Jumbo Ask Game - Parlay Leitlief

Parlay. Patron saint OC of righteous anger and reckless kindness. Staunch anti-capitalist. Naive evangelist of the All-Father. Fae-fucked friend with great intentions and even greater expectations. Hoo boy.

Parlay is my Eladrin Oath of Ancients Paladin, and possibly one of my most complicated characters? Their story touches on just. A LOT of kind of dissonant themes and although they were made as a DND character I think they might function better as the protagonist of a novel honestly. Also I CANNOT draw their fucking face consistently.

🌀 Where is your OC from? Where were they born? Do they still live there, if not why did they move? If they still live in the area how has it changed since their childhood? How many places has your OC lived in and where has been their favourite?

I think I’m gonna start with this one actually as it will give a lot of context to the rest of this. Again yeah Parlay’s story is all over the place.

[CW: mining disasters, child labour & death]

So. Parlay, née Parsley, was born to a family of wood elves in a mining scrip town. They spent their early childhood in their impoverished family, under the servitude of The Company and the mining bosses. Parlay’s entire family, aside from his Mother, worked the in the coal mine from the ages of around 6 onward. Paid in Company Coin that could only be spent at the Company Store. (Things are about to get worse, I’m sorry-) One day, at around age 8, Parlay is home, sick with a fever. And on that day, disaster strikes the town. A section of the tunnels cave in, and many lives are lost at the hands of cruel carelessness. Parlay’s father and two siblings are amongst the dead. Parlay would have been with them if not for their sickness.

And in the carnage and the chaos, Parlay’s mother makes a rash, reckless decision. Wrapping her remaining child in blankets and scarves, she runs out in the dead of night, deep into the forests that surround the town. Parlay would be counted among the dead that day, but maybe- just maybe- he would survive away from the punishing cruelty of the mining town. A small, sick child, alone in the woods. Somehow, this seemed to be their best odds. (Super heavy section over!)

Parlay’s later time in the Faewild warps and fades a lot of these memories, but overall the vibes are fucking abominable. And, of course, anything should seem better than that.

So Parlay’s second home is in the Faewild. They don't… fully remember the exchange that brought them there- but they remember the hare, haunted and trance-like, berry juice dripping from its muzzle, and the weight of the eyes watching them, and the prickling sensation at the back of their mind that signals a bargain with the Fae. But so it goes. Parlay spent the rest of their childhood and adolescence as a resident of the Seelie Court. It was a much brighter period of life, and overall their memories are fond. The Faewild is a place of constant change and magic, and that reflects in its residents, too. Somewhere along the way, they stopped being just a simple wood elf, and gained the seasonal alignments of the eladrin - as well developing some more animalistic features, and also trans-ing their gender. Shout out to magic, my favourite gender-affirming care-

Parlay left the Court and the Faewild very shortly before the events of the [campaign/novel/now]. He has spent years being taught half-truths and fanciful stories - the fae are, after all, The Fae. Returning to the material plane, Parlay is armed with the belief that it is their duty and destiny to fight for the freedom of natural magic, and also a Big Fucking Sword. Only one of these things is true, however.

(The greatsword sticker I sell at Morningstar Makes RPG is based on Parlay’s sword!)

🔥 Give us a list of general likes and dislikes, such as colours, textures, music, weather and other stuff!

I think Parlay’s favourite colour shifts with their seasonal alignment - yellow/green for spring, red for summer, brown for autumn and a blueish white for winter. They love flowers, and I thiiink if I recall correctly the ones that grow from their circlet are yellow wood sorrel?

Parlay is generally a really chill and happy person, and they find a lot of joy in all of the small things in life, especially nature - finding and being a source of joy in the world is actually part of their oath as an Ancients paladin! As a result their dislikes are kind of more heavy, ethical subjects, like injustice and cruelty. Also capitalism. They really hate capitalism. Something-something-grew-up-in-a-mining-scrip-town.

🍊 What is your OC’s favourite meal? Snack? Dessert? Drink? Any reasons behind this besides liking how it tastes? What is your OC’s most hated food? Stuff they can’t stand to eat or drink?

Parlay I think has a very old English countryside kind of palate. Roasted veg and chicken pie and potatoes. It’s warm and filling and homely. They like savoury foods most of all, and they like food best when they can share it with others. Breaking Bread Together and all that.

🍑 Where is your OC’s favourite place to relax or calm down? Recount a story of their time spent in this place! What makes it so special to them? Is there anywhere your OC hates to go to? Anywhere that stresses them out or have negative memories of?

So. I think Parlay spent a lot of time in the Seelie Court’s Hall of Mirrors. A thousand crystal mirrors that reflected a thousand futures. Their past was… So many things. But here they could look at all of the different paths that spread before both them and the world. Their future was limitless.

But of course, with time, the trickster natures of the fae twisted Parlay’s path into one of their own design. All of the mirrors began to reflect the same thing, the same and single ‘truth.’ Parlay, child of both the material and fae planes, was the Chosen One. The Champion of the All-Father, destined to return the freedom of natural magic in a realm slowly being conquered by the steady march of progress. It is their duty - their destiny, even - to fight this fight. And Parlay believed them, because what else was he to do but take the path laid out before him?

📙 What kind of subjects (of conversation, of discussion, in school or whatever) does your OC find interesting or engaging or that they can talk for hours about? What kind of stuff do they just find fun? What things bore your OC to tears and they couldn’t care less about? Why?

Parlay is not a very learned individual - honestly there’s a very good chance that they aren’t even literate actually? But they know a lot about the natural magic of the world, and the power of ordinary people. They’re a strong believer in fairness, and mediation, but also know that sometimes, an act of justice must be enforced however necessary.

Parlay is also extremely versed in the teachings of Sylvanus, the Oaken All-Father, deity of the Seelie Courts and God of Gods. Part of the mission that they believe they must fulfil is to spread the word of the All-Father back to the people of the material plane. I think at first, they simply do not understand at all why others would choose to worship “small gods,” or other deities - but with time, I think that they would find a fascination for all forms of the Divine. You go, you shelted little future theology nerd!

😊 What can make your OC smile even when they’re feeling down? What cheers them up and makes everything feel better for them? Is your OC generally a happy person and do they enjoy making others smile? What about your OC makes others happy?

Despite. Well. Everything. Despite everything, Parlay is a fundamentally positive and joyful soul, above all. They find great love in so many things in life, and believe in the power of connection between peoples as a great driving force for both positivity and change. The world can be filled with love, if only we reach out for one another. And what greater strength is there than that?

They find joy in spreading joy - through laughter, through song, through good food. The light of the world must be kindled, protected, and most of all, shared.

🌸 What does your OC’s voice sound like? Their laugh? Are they good at singing? Do they have an accent?

Parlay has a Texan accent [as best as I, a southern English person, can achieve]. I have no justification for this.

Have a sneak peak of a Parlay piece I’m working on right now! I redrew their face like 20 times last night and I’m STILL not happy with it