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A bit of information on Rhea...
Hello there! Since Rhea is an Original Character, I thought I'd compile information and references on her in a post for easy access.
First, a reference picture, so you know what you're looking at:
(Art by Rosiariy from DeviantArt!)
Now, let's see about her backstory and personality (yoinked from her Victory Road app):
Background:
Rhea hails from a world known as Medleya, a world best described as "A Modern Fantasy Kitchen Sink." The world is a sort of melting pot of races and cultures from across the universe, to the point that it's unclear who originally settled the world. It does have magic for offensive, healing, and utility purposes, but the sheer amount and variety of magic users means there's no one specific way to use magic. Medleya seems to be a "redirect point" when someone tries to magically transfer to a world with no precise destination set, which brings a lot of rookie travelers in (that is, if you don't have a clear destination in mind, odds are you'll end up in Medleya). The world sports conveniences like an Internet and microwaves and nice buildings, but some more idyllic spots can be a little behind. More than an Internet, some spots in the world have a connection to the NexusNet, a galaxy-spanning internet where several worlds' worth of discussion, art, and memes can be found (but those are in the more advanced areas and outside of the current scope).
Rhea in particular was born to a forest clan of Raporra people on the western continent (known by many names but most often Westerlee). Hers was a clan that clung to traditional ways despite lost origins, and so interaction with others on the continent was limited, as was access to technology. Indeed, her community was so insular that visitors from other regions who weren't in obvious need of asylum were often repelled by force. They considered the country of elves from Felsheim to the south to be their enemies due to frequent incursions and territorial/ideological disputes. A cycle was created where the elves would attempt to reach out, only to be rebuked, and they would come back with more force every time until the fighting was so entrenched that the parties would attack each other on sight (albeit for very different reasons).
Convinced by her elders that the elves were looking to grab Raporra territory by force (evidenced by the annexation of an area belonging to a friendly tribe), Rhea took up her chakrams and began hunting down elven "trespassers." She became infamous for being incredibly noisy during battle, screeching, shouting invective, even singing war ballads to lure overly curious soldiers in, granting her the epithet of the "Forest Siren." Alone, she was able to injure quite a large number of soldiers and even kill a good few, and her people considered her one of their prized defenders.
Her violent winning streak came to an end when a sizable party of Felsheim's greatest warriors teamed up to take her down (notably, the party was comprised of more than just elves; regular humans and two "Cattish"/Khotiesh were present). They soundly defeated and captured her, knocking her unconscious from her injuries. While she was unconscious, she experienced a peculiar vision of a blue bird flying beside her as she walked along a shining road without end. A woman's voice told her that she had been spared from certain death, and that the price for such deliverance would be steep, yet ultimately for the best. Her mission now was "to travel the land, and upon understanding the land, travel the stars and understand them as well."
When Rhea awoke, she was being held in a more comfortable isolation than expected, accompanied by a "courtesan," a Khotiesh man named Khiro. Her injuries were healed, with the addition of a blue tattoo-like marking shaped like a wing on her right hip. Khiro revealed that he had a similar "tattoo" on his back and had experienced a similar vision after a near-death experience. The two would grow close during Rhea's months in isolation, sprouting a relationship based on caring for each other.
"Isolation" did become a misleading term after a while, as Rhea's keepers slowly allowed her to explore more areas, from the castle she was kept in, to the square outside, to a larger portion of the capital city of Felsheim. She originally met her captors with vitriol, but when it became clear that a point was trying to be made, she reined herself in to see what would happen.
Quite suddenly, the day for Rhea's trial arrived. Dragged to one of Felsheim's highest courts and surrounded by government officials and recordkeepers alike, she was given a unique sentencing:
"For you we have devised a particular punishment: you are to leave Westerlee and reside only in the lands beyond. If you are caught returning, or if you harm one of our people abroad, you shall be persecuted without mercy. If, however, we see that you have gained an understanding of the true nature of this world in the coming years, we may allow you to return to visit your family... and take them away with you."
With that, she was exiled to the central continent, Corlan, with no opportunity to say goodbye to her family (though she was allowed to take Khiro with her). Alone (sort of) in a largely unfamiliar world, Rhea remembered the bird's words, and swore a vow: she would start a new life for herself and Khiro, completely untethered to the past and striving to redeem herself. She even changed her name; "Rhea Leyton" is a pseudonym she picked because she liked the sound.
She did well for herself working odd jobs for a nearby town's adventurer's guild, among other things, and it seemed like she might almost get to enjoy a peaceful life away from her past. However, a certain recordkeeper present at her sentencing barged into her life without warning, and left her a peculiar invitation.
"The World Walkers are now recruiting! Travel the world and worlds, solve problems, and make history! (And record it.)"
The invitation went on to outline the existence of other worlds and those that travel between them. She didn't get to consider the invitation for long before being whisked away on what she thought was a test assignment...
