Early Life

Raziya was born and raised in isolation, on one of the 43 islands among the Shattered Teeth, south of Wildemount & in the southeastern sea of Tal’dorei, with humans, some halflings, and catfolk/tabaxi, mostly. The island, known as Baragyun, was one filled with many acolytes who worship the brave & kind Leonal deity, and also the island’s namesake, Baragyun. The land is mostly jungle aside from a central town, where Raziya lived with fellow acolytes. The surrounding area is plagued with lost spirits/ghosts and other undead creatures said to be the lost, tormented souls of the previous Leonin & catfolk to live there; long ago massacred by Baragyun’s rival, Eius, a chaotic elvish-looking deity, after they fought over the land. As a result, Eius wiped out the population almost entirely and cursed their souls to wander the land forever, and if their forms should be slain they would simply rise again and again. This was the story Raziya was raised on all of her life -- and it bore importance to her upbringing. Born to a human mother (now passed, she never knew her; named Leyla), Raziya is the only Leonin of her entire town and, as far as the people knew, the only one alive anywhere. In their local lore, a Leonin princess was prophesied to be born and rise as the daughter of Baragyun & protector of the island from the spirits. She would be the only one able to permanently slay the tormented souls & guide them to the afterlife to be with her father, and would then continue the line of their race. When Raziya was born, her mother brought her to the town elders, who immediately realized she was the child their prophecy told of. They were both taken into the central temple of the town, where all worship took place -- also thought to be the spiritual center of the land. Raziya was regarded as royalty & worshiped as a holy figure since she was born; her relatives (also acolytes) looked after her post her mother’s passing; people of the town brought her offerings, things to keep her pleased; the other acolytes & elders made her the center of religious gatherings, holidays, put her on a pedestal, and so on for much of her young life. When she hit age 10, however, the acolytes began testing her abilities. The prophecy foretold that the child of Baragyun would also bear magical essence within her -- obviously, being the daughter of a god. The town elders would pass down his holy weapon to her at this age, “Baragyun’s Blade” -- one they held onto since long before her birth, allegedly delivered by Baragyun himself long ago to the people. The capability to free the souls of the island came with unlocking her “magical blood rite.” Raziya’s half-aunt, Pia (a tabaxi and high-rank acolyte of the town by her familial association), began by teaching her how to fight with said blade, which Raziya struggled with at first but gradually became skillful in. In a short time into her training, however, they began cutting her occasionally for rituals -- first to see if her blood did indeed have any magical properties. The mages of the town indeed could sense there was something about Raziya’s blood, but nothing powerful enough to cause any magical effect on a weapon or that would enhance her fighting skills, especially to fight the spirits in the jungle. They would, regardless, continue using her blood for religious events despite her stubbornness about it (she didn’t like it, obviously; she got used to it, though, in time).

Blood Poisoning

A year of more learning, training, & research from the acolytes led them to discovering how to create a concoction, a poison, that would unlock Raziya’s “hemocraft” capabilities should she survive drinking it. After some time, Pia, with the help of the elders & Silk, a powerful alchemist (& also acolyte) tabaxi of the town, were able to craft this concoction. At age 11, Raziya was given this drink unknowingly and forced into a week of pain and suffering -- but she survived it. After drawing her blood again post-poison, Silk found that it had a much more powerful magic essence than ever before. Once Raziya fully recovered, she became furious with her family for putting her through the experience and ran off into the jungle to hide from them in the night, taking the sword with her only for protection. She had never felt more terrified and betrayed in her life, wondering what more they would put her through in the name of her alleged father in the future. While in the wilderness, she encountered a wandering ghost and, when it tried to attack her, she had to fight back. Amidst the fight, she was able to win by utilizing her new abilities, managing to seemingly blind it for just a moment -- enough for it to miss a hit on her and for her to take it down with the sword. More scared of the jungle than her terrible family, she made her way home as the sun was rising the next morning. Unaware of her being gone, Pia was horrified to hear at first that Raziya had been attacked when she admitted to it, but intrigued to find out about the ability Raziya spoke of unlocking. Seemingly any resentment in the girl melted away as she seemed fascinated with her own new biology. Her training resumed immediately and carried on almost as normal for months, aside from honing her newer skill to lessen a foe’s ability to hit her. In time, the acolytes would cut her again for the celebration of a holiday and ritual for Baragyun -- and be surprised to see her blood adhere to the blade she wielded, seeming to imbue it with power & causing flames to crackle across the length of it. A new development, and one that ensured their peace of mind while traveling outside of the town would soon arrive. Interestingly though, Raziya was also able to see the spirits of those that were not undead, but rather souls trapped on the material plane without a physical/visible form, with these newfound abilities. This will only become significant later. Regardless, the longer things went on like this, with Raziya being trained to be a defender of the people & being a religious figure & developing more blood-based abilities, the more anxious she became. However, she could not attribute this to her situation; she was merely confused by her nervousness, which was both directed towards those around her and just general, giving her an uncomfortable feeling all-around. Not to mention, she was kind of lonely as a kid. Growing up the way she did, Raziya rarely conversed with other children her age the way one normally would. She rarely even saw them, unless they were in the temple for one reason or another. When she did, they mostly ogled at her, or came to offer her something, rather than treating her like another child. Her only real friend, who saw her as more of a person than a religious figure, savior or soldier, was her cousin & Pia’s child, Twig, who basically lived in the temple with them. They would pull her away to play or mess with others of the town when the acolytes weren’t looking; Twig was a slippery kid and could seemingly stealth their way out of most situations, so they had little trouble dragging Raziya along with them as long as she kept quiet. Together, they got up to a lot of trouble (which both would be extensively scolded for, but it didn’t stop them). Raziya appreciated that time spent with Twig didn’t mean pain, or fighting, or stress. They wanted to spend time with her because she was nice, and fun, and family, not because she was holy, or a protector, or special (in a magical way). Pia clearly cared for Raziya as well, but was harsh and strict with her often. Raziya would regard her fondly, but harbors an unexplainable (to herself) uncomfortableness when thinking of her (and most others of the island, honestly).

