Mio

    Mio Falyer has never been the type to sit around. Vae've always kept busy, from being a wild child without rest to a hardworking adult with a busy schedule. But lately the repetition of vaer old life as a schoolteacher had begun to wear too deeply on them--nowadays vae're still on the move, but now in a more literal way as vae traipse across Andras, exploring and adventuring to vaer hearts content, vaer cozy cottage and familiar community left readily behind.
    It's perhaps a little unusual for travelers to start their adventures in their middle years, but Mio feels vae've wasted time enough. Vae already gave up the mantel of adventurer once; not again!

    Mio was raised in the chill of the northern trade port Lornesse. Vaer parents were master bowyers, producing the hunting bows that most of the region used, as well as meticulously enchanted war bows for when conflict got out of hand. It was steady and reliable work, leaving them decently well off and affording Mio a fairly comfortable childhood; vae began to learn the family trade in vaer youth, but couldn't seem to sit still enough to get very far, instead running wild in the windswept landscape of the northern coast and returning only in time for dinner.
    Of course, good things rarely last. It was when the de Jager family began expanding their wares in Lornesse that things began to go south for the Falyer brand. Their work was precise, yes, but imported bows from other regions came cheaper and flashier, and when one of the pair fell deeply ill and slowed the production rate for their store, the de Jager salesmen seized that foothold without hesitation. It wasn't long before their once booming business had taken a hit from which it would never truly recover, and with only their most loyal customers buying stock, the Falyers were forced to turn to other avenues to keep themselves fed.
    Ultimately, that illness left Mio with just one parent. Things grew quiet in the Falyer household, and ultimately Mio watched the family trade slip away, vaer remaining parent too grief-stricken to bother trying to revitalize what had once been. It wouldn't be until Mio joined up with a group of friends with a plan to escape the cold claws of Lornesse together that vae would face a question of the craft again: vae were presented with one of the last Falyer war bows, a dark, elegant thing that was compatible with the heirloom spell, a spoken chant to summon a phantom arrow that would never run out like the traditional quiver. It was a fine piece of equipment, but its more elaborate enchantments had faded, and with only one of its two craftsmen left it couldn't be restored by its makers. Without a master enchanter, it probably would never fire off more than a simple astral arrow ever again, but Mio promised to try and find someone to help regardless before taking off for wider Andras.
    Even at its weakest, the war bow would serve Mio well, and vae and vaer group of friends were actually rather successful in their travels. Bouncing between work and romps was great fun for a bunch of teenagers, but along the way Mio found vemself falling into the arms of one of vaer friends, a handsome fellow who'd still been a bit new to the group when they'd all set out. Love turned out to be a funny thing--it seemed so soon that Mio was agreeing to part from the band and take off with vaer beau, off to the idyllic meadows of Fenmoore to put down the roots he wanted them to have. With vaer friends off to the next challenge, Mio stayed behind, and the war bow ended up not on the wall where Mio felt it deserved to be, but wrapped up in a closet where vaer new husband insisted it stay.
    It couldn't be said that Mio didn't try. But when have teenagers ever made a good impulse decision? It would be another brave three years before the disagreements started bubbling to the surface, Mio having run out of will to stem vaer contrary opinions. Seven more would pass with increasing distance before the fight of the century: neither could tell you what it had really been about, so great was the flood of resentment that came pouring out once the dam failed. Despite the hunger to go, Mio staunchly fought to keep the cottage they shared, perhaps simply out of spite. Whatever the reason, there vae would stay for the next decade, putting on a smile for the children they taught at work and keeping vaer home tidy for no one.
    It wouldn't be until around vaer fortieth birthday that vae would begin to seriously entertain the idea of leaving. It was hard to think of a reason to stay, really, other than that it had been so long--but did that mean that door was closed forever? Certainly not. That summer vae quietly quiet vaer job, gradually gave away vaer food and some possessions, cleaned and shuttered vaer cottage, and finally rescued the war bow from the closet. Surely vae still had it in vem to go out like this .... if nothing else, didn't they say that travel enriches the soul?

    Mio is a quick thinker, active and lively and usually ready to go. Once upon a time vae were brash and fiery; nowadays vae've settled down with age, but vae can still be contrarian, especially to harsh authority, and gracefully accepting being wrong is a skill vae had to learn.
    Vae're gracious to young people, especially children, but after so many years being surrounded by kids vae've come to prefer the company of adults vaer own age by a long shot. Vae also have less of a tolerance for childishness in adults, and after years of holding vaer tongue vae now won't hesitate to inform you if something is unacceptable. Vaer willingness to offer second chances to adults has also declined.
    Mio does genuinely enjoy travel, and seeing a little action now and then has been a delight. Vae're an excellent shot with a bow, and while not an adrenaline junkie, won't hesitate to chase down something exciting if the mood catches vem. Sure, this has led to vem ending up in a spot of trouble now and again, but doesn't that come with the territory? And besides, it's never anything vae can't get vemself out of!

• Mio is nonbinary, and uses the pronouns vae/vem/vaer (used in a sentence the same way 'they' is used; see above for examples). These can also be spelled vey/vem/veir for ease of use, but please do not use any other pronouns for this character.
• One of Mio's animal companions is a sootmus, a former resident of vaer cottage and a little creature who vae would feed hearth ashes too in the evenings. It ended up stuck in vaer pack when vae left home, only to be discovered when it was too late to turn back. While it doesn't have a name, Mio sometimes affectionately calls it "little mus".
• Mio's other animal companion is a much more recent acquisition. This creature is a kiritsune fawn, the baby version of an animal that is supposedly ridable; Mio can't seem to get it to stop following vem, and so has reluctantly made it into a companion lest it fall into danger trying to trail vem. It too is nameless, but Mio is mulling over a name now that vae're getting more attached.
• The glowing diamond above Mio's head is a fallen star, which struck vem straight in the head one unlucky night and knocked vem unconscious for days. It's cold to the touch, and can be grabbed, but if pulled away it will snap back into position. Pull it too hard too fast and it might strike Mio on its way back ....
• Despite being willing to bed down pretty much anywhere, vae try to pay for inn rooms when vae can; age has made vem thankful for the semi-soft embrace of a cheap bed. Mio has a special appreciation for cozy places that remind vem of vaer cottage.
• Vaer favourite food is strawberry-rhubarb pie.
• Being on the road has made Mio lose some weight, but vae'll always be stoutly built.