble origins, Aysu is a modest and provincial girl at heart. She is used to working hard, and is never one to underestimate the value of family. Aysu’s a very kind person, beneath the skin of a seasoned sailor, and she doesn’t like disappointing others. Although she can appear outspoken and opinionated at times—because she will often choose the bluntest way to say what needs to be done—in reality she is often left choosing what is morally responsible over the wishes of her own heart; She’s used to having to put her own thoughts and desires second to other people’s needs. Aysu is extremely loyal. Perhaps even to a fault. And as such, when her loyalty is betrayed it is all the more cutting. She isn’t an extremely sad person, despite certain cards that fate has handed her. Rather she tends to be an optimist, even if her natural disposition is somewhat quiet and reserved.

She has a strong sense of duty, and heavy convictions to be brave when she is needed. Although rather ordinary, she longs to be a fierce protector of what is good in the world.

History:
Sweet, soft-spoken Aysu is not a Shinlai who enjoys speaking about her past. Born and raised on the glistening seashore of Talin, to a mated pair of water and earth Shinlai – Avani, her dam, and Nereus, her sire—Aysu had a quaint but happy childhood. Her father, the water Shinlai, worked alongside men as a humble fisherman, using his elemental abilities to help his fellow seamen to traverse dangerous parts of the sea unharmed. Her mother, the earth Shinlai, worked helping to repair homes or buildings in the city, since most of Talin’s buildings are made of hewn stone. However, as this is as well-known fact, and many earth elemental Shinlai occupy the same vocation; her mother’s job brought little to the table. They were not an impoverished family of Shinlai, however they were not particularly well-to-do. But Aysu was quite content, as most children are, with the surroundings that she had grown up in. Simple pleasantries in life where the things which made her happy; collecting sea shells, playing along the sea shore – dipping her toes in to that point where the water meets the land, and then scampering away from the impending waves—curling up with her mother at night, and listening to the soft hum of her lullaby. It was not until she was in her adolescents that Aysu came to understand her small family’s difficulties.

By the time that Aysu was 20, she had become her father’s daughter. Though small in stature, pound for pound, Aysu was hale and hardy as any buck her age. She needed the bulk, because mastering the element of water is an incredibly taxing chore on any Shinlai’s body, and Aysu made her living helping man to tame the sea. Teasingly, she was often called a maiden of the ocean; having more love for the water than for land. She was often criticized as being unladylike and told that at this rate she’d never find herself a husband. Neither of those things particularly bothered Aysu, however, as she had her family’s best interests in mind. Helping to foot the bills was what made each hard-working day worth getting up for.

At 25 Asyu was provided with a mask. A little late, having had her ears docked for two whole years previous – When her parents first commissioned the mask, they had supposed that they’d be able to afford it then, but a bad year at sea, with few catches, meant putting paying off the commission on hold. Still, when Aysu finally did receive her mask she couldn’t have been happier: Her mask was made of lightweight driftwood, painted a shale gray with Botticelli blue markings. The markings reminded her ocean waves, and the way that ripples look on the surface of water.

By 40, Aysu was still an unwed maiden. Though this didn’t bother the water Lai, it troubled her parents. Nereus and Avani wished to do more by their child; Aysu wasn’t quite little girl anymore, and all she had ever known was a hard-working and provincial life. They wanted better for her than they’d been able to do for themselves. So when one of her father’s friends from another province, who was more well-to-do than they were, offered a marriage proposal between his son and Aysu, it wasn’t any surprise that Aysu’s parents encouraged her to think very seriously about the offer. Aysu loved the sea. She loved Talin. But she loved her parents more, and she didn’t want to disappoint them. She thought that perhaps this way, she would not be a burden on her family, and felt that because it was expected of her, it was her moral obligation to do as her parents wished. Accepting the proposed union, she moved to Elona, where she met her new husband, Eth, for the first time.