Breaking the Rules

At age 14, Pia & the other acolytes began to bring her into the jungle to truly test her skills. Unsurprisingly to her mentor(s), she was exceptional at slaying ghosts. However, the more she killed, the worse Raziya ended up feeling. This confused her; this was what she was born to do. Frankly, she wasn’t really killing them, she was freeing them -- Pia and the other acolytes insisted this when she questioned it. And she was clearly doing something -- the town saw a noticeable decline in activity from the spirits in the coming months once she started to fight them off in the immediate vicinity. Her people began to rejoice; she received more praise & gifts than ever, celebrations were held with every journey she made to & from the jungle with Pia, and so on. Things couldn’t be better than they were for her, but she felt worse than ever. In secret, Raziya began to sneak out into the woods when she wasn’t accompanied/being watched to explore the jungle. Instead of attacking the spirits that gravitated towards her, she began trying to speak with them. At first, nothing seemed to work, and they attacked her anyway, but she refused to fight back. Instead, she’d just run off and come back another day. Eventually, she began to refuse to fight the ghosts, which made Pia very upset. When she began refusing, Pia attempted to force her, but she had no luck. Pia started having to lie to the rest of the town and insist that Raziya was still doing her job, while she tried to come up with a solution to the girls’ stubbornness. Raziya opened up about how she wanted to become friends with the ghosts, to Twig. She explained that she was hopeful she could possibly free them by giving them a friend instead of killing them -- because she doubted they ever had a living friend before. Her cousin was confused and skeptical but thought her intent was good. Feeling she had his support, Raziya was more determined than ever to find a solution that wasn’t violent for the spirits. She continued leaving to go and speak with them on a regular basis, while Pia lied continually about her attending her duties properly to the rest of town. Months passed, and while the spirits still seemed hostile towards her by the time she turned 15, she felt like she was getting somewhere. It would be another handful of months before they seemed to warm up to her, and she could sit amongst the ghosts of the jungle and not be harmed. She made it a habit to come out and play her viol to them in time, as well -- something she learned to play from one of the town elders.

