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POISON OF GULL Hierophant POISON PLAYER NAME: Fiona JOURNAL: hardtostarboard PLURK: hardtostarboard TIMEZONE: GMT MISC. IC Inbox: n/a

OVERVIEW There was once a young woman who lived in a marsh, and her name was Poison. PERSONALITY From her earliest days Poison had always been a contrary child, and even her mother Faraway had often claimed that she would always do the exact opposite of what she was told. Simply to be contrary, Poison had thought of doing the complete opposite of that and following every instruction to the letter, but she reasoned quickly that she’d only confuse herself. When she was young, Poison would sit with her feet dangling through a gap left by a missing plank in the bridge that linked the platform of her home to the one beside it, despite how her mother would tell her not to. She learned her lesson about ignoring that particular piece of advice when one day, when the water had risen particularly high, a goatfish lunged up out of the water. It might have taken her legs and left her to die from the poison in its venomous jaws had she not seen its horned shadow moments before it launched itself at her. Poison is capable of holding long and bitter grudges, and she held one such grudge against her stepmother and, by extension, her father for marrying her. When she dislikes someone she will go out of her way to be contrary and push them to the very limits of their tolerance, and she especially hates it when she knows that someone is acting falsely to make themselves look better in front of somebody else. Sometimes people are bad people and she knows that, but it’s worse if they lie about it. Stubbornness, pure and simple, is certainly a main part of Poison's personality. She can be headstrong to a fault, even to the point of putting herself and those around her into mortal danger with her actions. On the awkward cusp of womanhood she often questions the motivations of those around her and was never able to 'settle' as the other people in her community did. An elderly man in the village, the only one who (it was said) had ever seen outside of the Black Marshes, once told her that she had some of the Old Blood, and it made her different from other people. While the people of Gull idled away their days having children and dying of swamp lung she was never satisfied with what she thought would be her lot in life – to marry, settle down and have a family. In fact, she would much rather throw herself in with the goatfish. On some level, she wanted to fit in, but she knew she never would. She wanted to be happy with her lot, but she couldn't bring herself to accept it. She couldn't take frustrations and slights with the weary acceptance that could be found in most of her people, but would instead curse and fight back against them. Life itself was a war, and it wasn't one that she ever planned on losing. Poison always had a voracious appetite for stories – so voracious in fact that she could tire herself with reading them. Too much of a good thing, perhaps, or perhaps it was because they all seemed to follow the same predictable pattern. A prince meets a princess and they fall in love. Never trust a unicorn. Always be kind to beggars. Yet, she kept the books that were given to her, even if she didn't read them. Even closer to the end of her story, she has a tendency to be dismissive of things that don't make sense to her right away, or things that seem to be brainless platitudes or utter nonsense. Though this part of her personality was tempered by her journey it still remains, and Poison has a very no-nonsense view on life and the world around her. When everyone else is falling apart she has the ability to remain calm and under control, and yet when she is the one falling apart it's very difficult to get through to her. Despite the baleful and cold way in which she often seems to view the world, Poison is certainly capable of caring, even about people she dislikes when the occasion calls for it. She helped her stepmother to calm down after the abduction of her sister, and felt a near overwhelming grief over the loss. Her relationship with the young girl Peppercorn is one that progresses from threadbare patience to a near-sisterly bond, and she even showed concern for the fate of Lord Aelthar when he was found murdered, though it could be argued that her worry was more for herself than the Phaerie Lord. Poison's bravery and determination is often undermined by a general lack of tact. Though she is intelligent and knows many things that those of Gull do not, her tendency to speak before thinking is only ever saved by an uncanny luck that seems to strike when it's most needed. She can be easily taken aback by new things, but dislikes it intensely when her naivety or surprise is pointed out. Showing that kind of weakness in a world that could easily see her dead isn't something she wants to risk, not for any price or in front of anyone. She's a tough young lady who likes to put out the appearance that she always knows what she’s doing, but despite that, she's certainly not stupid. Poison can evaluate a situation and know when to ask for help, even if she's reluctant to do so, but tends towards taking on what she views as more difficult or dangerous tasks alone. All but those who know her best have difficulty in reading her emotions or pinning down what she might do next, which often gives her the element of surprise in conversation or unusual situations. Her quick wit makes her a keen bluffer (for example, when in Shieldtown, she claimed to be Lamprey's niece in order to chase off some robbers), but she can easily put herself in over her head with such things, with her self-confidence playing against her. All in all, Poison is a good-hearted, generally well-meaning girl who often gets herself into more trouble than she can handle. If she becomes attached to someone, her loyalty is such that she'll risk her life for them, but it's a task to earn her respect in such a way. She was forced to grow up much more quickly than most her own age, but she wouldn't change a thing about her journey. ABILITIES Poison is, for the most part, a regular eighteen year old girl. However, her position in the Phaerie Realm means that she would be capable of writing things into existence (an ability I fully expect to be nerfed, as they were in Box). As the Hierophant, she can change the world around her in any way she might wish, and she is capable of a great deal with this seemingly simple power. Aside from this, however, she is just as frail as any human and just as easy to kill or hurt.

INFORMATION AGE: 16 (21 with current CRAU) HEIGHT: 5'2" BUILD: Slender HAIR: Black EYES: Violet APPEARANCE: Link STATUS: Single OCCUPATION: Hierophant PERMISSIONS BACKTAGGING: Y 4TH-WALLING: Y THREADJACKING: Y MIND READING: Y FIGHTING: Y ROMANCE: Y INJURY: Y KILLING: Y - ask first!

( efficio )