Minstrel, Writer, & Entrepreneur
Artwork: "Faint" by gothic-icecream @ deviantart.com / Recolor: LeslieMS
Birthdate: 27th Ches, 1325 DR - Year of the Great Harvest
Birthplace: Saerloon, Sembia
Appearance
Race: Aasimar [ Selis is not fully aware of her lineage and considers herself human. ]
Age: 25
Height: 5'2" (~158cm)
Weight: 110 lbs. (~50 kg)
Eyes: Dark Olive Green
Hair: Shoulder-length auburn-tinged blonde
Skin: Lightly tanned, unblemished
Handedness: Left, for handwriting and general tasks; Right, for sword-fighting
Bearing: Prim and dignified in public; more casual and relaxed in private or when in trusted company
Grooming: Impeccable, with special attention given to her clothes in that she wears different attire every day
Scent: a perfume that combines notes of vanilla and roses with a hint of musk
Visible Items
► a plain silver chain that contains a worn pendant in the shape of a five-stringed harp - the holy symbol of Milil, Lord of All Songs
► a worn and well-used leather travel satchel
Appearance Description (IG Examine)
This petite young woman appears to be in her early- to mid-twenties. Auburn-tinged blonde waves frame her lightly tanned face, and a pair of kind, intelligent green eyes can be seen curiously peering - and occasionally sparkling with mirth and amusement - at their surroundings.
She has a penchant for humming as she walks. When she speaks, her voice contains a certain warm, powerfully musical lilt to it - as well as a Chondathan accent that places her as a native of Sembia. Anyone familiar with the regional dialects of the country could identify her as being from the port city of Saerloon.
She appears to stand 5'2" (~158 cm) and weigh 110 lbs. (~50 kg) sans armor. Her movements tend to be refined and graceful, but a careful observer might notice a hint of strength amidst the decidedly feminine physique.
Anyone within close proximity to her would likely be able to smell the subtle scent of her perfume, which combines notes of vanilla and roses with a hint of musk.
Adorning her neck is a rather simple silver chain that holds a worn charm in the shape of a five-stringed harp - the holy symbol of Milil, Lord of All Songs.
A casual observer would easily discern that Selis tends to favor her left hand in everything except traditional mêlée combat. There, she adopts the traditional stance in which her longsword is wielded in her right hand while her left hand carries her heavy shield.
Personality
General Health: Average, but prone to headaches and easily nauseated when at sea or when near strong liquor
Deity: Milil, Lord of All Songs
Alignment: Neutral Good
Profession(s): Founder and owner of The White Mask Theater; Founder and Director of The Performers Guild; Founder, Publisher, and Editor of The Baldur's Gate Gazette
Classes Bard, Dissonant Chord
Habits: When she speaks or writes, Selis never uses contractions. Her own musical compositions avoid them as well, although she will sing lyrics containing contractions if the piece was written by someone else. She is prone to erring on the side of caution and formality when speaking with anyone, and she tends to use full titles and full names instead of nicknames unless otherwise corrected or requested.
She avoids wearing her armor as much as possible, as she favors the look and feel of her clothes. She dislikes looking unkempt, and she tends to adjust her sleeves and skirt to ensure that her clothes stay as unwrinkled as possible.
Selis is a sentimental person, and she keeps in her room a wooden box filled with various mementos from her life.
Hobbies: Selis alternates between socializing with just about anyone and spending time alone with her books. A devout reader, she favors histories, short-story collections, and romances. She also enjoys writing, creating and wearing fashionable ensembles, and viewing and creating works of art.
Languages: Celestial, Chondathan, Common, Draconic, Elven
Weapon(s) of Choice: Longsword, Heavy Shield, and Shortbow
Personality Description
Like many artists, Selis acts one way in public and another way in private.
In public, the young woman is the epitome of grace, manners, and kindness. She conducts herself as if she were a noblewoman - but without the aloofness. She is friendly, warm, and approachable - and she always tries to include newcomers and strangers in most of her conversations. She does her best to make her actions appear effortless.