Being Found Out & Going Away

In time, however, the other acolytes began to catch on that something was up, and Raziya was eventually found out. The church was furious with both her and Pia for withholding the information, to which Pia apologized profusely but insisted she genuinely could not force Raziya to do what she asked, that she’d become out of control. Raziya insisted that she didn't have to slay the spirits for them to be freed, but the acolytes cried nonsense. She was holed up in her room for about 2 weeks with constant supervision after that, but managed to sneak out one night to meet with Twig. She cried and told them she couldn’t live this way anymore, and that she needed to live how she wanted instead. They tried to comfort her, insisting everything would be fine -- but that maybe she should just do what Pia told her from now on, so that she wouldn’t have to suffer so much. Raziya argued that listening to the acolytes & her aunt was what was making her suffer the most, and that she didn’t want to kill any more of the wandering spirits just because they told her she had to. She insisted that she understood some creatures are evil, but she didn’t believe those on the island were. Twig argued that they don’t need to be evil to die -- it was their destiny to be permanently killed, because then they could finally join Baragyun in the afterlife and be at peace. Raziya argued that she’d never even heard from or seen Baragyun in her life, so how could she be sure he was even real? That any of this meant anything? Twig said that he had to be real; how would she exist if he wasn’t? She couldn’t necessarily argue back to that. However, after some more time and crying, Twig proposed she just run away. She told them she’d tried before, but they said she could leave the island entirely and find a new place to live -- then she could make her own life. They didn’t expect her to take it so seriously, but she went on to insist they both begin working on a plan to make that happen. They had little choice but to commit. Over the following 4 weeks, they divulged a plan to get Raziya off the island by hiding her amongst the cargo of a shipping boat from Wildemount that would be delivering goods in a couple of months. The island had worked out a trade deal with them that had the ship coming to the island annually to deliver fine wines & furs from the continent that the island couldn’t procure themselves; in exchange, the people of Baragyun gave them herbs & fish native to the island and nowhere else, among other things. Twig would create a distraction so she could get below deck and be taken back to Wildemount with them. Going to any neighboring islands among the archipelago was not an option, as most are independent and close-knit; some even having tensions between each other. Fleeing there was a dangerous option for Raziya, so they ruled it out. In the between time, Raziya would be accompanied to the jungle 3 times a week to exterminate more spirits -- not just with Pia anymore, but multiple acolytes of the town and the high priest, a dwarven man named Umrik Goldtongue, in order to ensure she did her job correctly. Which, in turn, she did. It weighs on her, though, having betrayed the trust of all those ghosts she took so long to befriend. Once she began “properly” attending to her duties again, Pia praised her, insisting she was doing the right thing and that in due time she would understand, and that everything would come together for her once her father came to enlighten her & thank her for her work. The night before the boat would arrive, she met up with Twig for the last time and gave them her thanks (and a huge hug). They cried, saying they’d miss her, and she cried in response, but they wished her well all the same, and said they understood. Her time for departure came the next morning, and Twig tripping with a crate of wine and crashing off the gangplank and into the water with it created a good enough distraction for her to scramble on and hide -- good enough for her to be taken away amongst the sailors. It was 2 days out at sea before she showed herself, much to the crews’ shock and terror. She made it clear that she was friendly, but she had to get away from Baragyun -- and she would be in their debt forever if they did not bring her back. They agreed to not bring her back, mostly since the ship was far away by now anyway, but she’d have to pull her weight. Raziya agreed, and became an honorary crew member for a bit.

Wildemount & The Circus

In some time that felt like forever to her, they reached land. Port Zoon. Raziya was immediately enamored with the Menagerie Coast upon arriving on land. It was big, beautiful, bustling, full of all different kinds of people -- she loved it. Parting with the crew, she made her way to Nicodranas per their recommendation. Traveling on her own was very new to her, especially in such a long distance, but her charisma guided her along the way by making acquaintances, temporary traveling partners, etc. and she arrived safely. When she saw Nicodranas, she never wanted to leave.
Using the money she’d taken with her from home, she made a new “home” temporarily in the Wayfarer’s Cove, a tavern in the Restless Wharf district of the city -- a busy dockyard. Day to day, Raziya used her remaining funds to see & experience what the city had to offer; enjoying various pastries (and coming to particularly love cinnamon, which she’d never had before), entertainment, and such. She remained in the city for a year, becoming a friend of the locals & enjoying the life & atmosphere, before she would be near out of gold to sustain herself (the way she wanted to, especially). When she realized this, she decided to leave town. The owner of the Wayfarer’s Cove, a half-elf named Sylben (who was rather closed off and crotchety when Raziya first met him, but warmed up in some time), told her she should go north, up to the Empire, where finding work may be easier. Raziya was disappointed, not wanting to leave the coast, but it seemed she would have to work at this point, so she began considering it. In the week before she planned to depart, however, a traveling circus came to the city -- something she didn’t even know was a thing before then. Out of pure curiosity, she attended the show, and ended up completely enamored with the performances of those a part of it -- the music, the gymnastics, the stunts, the magic. It was new and wonderful to her. After the show, she stayed behind in the tent and approached the apparent organizers -- a tiefling woman named Song and a dragonborn man named Kalren. They introduced themselves as the ringmasters of the circus & a loving couple. Raziya said she really loved the show, and asked if they would take her in as a performer. Intrigued by the lion-person, they asked her what she could offer to the show. The leonin explained she could juggle swords (which she had never tried, but figured she could learn). She tried tossing around Baragyun’s Blade, which she always keeps on her, in front of them to demonstrate -- and surprisingly did very well for her first try, managing to impress them. They invited her to join them as a result, saying such an act would be pretty cool for the show; plus, she could do other sword tricks in the future. Raziya was ecstatic, and ended up traveling with the group. She was with them for a year, so from 16 to 17. Aside from Song and Kalren, there were 4 other members of the circus, all performers. Song and Kalren sang & played music for the opening of the show and the end. A half-elf, Lara, walked a tight-rope and performed other various gymnastic stunts. Gillian, a human man, performs magical stunts by walking through fire, breathing it, creating fiery illusions, etc.. A halfling woman, Sabyn, throws knives & does tricks with them. Another half-elf, a man named Elovar, does a duet with his companion ferret, Bandit, balancing balls & other things with him, having him jump through hoops and doing the same, etc.. Raziya came to make friends with all of them and love them all a lot. Her first group of real friends… It was amazing for her. The group also became increasingly amused with her act the better she got at juggling weapons. Lara was the one outlier of the gang, somewhat standoffish and closed off. Eventually, she left without a word after a show in Trostenwold, leaving room for a gymnast. Raziya eagerly insisted to Song and Kalren that she could fill the half-elf’s spot, being extremely dextrous -- which she did, and even more well than she could juggle sharp objects. She became the central attraction of sorts for the show. Raziya couldn’t be happier with them, Kalren and Song becoming parents to her in some way, and the rest of the lot being the best friends she’d had. However, the leonin became restless.

