Detailed Description
Personality: Shadow is hard headed, strong willed, loyal to a fault and like the majority of the women in her family, has a temper that is liable to create a few explosions. She can, at times, be easily insulted as well as violent. She loves a good fight and will not walk away from a challenge. Remember that she typically follows her gut instinct and her emotions. If she doesn’t like her first impression of you, there’s a slim chance that you’ll gain her trust at all.Shadow is the first one to admit that she has problems with holding grudges, and while she may be over the point of holding a grudge against an individual in the present, she has a difficulty of getting over the anger she might have felt at a certain memory. She is highly protective of her family and finds it hard to forgive those that hurt them. This has often led to there being a few difficult moments between herself and a few others, as she's had to resist the urge of killing them instantly.
However, with all of that said, she can and will be the voice of reason much to the surprise of others. A typical saying of hers is "I'm not that easy to kill." to most that would sound like arrogance but it tends to be the truth of the matter. Her Gods simply won't let her die, and for that matter, neither will a few choice family members.
Shadow has always been one for trouble. Constantly ending up with ranger duty as a child so she knows her way around the forest. As she gets older she has started respecting the old ways of her people more and more, something she rebelled against at times as a child. This has caused problems at times between she and some of her family.
She constantly thinks as a thief, her mind always working on possible ways to get into places that are suppose to be impossible to get into. There are only a few things that come before thieving, her family, friends and the forest. She always puts herself last. She's not afraid of death, and has been known to "help" it along at times. She's streetwise as well, living there after she left her clan.
Do to unforeseen circumstances; Shadow has taken to guarding her heart, only her family is allowed close to it. She refuses to fall in love again, and is often bitter towards the idea of it. She has been bonded three times, but only one was a soul bond, the other two were bonds by the heart. Outside of friends and family, there is only one that could even possibly get close to her heart, and she prefers not to even think of it.
Shadow does NOT give her real name, believing that a real name is powerful as well as sacred and those who are trusted with ones real name should feel honored. Very few know what her true name is and she is more than happy with that. She has been known to give false names, typically Lina and more recently, Max.
Physical Appearance: Shadow views the world with deep forest green with slight almond shaped eyes that is set in what can often be a deceptively innocent face. Her nose has enough of a slope to be considered pixyish while her full lips are naturally a black cherry red; her ears come to dainty points that often peak out from under her mass of hair. All in all, she has an exotic beauty that is completely natural with facial expressions that run from purely innocent to hard and uncaring.
Her skin is the rich copper colour that would be achieved by a good tan if it wasn’t the natural pigmentation of her skin. At times she can appear darker as she does tan and has been known to go to bed bright red and get up the following morning a light bronze. Her build is willowy to the point that she looks frail, while still having a definite hourglass shape.
Shadow’s favorite feature, her hair, falls to her waist in a cascade of onyx and silver waves that tell of how curly her hair would be if it was cropped short. In recent years she’s taken to leaving her hair completely unbound save for one small braid that starts from the top of her head about mid way back. In this she keeps two dagger charms. NOTE: When in battle, Shadow keeps her hair in a tight braid.
Clothing from the ground up: Shadow can typically be found wearing black, typically dusty, round toe boots that comes just below her knee and lace up for a tight fit, with just enough heel for a little elegance without compromising her footing. Skin tight, black leather pants which lace up the side from the thigh up to the waist are tucked into them.
Shadow prefers a swordsmen’s shirt that laces from just blow her bust line and typically loosely laced. The sleeves are flowing, allowing for excellent freedom of movement (as well as a handy place to store stolen purses) the cuffs taper and lace to assure a close fit. The shirt is long enough so that she keeps it tucked in to her pants; the shirts vary in colour but her preferred colours are a deep green, white or black
Sometimes she can be found wearing a black rough leather jerkin (always left open) over her shirt or a suede leather bodice that laces up the front and across the shoulders, also in black.
