Summer Rain - Shifter and Lazy Thief

[hubertbartels]

Summer Rain

Hi, I’m called Summer Rain or just Summer. I’m a shifter – one of those folk that looks animal-like and when I shift, even more animal-like. Light on my feet and quick to react, I’m a Swiftstride Shifter. I’ve got light brown fur, tufted ears, golden cat eyes and a flattened nose.

I was born and raised in Callestan, in Lower Dura, part of the great city that is Sharn. The year was 983. I don’t know anything about my father except that he was a Brelish Ranger. He was deep in Cyre on the Day of Mourning - the day that he disappeared. My mother earned a meager income as a vermin hunter but most of that income went to feeding her growing dream lily addiction. After the loss of my father in mid-994, she slowly gave up on life.

Roscoe d’Jorasco found me in an alley behind a dream lily den, huddled over the discarded body of my mother. He was kind enough to snap me out of my tears, promised to take care of my mother’s body and saw that I had a place to go.

My only remaining relative is Whiskers, owner of the Crooked Cat tavern. After my mother passed on, he gave me a place to spread my blankets and the scraps from the kitchen. I guess he encouraged me to take up my interest in crime. He would send me to assist in Boromar jobs. First, as a lookout, then later to help break into houses and steal stuff. The Boromar halflings always told me that the people I was stealing from were bad people and they were just retrieving their things. I learned how to disable traps and watch for alarms.

The Boromar halflings have always demanded a cut of the stuff I retrieved but lately, they have made noises about joining their family. I don’t know if I want to become part of a larger organization so I’ve tried to put them off for now.

My best friend is a Warforged Juggernaut named ‘Headless’. He was heavily damaged in the War, losing most of his head, his right arm and some of his left leg. The foundries and forges down in the Cogs didn’t want him so he is forced to beg on the streets on Callestan. Headless speaks through a small speaker hanging from his neck and sees though a primitive sensor snapped to the remains of his head. He hopes to earn enough to pay House Cannith for repairs.

Headless taught me my letters and numbers. He is a great teacher, patient and calm. He disapproves of my career, saying that the Boromar halflings use up people before discarding them. Therefore, he gave me a viol and taught me how to play it. It was part of the spoils from Cyre – it even has a paper tag saying it was made in Metrol. He has high hopes for me. It sounds like too much work.

[Kenneth New]

Is this character only 15 years old? (998-983)

Age of adulthood in Breland is 18.

[hubertbartels]

For anyone who following this conversation only through these web pages - according to Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron, page 65, shifters are young adults at age 10 and rarely live longer than 70 years.

[hubertbartels]

Summer is young. I figure she only has a few years before the uncaring grind of the Cogs and Lower Dura wear her down and kill her. If misfortune doesn't take her out, the increased violence with the Dask might. Most loner thieves don't live long in Lower Dura.

Summer wants out - she will occasionally sneak out to the edges of Callestan where there's a glimpse of the airship towers and dream of flying away. She is curious as what it would be like to fly high above the misery and mud of Eberron, to sail amoung the clouds. Summer has never been more than a few miles from her birthplace.

Traits - Summer is curious. She asks a lot of questions but doesn't always understand the answers.

Ideals - She helps the people that help her - that's all that keeps us alive.

Bonds - Summer will leave her mark on Eberron. She will become someone that is remembered.

Flaws - "It's not stealing if I want it more than someone else does, right?"

Her immediate goal is to help out her friend, the warforged Headless. She wants to get him the money to afford repairs to his body. It's going to be expensive and she already has to pay 10% of anything she gets to the Boromar clan.

[Kenneth New]

Thanks for clarifying the age thing. I missed it on the Wayfinder's Guide.