Guiding a New Friend & Nowadays

At 17, she left the circus with the group’s good wishes, and went traveling on her own. In her time on her own, Raziya came across many wandering souls. Not undead or ghosts (although she did find those too), but just spirits damned to the material plane without any way to be seen. Any time she encountered a harmless ghost, Raziya made it her business to make friends with them. She came to the conclusion that sometimes, befriending them allowed them to pass on -- occasionally, however, she’d have to do something for them, or take them somewhere, to allow them to pass on. Raziya came to love doing this-- making friends, and essentially setting them free. One day, while trekking through the Marrow Valley on her way to the site of a job she’d taken (to kill some zombies in the area), she came across a ghost sitting in the grass, off the road, beside a long wooden stick dug into the earth, of a lavender tiefling with red eyes. Immediately she called out to him; he seemed disoriented. He greeted her, and said he was Mollymauk Tealeaf. Aw yeah time for that good oc in canon shit. In turn, she introduced herself as well, and asked if he was alright. He asked how she could see him; she said she just could. After some conversation, she explained he was dead, and could come with her if he wanted. “Molly” took the offer and tagged along with the leonin, but not before asking her to pick up an ostentatious, long coat off in the grass some feet away that he couldn’t touch. She packed it into her bag and they went on their way. She was 18 at the time. Molly became a guide to Raziya of sorts; an apparent Blood Hunter of her similar skill set before his death (which Raziya didn’t even know could exist, before meeting him), he was able to guide her along, helping her become stronger at her own pace, and aiding her in understanding her abilities as time went on and she unlocked more. The only other Blood Hunter Raziya knew, she began to see Molly as a sort of deity -- since she, herself, was the only person she knew to possess such powers otherwise, and hers seemed to stem from her deity-father. Thus, she viewed Molly not just as a friend and mentor but almost as a higher power of sorts -- even though she knew he was really just a person who died. He became a role model for her, in turn. Currently, Raziya takes small jobs where she can but mostly lives a life based on enjoyment. She spends a lot of time in taverns -- drinking, dancing, telling stories, doing tricks; she can still juggle weapons quite well and is a damn good gymnast. Molly accompanies her just about everywhere, and she means to figure out how she can get him where he needs/wants to be, but she enjoys his company & guidance so much that she’s scared to ask. Besides, he gets her way of life and even encourages it, and she doesn’t really want to lose a friend like that. Maybe she’ll learn tarot cards someday. Maybe she’ll figure out where he needs to go. Maybe.

• Raziya doesn't take being a blood hunter all that seriously since leaving home; it's more just like a thing that she is rather than a sworn duty or something. She's still pretty good at it, though, and she still likes to fight in general.
• She is functionally illiterate. Despite coming from an isolated but privileged life, she was always read to rather than reading herself (and she never wrote). She likely can learn, though.
• If someone notices her talking to a ghost (of which they can't see, Molly is a prominent example) she lies that she talks to her figure of worship/god out loud. She also uses this "god", of which she never discloses an identity of, as an explanation for her blood capabilities, implying herself to be a cleric of sorts, getting her powers through said "god". How effective this lie is is unbeknownst to her, but people don't seem to ask twice and she avoids showing her explicit blood capabilities to people anyway. She even keeps a handful of arcane focuses on her to keep up this charade.
• Her voice claim is Perfuma from She-Ra and The Princess of Power.