Eth was kindly to her, and handsome. He was generous with his things, and treated her well. They didn’t have much in common though, and so Aysu never felt any particularly strong bond with him. At 54, after nearly 14 years of having lived together, Aysu finally conceived and bore Eth a son, whom together they named Iri.

Although Aysu had adapted to her live in Elona rather well, there was still a silent part inside of herself that always ached for home. She longed to return to the shores of her childhood; to smell the salt in the air, to hear the cawing of gulls, and the groaning of the docks as boats were loaded with crewmen or sailors hurriedly hauled in their catches. She wanted to partake in the merriment shanties or other forms of song, or relive the excitement of navigating their way home through a storm; anything but the dull life that she had been living up until this point.

There is, however, that age-old saying: Be careful what you wish for. Although Aysu eventually would return to Talin, it was not to happen in the way that she would have supposed. Although her husband, Eth Lancaster, was a fire elemental Shinlai, his younger sister, Vina, was born a Dark Shinlai. With the more recent on-goings and turmoil throughout the land of Elaisha, an entire revolution at hand, it is not just the Dark Shinlai who have begun to feel oppressed by the concept of Daila and the old ways; many non Dark Shinlai have become impressed with Darius’ new dogma as well. Having a sister who had always been treated poorly, because of her nature as a Dark Shinlai, Eth began to buy into the opinions of a prominent political figure in Elona – Teg Kagamě Raizgoul. Vina was the one who first introduced Eth to the rather opinionated Darkblood male, and so brother and sister were slowly brought into the fold, and made honorary members of Teg’s inner-most circles. Before too long, it seemed as though even Iri, their young 13-year-old son, began to speak favorably about the Darkblood Revolution.

And then, it came: the fateful march on Talin. Teg had personally invited both Vina and Eth to come along with him, on a very ‘influential’ visit to West Rendali’s north-eastern most city. The City where Aysu had been born. Not knowing the full details of what she was getting herself into, and eager to see the windmill-dotted community of her childhood once more, Aysu went along with Eth, taking their child, Iri, in tow. She could not have guessed that her husband was marching them, knowingly, off to the field of war. When the onslaught started, Aysu was caught in the crossfire of chaos and confusion. Assumed to be the enemy, she was forced retaliate in order to defend herself. Eth fell early on into the battles, slain by a much larger and much more talented Shinlai. And for her hesitance to help, Vina—her sister-in-law—abandoned her, leaving Aysu to try and protect herself and her son in a world of violence. The only thing that Aysu could think of was to get to the sea; to get out into the water as far as she could, with her boy, and wait out the dreadful massacre. But upon reaching the docks of Talin, an explosion left her legs injured and her son mortally wounded. With no other options, Aysu stayed on the seashore, enclosed in a sphere of water for shelter, for three whole days. She had tried to save Iri by means of regeneration; the Water Element’s form of healing. But she had never been very practiced at it, and Iri’s wounds ran too deep. On the third day, the battle was won. There was much rejoicing throughout Talin, for having beaten the enemy forces at bay. But there was no rejoicing to be had for Aysu. Husband and son murdered, abandoned by her in-law, Aysu was considered just as guilty as the rest of the lot and driven out of the city. Shamed that she no longer had a place in Talin, she decided that she only had Elona to call home now.

Making her way back to the city in the west, Aysu was ambushed by a rather cross Vina and Teg, whom gathered that she should have her throat torn out. Much smaller than the two dark Shinlai, and still injured from the explosion, Aysu would have been done for if not for the aid of an air Shinlai—Inten Cobaeir—who had heard her cries for help. Inten managed to hold off Vina and Teg, so that Aysu could escape, but the attempt cost the older Shinlai his life. Now certain that she could not return to Elona as well—for Vina and Teg wanted her dead in order to protect their own political positions of power, and cover up any evidence of them having been to Talin—Aysu changed her course of direction and simply kept running, until finally arriving in the human community of Norport. Here, she figured, she could be safe. Months have passed since that time, and Aysu has taken up the occupation that is most familiar to her. Although she lives just outside of Norport, in a cave in the woods, she provides services as crewman on whichever ship she can, doing heavy lifting and controlling the waters, fishing and importing goods. She works wherever she is needed. The pay isn’t outstanding, but she had anticipated that. It’s enough for just herself at least, to barter for things in town with.