(Summary for the sake of it: violent vigilante bunny girl from a shut-in community is captured, banished from her entire home continent, and forced to start her life over with a strange vision in mind. She gets an invitation to join a mysterious group right before being whisked off.)
Personality:
Upon first blush, Rhea appears to be cheerful and friendly, possessed of a warm disposition and a tendency to tease at times. She is sociable, if not always up to date with trends and technology. With people she's particularly close with, she shows a soft, nurturing side, one devoted to taking care of her precious people and ensuring they take care of themselves as well. She absolutely spoils her "loverfriend" Khiro with treats and affection and nags him to make sure he has eaten or done some other self-care function that day, despite occasionally neglecting to do these things for herself.
However, under the good cheer lies a deep trauma and emotional wounds left open. She noticed that no one from her clan, not even from her family, came to try and save her from Felsheim, and the more she sees of the world, the more she resents her upbringing, her clan, and her past. The unnecessary violence broke her in ways that didn't truly sink in till after the fact, particularly in the way that her people encouraged her to harm and murder others for no real reason other than "they got too close to us." Anything at all that reminds her of what she left behind can tip her emotional state over into extremes, from rage to sobbing to shutting down. The emotional ramifications of situations not hitting her in the moment, but sinking in the second she slows down, is a recurring motif across her life.
An important sidebar concerns Rhea's tendency to be a workaholic and push herself to keep working until she breaks down. She pursues tasks to completion and claims that she does certain jobs (ie. crafting assignments) to take her mind off things, but her standards are so high and her concept of what she "should" be able to do often outpaces what is realistic. That disparity is often coupled with bad timing and assuming that certain stressful events don't leave lingering after effects, causing her to completely ignore emotional exhaustion. A classic example is "I don't care if I had a run-in with someone from my sentencing today, these patches are due tomorrow and I have to get them done or I could be in big trouble," and she stays up all night sobbing with her needlework. She also pushes herself too hard when pursuing avenues that could improve her circumstances; when trying to find a decent house for herself and Khiro, she wandered the residential districts for hours trying to find an open plot and nearly collapsed in front of one. In the end, she burns her candle at both ends, suffers, and then spikes into irritability or despair when she's exhausted her resources.
And now, the best part, Trivia:
- Rhea's egg earrings are her most prized possession, and they spurred a bit of an egg collectable obsession in her. Like an Easter Bunny... but a Westerbunny instead.
- Rhea has some crafting experience, primarily in weaving/textiles and designing/making clothing. She's also a surprisingly good cook, though she prefers collecting recipes over experimentation.
First, a reference picture, so you know what you're looking at:
(Art by Rosiariy from DeviantArt!)
Now, let's see about her backstory and personality (yoinked from her Victory Road app):
Background:
Rhea hails from a world known as Medleya, a world best described as "A Modern Fantasy Kitchen Sink." The world is a sort of melting pot of races and cultures from across the universe, to the point that it's unclear who originally settled the world. It does have magic for offensive, healing, and utility purposes, but the sheer amount and variety of magic users means there's no one specific way to use magic. Medleya seems to be a "redirect point" when someone tries to magically transfer to a world with no precise destination set, which brings a lot of rookie travelers in (that is, if you don't have a clear destination in mind, odds are you'll end up in Medleya). The world sports conveniences like an Internet and microwaves and nice buildings, but some more idyllic spots can be a little behind. More than an Internet, some spots in the world have a connection to the NexusNet, a galaxy-spanning internet where several worlds' worth of discussion, art, and memes can be found (but those are in the more advanced areas and outside of the current scope).
Rhea in particular was born to a forest clan of Raporra people on the western continent (known by many names but most often Westerlee). Hers was a clan that clung to traditional ways despite lost origins, and so interaction with others on the continent was limited, as was access to technology. Indeed, her community was so insular that visitors from other regions who weren't in obvious need of asylum were often repelled by force. They considered the country of elves from Felsheim to the south to be their enemies due to frequent incursions and territorial/ideological disputes. A cycle was created where the elves would attempt to reach out, only to be rebuked, and they would come back with more force every time until the fighting was so entrenched that the parties would attack each other on sight (albeit for very different reasons).
Convinced by her elders that the elves were looking to grab Raporra territory by force (evidenced by the annexation of an area belonging to a friendly tribe), Rhea took up her chakrams and began hunting down elven "trespassers." She became infamous for being incredibly noisy during battle, screeching, shouting invective, even singing war ballads to lure overly curious soldiers in, granting her the epithet of the "Forest Siren." Alone, she was able to injure quite a large number of soldiers and even kill a good few, and her people considered her one of their prized defenders.
Her violent winning streak came to an end when a sizable party of Felsheim's greatest warriors teamed up to take her down (notably, the party was comprised of more than just elves; regular humans and two "Cattish"/Khotiesh were present). They soundly defeated and captured her, knocking her unconscious from her injuries. While she was unconscious, she experienced a peculiar vision of a blue bird flying beside her as she walked along a shining road without end. A woman's voice told her that she had been spared from certain death, and that the price for such deliverance would be steep, yet ultimately for the best. Her mission now was "to travel the land, and upon understanding the land, travel the stars and understand them as well."