While unneeded for weather, Shadow has been known to wear a cape of a special material that easily blends into its surroundings. The under cape has generously cut armholes for added flexibility of motion and an added capelet that keeps wind and rain from sneaking through the armholes.
Accessories from head to toe: NOTE: While there are many things that are important to Shadow, she does not carry or wear all of them.
Around her neck is a twisted black silk cord from which hangs a silver tribal leaf, this rests slightly below the hollow of her throat. It is now the ONLY necklace that she wears and replaces the torque that she wears on formal occasions.
Around Shadow’s left wrist is a worn braided leather strap with a thin piece of silver running through it. The braided leather is the only thing left of the binding strap from her first marriage and was the last gift she received from her original Guardian, Suriel Aerta. The piece of silver is a thin bracelet that her son Aaron gave to her.
On the ring finger of Shadow’s right hand is a signet ring of a simple silver band with a vine engraved into the surface. On the pinky finger of her left hand is a small silver ring made out of woven silver, a gift from Y’Roden D’Riel.
Visible Markings:
Note: The above are marks that can be seen in Shadow’s usual way of dress. (*) stands for markings that can possibly be seen depending on dress.
Non-Visible Markings:
Note:(*) stands for markings that can possibly be seen depending on dress.
Weapons: Shadow carries a great deal of throwing daggers on her person, many of which are hidden in various places that few know about. However, there is one in each boot, and at least one hidden under her shirt. A large curved, sickle-like dagger with a large tourmaline gem set into the pommel is strapped to her right thigh.
At her waist is typically two unusual daggers known as Shadow Daggers. A picture of what one looks like can be found on the treasures page along with other weapons used. At Shadow’s will, they can pass through any object she wishes, or turn solid, depending on how the elf feels.
Shadow does own a sword, it just isn’t often she can be found wearing it. It’s referred to as Daesir (Shadow Light) and has an intricately detailed guard and pommel. A light ice blue crystal is mounted in the pommel and is said to give the user vision to detect the unseen or shadowed. The blade is 33 ¼” and is etched with mystical ruins that have been long since forgotten. Over all it is 42 ½” long.
The sword itself is made by the Shroudlings out of a strong white metal called thes’mirn, that is native to Arlsyn. The crystal, however comes from the Northern most mountains of Arlsyn, called Barsaive which boarders the Icestar sea, and was created by the Eladrins. Her brother has the mate to. The swords were gifts to them from their Great-grandmother. She typically keeps it with her when she rides, and in those cases it remains sheathed on her horse.
She also uses whatever is handy at the time, if that includes ramming her head into her opponents at the time, or ramming her knee into someone's groin, she won’t hesitate to do so.
Quirks If the truth be told, Shadow is strong enough to be considered a goddess though she doesn’t have anything that she is goddess over. This keeps her from being a major goddess, but she is too strong to be a minor one. Upon her death, she will be taken to the forests of the Sildanai where she will take her place amongst her family and the Sildanai. Shadow prefers to do things the mundane way. She has an unnatural fear of magic, although she is a very “magical” being. An occurrence when she was studying at Draelond frightened her. One of her classmates attacked another and drew him into a mage fight. The battle ended with the one student (a friend of hers) dieing, while the other was punished by being struck dumb with the very same power that he used to destroy the other mageling. Later when Suriel told her what she was and that she could easily destroy everything around her, her fear heightened and scared her away from it.
When her sons were tweleve/thirteen, the ability to produce children was taken away from her as punishment for marrying Suriel Aerta. That tale can be found on the stories page. It was something that truely tore Shadow apart as she loves children. Later this gift was given back to her when she married Dakien Sorntur as he was actual man she was suppose to marry. Occuances made the Sildanai believe that the two would never meet, so they let Shadow bond with Kurr Phelan, and later marry Suriel, though they disapproved. Eventually Shadow and Dakien did meet, and while Shady thought that it was who she was suppose to be with, she was wrong. In truth, Shadow's destiny did lie with Dakien, but because of the children they bore, not because they were 'meant' for each other.
Shadow is deathly afraid of snakes.