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Reticent, dutiful, trusts the Order.

Mute llama mentor and mage-protector and hero who struggles to connect with her family. Open to teaching and collaboration.

Personality

Brusque and efficient, Alrakis often gives the illusion that she's not looking for company. That's far from the truth, but she's no extrovert, either. All her life she's conditioned herself to prioritize restraint, and her ability makes her perpetually aware of the effect a mere word might have on the meaning of a sentence. So though she has a powerful brow, contributing to her known Resting Bitch Face, and she's certainly reticent, she's not unfriendly. That said, as a mage who's been practically raised by the Order, her admiration for it and its ideals often consume her. Her mind is often filled with strategy and training rather than friendship, and she tends to neglect the maintenance of her social circle outside of work partners.

Alrakis has certainly bought into the Order's teachings. She fears, always, growing too corrupt, and does her best to encourage herself and others to stay moderate in their dealings with magic. It's her fervent belief that mages have a duty to use their abilities to help the helpless: non-mages. (She claims to view them with respect, admiring them for working without the advantages a mage might have, but there's always a note of condescension there, too, as though magic is the only power worth having in the world.) By contrast, it's a lot more difficult for Alrakis to articulate her personal desires. When really pressed, and in close company, she may admit that she feels estranged whenever she meets her original herd, as though she's interacting with them through an invisible wall. Their worlds are too different now.

There's no such problem with other mages, especially those in the Order. She's taken to her new position as a supposedly "legendary" hero with gusto: if she can inspire other mages to follow in her hoofsteps as a Mage Protector, that'd be ideal. In that light, she's happy to play the role of a mentor or sparring partner, and she often makes public appearances on the Order's behalf (when she's not out on assignment, anyway). Though she's not a scholar, she's worked with a variety of partners and has a good instinct for how disparate types of magic can be used for the Order's purpose. That said, she's not necessarily persuasive: she's far better with young mages (who already admire someone with the bearing of a legend) than with politicians well-versed in the art of rhetoric.

She isn't quite sure how to feel about the new ruling on Mage-Protectors. Prince-Consort Sabora was Archmage Hagia's apprentice in the past, though, and that must mean he's doing what he thinks best for Ivras. King Gladius, of course, is unimpeachable.

In the field, she communicates with a deck of cards or signal flag (depending on how close her allies are) labeled with common combat-related symbols: she can write out more detailed words in ordinary conversation (she prefers plain language that's as direct as possible, though). She's also developed certain body language signals involving her ears and tail for communication with people who work with her often. The exact details of her magic are a secret: she's only permitted to discuss it with her commanding officers.

Though she hardly has time for hobbies, she does appreciate travel, and often takes assignments in various corners of Ivras (both to sightsee, and so that more young, impressionable mages might see a legendary hero doing her duty). Her writing and lettering is also notably stellar.

History

Honestly, Alrakis' story begins in quite an ordinary way. She began life as a member of a small, family-run camelid merchant caravan trading in textiles. Her parents were both white as snow, contributing to the worth of their furs, and though the black sheep, so to speak, shocked them, they welcomed her presence as a blessing. There were no particular traumas in her childhood. She was loved, and though she lacked siblings, she had company constantly due to her caravan's travel. Indeed most of it blurs together for her now. She can't even recall when the stars in her coat began to come in, though she's aware she certainly wasn't born with them. They seemed innocuous enough to all who knew her, though.

She vividly recalls making her first wish, though. It was nothing major: a wish for a taste of a sweet treat she'd chanced upon in the marketplace, resolved quickly enough by a vendor offering her a free sample and a sudden intense pain from her now-scraped knee. The most memorable part of it was how brightly she'd glowed, attracting plenty of attention at the time. Her parents were informed immediately through market gossip, though she hadn't intended to hide anything. She hadn't known magic at all back then, though. Of course, neither were her parents.

She was noticed fairly quickly by Order recruiters, though, considering it all happened in public. All she remembers is that they were kind. They sent her family gifts and answered their questions. They provided some delicious dinners. At the time no one knew or understood her power, and it took her a few months in the Order's academy to even trigger them again. Still, she found herself thrilled by the Order's teachings, excited at the thought that she had something special in her. She threw herself into her studies, working as hard as anyone to understand her magic and hone it into the tool it is today. Though she certainly didn't excel in academics - she's never exactly been one to sit still - she was near the top of her class when it came to practical use of magic.

Her time in the Order Academy passed like a dream. There was no question, afterward, of the path she'd take: right out of school she was knighted as a Mage Protector, and she took to her new role with relish. She'd always dreamed of giving back to the Order that shaped so much of her life, after all. She was assigned hunts in more and more important locations, but she was still young, and eager to make a name for herself.

And she certainly did that the year she turned twenty-two. In a coastal town, her squad had struggled ceaselessly to slay the monster of their current hunt. She'd already been trained, then, to use her magic as a last resort, but it certainly seemed like there was no other way. And so, heedless of the consequences, she made what she thought was the simplest wish she could: she wished for the monster to die.

It died, all right. But it wasn't the only one. The freak earthquake devastated the local economy, and injured plenty of citizens who'd thought themselves safe enough, holed up in their basements. And her magic took her voice from her in revenge, turning her permanently mute. Her previously soaring career spun to a halt. That level of collateral damage was simply unacceptable, and of course - no one had known her magic was quite so powerful, before. She went back to a dedicated course of study, working with various members of the Order to minimize the effects of her wishes, as well as learning again how to navigate the world now that she was mute. It was a year before she was cleared for active duty again, and she began it with small assignments, just one cog in a larger machine. She'd never forget how devastating magic could be, even in the hooves of someone who was decidedly the opposite of a witch.

It was only by coincidence that she was present in Faline five years ago. She wasn't really on duty, either: Faline is always well-protected, after all, and its own guard had always been perfectly adequate to deal with nearby monsters before. But it'd been a bad year, and this one in particular was swift and observant, a deadly combination. Eventually she was called upon because the Order had needed anyone capable in the area, and she'd certainly been developing a good record lately: Alrakis herself had ensured that she was the only bystander hurt by her magic in the past few years. Her mind for strategy and a very timely wish were deemed instrumental in the fight against that particular multi-headed monster.

Suddenly Alrakis was receiving medals of honor in the Order's name, and being repositioned as a new tool: a legend in the making. The Order publicized her story as one of success (though with some of the details edited to avoid publicizing the sensational nature of her magic), and provided her the best medical care (the magical kind) it could afford for her freshly-broken leg. It hasn't healed perfectly (her magic won't allow that), but she has four reasonably functional legs, and a recurring pain in one that causes her to rely, sometimes, on a cane, generally styled to look like a grand staff - largely because that's also her weapon of choice. She didn't necessarily want the glory, of course, but once she'd learned what a positive effect her presence might have on young, impressionable minds, she did her best to fill the new role that'd been thrust upon her. It wasn't so different from before, after all: she was simply a Mage-Protector with a few extra duties on the side, on account of her newfound fame.

(wc: 972)