When Rhea awoke, she was being held in a more comfortable isolation than expected, accompanied by a "courtesan," a Khotiesh man named Khiro. Her injuries were healed, with the addition of a blue tattoo-like marking shaped like a wing on her right hip. Khiro revealed that he had a similar "tattoo" on his back and had experienced a similar vision after a near-death experience. The two would grow close during Rhea's months in isolation, sprouting a relationship based on caring for each other.
"Isolation" did become a misleading term after a while, as Rhea's keepers slowly allowed her to explore more areas, from the castle she was kept in, to the square outside, to a larger portion of the capital city of Felsheim. She originally met her captors with vitriol, but when it became clear that a point was trying to be made, she reined herself in to see what would happen.
Quite suddenly, the day for Rhea's trial arrived. Dragged to one of Felsheim's highest courts and surrounded by government officials and recordkeepers alike, she was given a unique sentencing:
"For you we have devised a particular punishment: you are to leave Westerlee and reside only in the lands beyond. If you are caught returning, or if you harm one of our people abroad, you shall be persecuted without mercy. If, however, we see that you have gained an understanding of the true nature of this world in the coming years, we may allow you to return to visit your family... and take them away with you."
With that, she was exiled to the central continent, Corlan, with no opportunity to say goodbye to her family (though she was allowed to take Khiro with her). Alone (sort of) in a largely unfamiliar world, Rhea remembered the bird's words, and swore a vow: she would start a new life for herself and Khiro, completely untethered to the past and striving to redeem herself. She even changed her name; "Rhea Leyton" is a pseudonym she picked because she liked the sound.
She did well for herself working odd jobs for a nearby town's adventurer's guild, among other things, and it seemed like she might almost get to enjoy a peaceful life away from her past. However, a certain recordkeeper present at her sentencing barged into her life without warning, and left her a peculiar invitation.
"The World Walkers are now recruiting! Travel the world and worlds, solve problems, and make history! (And record it.)"
The invitation went on to outline the existence of other worlds and those that travel between them. She didn't get to consider the invitation for long before being whisked away on what she thought was a test assignment...
(Summary for the sake of it: violent vigilante bunny girl from a shut-in community is captured, banished from her entire home continent, and forced to start her life over with a strange vision in mind. She gets an invitation to join a mysterious group right before being whisked off.)
Personality:
Upon first blush, Rhea appears to be cheerful and friendly, possessed of a warm disposition and a tendency to tease at times. She is sociable, if not always up to date with trends and technology. With people she's particularly close with, she shows a soft, nurturing side, one devoted to taking care of her precious people and ensuring they take care of themselves as well. She absolutely spoils her "loverfriend" Khiro with treats and affection and nags him to make sure he has eaten or done some other self-care function that day, despite occasionally neglecting to do these things for herself.
However, under the good cheer lies a deep trauma and emotional wounds left open. She noticed that no one from her clan, not even from her family, came to try and save her from Felsheim, and the more she sees of the world, the more she resents her upbringing, her clan, and her past. The unnecessary violence broke her in ways that didn't truly sink in till after the fact, particularly in the way that her people encouraged her to harm and murder others for no real reason other than "they got too close to us." Anything at all that reminds her of what she left behind can tip her emotional state over into extremes, from rage to sobbing to shutting down. The emotional ramifications of situations not hitting her in the moment, but sinking in the second she slows down, is a recurring motif across her life.
An important sidebar concerns Rhea's tendency to be a workaholic and push herself to keep working until she breaks down. She pursues tasks to completion and claims that she does certain jobs (ie. crafting assignments) to take her mind off things, but her standards are so high and her concept of what she "should" be able to do often outpaces what is realistic. That disparity is often coupled with bad timing and assuming that certain stressful events don't leave lingering after effects, causing her to completely ignore emotional exhaustion. A classic example is "I don't care if I had a run-in with someone from my sentencing today, these patches are due tomorrow and I have to get them done or I could be in big trouble," and she stays up all night sobbing with her needlework. She also pushes herself too hard when pursuing avenues that could improve her circumstances; when trying to find a decent house for herself and Khiro, she wandered the residential districts for hours trying to find an open plot and nearly collapsed in front of one. In the end, she burns her candle at both ends, suffers, and then spikes into irritability or despair when she's exhausted her resources.
And now, the best part, Trivia:
- Rhea's egg earrings are her most prized possession, and they spurred a bit of an egg collectable obsession in her. Like an Easter Bunny... but a Westerbunny instead.
- Rhea has some crafting experience, primarily in weaving/textiles and designing/making clothing. She's also a surprisingly good cook, though she prefers collecting recipes over experimentation.