The assault on Talin still haunts Aysu, as she feels deeply grieved by what has happened; if she had never listened to Eth, her son might still be alive, and if she had never let Eth listen to Vina, then maybe both her husband and her son might have been spared. She never would have been banished from her home. Never would have lost everything.

In a deep state of depression, having withdrawn from everyone around her and concerning herself only with her own survival, it isn’t until she meets Ĕlōhím Raizgoul—Teg’s twin brother—and Seldszen Cobaeir—the son of Inten Cobaeir, the Air Shinlai who had saved her life in exchange for his own, back in Talin—that our lamb finally begins to become the lion. Realizing Seldszen to be Inten’s son, because of their distinct physical similarities, Aysu relates to the Air and the Earth Lai what has happened in Talin, and what wrongs Teg is conducting within the city of Elona; he has gotten away with murder, and more than once. Ĕlōhím, having known, but not wanted to accept, what atrocities his brother was capable of, has finally decided that he must now act. He intends to return to Elona try to clear his own name. But he is afraid to do this task alone. Fierce with an indignation and rage at the wrongs that have been done to her, Aysu has agreed to accompany Ĕlōhím, alongside Seldszen on a quest for redemption. She ran away once, fearful for her own life, like a lamb with her tail between her legs. But the politics in Elisha are changing. One can no longer remain a fence-sitter. The Darkblood Revolution poses a very real, and very dangerous threat. While she thought that she might be able to return to her old way of life, Aysu now knows that there is no going back. The brave thing is to move forwards, and make a stand, until the Rule of Darkness is no more.

Misc:

Likes: the ocean/the sea. swimming, fishing, practicing her elemental talents. Listening to or participating in sea shanties. Music, laughter, jovial moods. Crafting, jewelry, the simple pleasantries in life.

Favorite
Color – aquamarine, like the stone.
Food – cod, halibut, salmon, shark; most types of fish. Coconut.
Place – the beach; being near any large body of water
Weather – warm or cool weather; anything pleasant enough to be outdoors in.
Season – summer.
Memory – her childhood; being curled up with her mother and father, long and happy evenings together as a family. Being a first time mother and looking after her own pup.

Dislikes: The Dark Bloods and their entire movement. War, violence, anything threatening the peace of Elaisha. Being away from the sea. The fact that she feels like she can never return home. Harsh winters. Shipwrecks.

Least favorite:
Color – yellow
Food – a fair few vegetables. Beets, tomatoes, and yams namely.
Place – dry, overly-hot, and barren places – ie, deserts.
Weather – ovely hot weather (because of her thick dense coat), very dark, long, and cold weather.
Season – Winter
Memory – the entire attack on Talin. The death of her son. The death of her husband.

Interests/Hobbies: collecting sea shells, making pottery and jewelry, fishing, sunbathing.

Goals/Ambitions: currently – revealing Teg and Vina for the monsters that they really are, to the city of Elona, where they both hold much political sway. Ultimately – to protect others and become a stronger and less-passive person.

Fears: dying/death, explosions, lightning storms

Diet: Like all Shinlai, Aysu is omnivorous. She likes to eat namely fish and a lot of tropical things, Coconuts and mangos, banana and plantain. She likes nuts and berries as well. She’s a little more stubborn when it comes to vegetables. Her favorite vegetables are squash, potatoes, and cabbages – things that you can make a stew out of. She is fine with eating roughages and plenty of wild plants. She tends to prefer small game over big game animals.

Themes:
- In my Remains (Linkin Park)
- You are the Moon (The Hush Sound)