Emelie (Elf Bard)

Emelie is a pure-blooded elf bard from a desert climate, so she's got that melanin (eyyyy). I basically wanted a black high fantasy character for my first ever dnd game and she was perfect. I made up a whole backstory in my head for her and had pictures commissioned and when I moved out of my hometown to where I live now, she had to die. But more on that later. 

Emelie was born to a low-standing artistic family on the Golden Coast. Her father, no one of importance, had a particular skill in glass-blowing. It was a common enough trade, and he made enough money to support a family. Emelie had siblings, an older brother and an older sister, who both had a head for the family business. Her sister would go on to take of the glass-blowing side, while her brother would take over the trading of goods and the selling of their product. Emelie's mother was the one who taught performance and performance magic, often encouraging young Emelie to dance and sing in front of crowds of neighbors and customers. 

Eventually, Emelie grew bored of the humdrum life her family had. She wanted adventure! She wanted to see the world! She wanted people to recognize her talent! She makes enough money from working at her father's business to buy a lute, and from her tips singing songs and reciting stories and poetry at her local tavern, she manages to buy the gear necessary to set out on the road. She makes promises to write and come home as often as she can, but she eventually gets too far away from home for that to happen. She's 16/17 when she sets out on the road, and manages to make a name for herself -- being a young pretty and charming elf has its perks. 

To make a long story short, she meets up with some adventurers, who kill a man whom she was traveling with (he wasn't a good guy), and she joins them in their adventures around the world. It ends like this:

She makes a deal -- with a woman who isn't... human. She's fey, and she likes Emelie's voice. So much so, she let's the Fey King know about Emelie. Through some unfortunate mishap, Emelie loses her nose, and by making a deal with the woman, Emelie can get her nose back. She takes the deal, thinking nothing of it. She's young, she's beautiful, she's had great luck so far (those dice were so, so nice to me). Her luck runs out though.

Her friends are swept in some sort of civil conflict -- the orcs have been taken as slaves in this country, and they've decided to rise up against the tyranny. Her friends must pledge to the cause (which honestly isn't so bad, but they've got other agendas, and participating in this is going to cut into process time) or be kept imprisoned. When Emelie attempts to make her pledge, the Fey King makes himself known. He is NOT pleased. Emelie has been running all over the country, sharing that lovely voice of his with everyone but HIM. In a burst of brilliant, blinding light, Emelie thanks her friends for staying by her side, and takes the Fey King's hand. What choice does she have? She made a deal. She doesn't fear though. Her friends are incredible, capable of so much. She's learned a lot from them. She's smart, she's resilient, and she's had great luck so far. 

She hears one last promise from them: they will find her. She doesn't know how long that will take, but for now, she sings endlessly in the Fey King's court, never growing tired, never growing older, waiting for her chance.