In private, though, Selis is plagued by feelings of inadequacy. She thinks herself unattractive and untalented, and she constantly compares herself and her efforts to others - especially the women (such as every single female elf) who seem to capture the attention of (human) men. She works hard - sometimes too hard - on her projects, and she is plagued by bouts of insomnia from her determination to succeed. Even her best efforts are never good enough for her, and she constantly pushes herself to do better.
At her very core, she is a hopeless romantic and optimist who believes that she will either find "happily ever after" or die in the pursuit of it.
Background
Selis is the only child of Vincent and Katherine Vhaire, and both her parents are still alive and well. Katherine is a part of the moderately wealthy Vhaire family of Saerloon; the Vhaires specialize in alchemical reagents and other component items. When Vincent, a handsome orphan from neighboring Cormyr, caught the eye of the spoiled, aristocratic Katherine, scandal rocked Saerloon. The two were married despite a flurry of protests from the Vhaires, but Vincent was eventually allowed to take the family name since he did not know his true surname.
Vincent soon proved to be quite adept at the cut-throat mercantilism famous to Sembia, and he traveled all over Faerûn to ply the family trade. However, the passionate love affair between he and his wife faded almost as soon as it started, and both spouses were known to dally with other lovers. Once, while Vincent was elsewhere, Katherine had an intense affair with a mercenary named Jaggath Tharn. To this day, it is uncertain whether Selis is the daughter of Vincent Vhaire or Jaggath Tharn. Her mother has claimed the latter, largely in an effort to anger Vincent, but Selis believes she has the looks and mannerisms of the former. Selis despises Tharn, and she considers Vincent to be her real father.
Despite the troubles of her parents, Selis had a normal childhood. Although gifted in some of the mercantile ways of her family, Selis showed a talent for the bardic arts at a young age. She trained in various academies throughout mainland Faerûn, including the famed bardic college of Suzail, Cormyr, while her father was traveling for business.
When she was eighteen, Selis left Saerloon to travel to the Moonshae Isles for an extended holiday. While there, she met a young man named Zein Milu. The two fell in love, and they traveled together to Baldur's Gate to see what adventures awaited them there.
Time passed, and they shared many things together. They worked together to establish The White Mask Theater, The Performers Guild, and The Baldur's Gate Gazette. After they were married at the theater in a ceremony performed by Jonas Rokranon, the Milus went on an extended honeymoon touring various places throughout Faerûn.
Tragedy struck the happy couple while they were near Icewind Dale, Zein's homeland. Selis left one of her mandolins at a small village outside the city, and she begged Zein to retrieve it for her after realizing it was missing. Although Zein was a strong swordsman, he traveled without his heavy armor so he could quickly ride to the village and make it back to Icewind Dale before nightfall. He was beset by a group of bandits along the trail, and Selis was left a widow at the tender age of nineteen. She blamed herself for his death, and she returned to her native Sembia to grieve because she could not yet face returning to the place where she and her love had shared so much together.
Eventually, Selis returned to Baldur's Gate in an attempt to breathe life into the projects she was forced to abandon for almost two years. Time passed, and many stories were created by the array of adventures she experienced. Selis closely worked alongside several of the notable protectors of the land, and eventually she and dear friend Jonas Rokranon developed a romantic affection for each other. The two were later married by Saint Merielle Williams in a simple Ilmatari ceremony.
Unfortunately, this marriage was also short-lived, as the pair soon divorced for a bevy of reasons that resulted in irreconcilable differences. Jonas remarried his second wife, Alistaria, not long after the divorce was finalized, and Selis grew increasingly forlorn. When a massive fire, thought to be the work of an elven arsonist associated with her ex-husband, struck her beloved theater, Selis reached her breaking point and sought refuge in Sembia yet again.
During her journey back to Saerloon, Selis experienced something that forevermore changed her life. Burdened with the knowledge that her beloved Jonas had abandoned her for someone else, Selis drowned her sorrows with too much liquor one night when she stopped at a tavern near Arabel, Cormyr. In her loneliness and despair, the young woman attempted to take her own life, but she experienced what she considers a "divine intervention" by her patron, Milil. In the following days, and by the time she reached Saerloon, small patches of iridescent scales developed upon her right hip, left hip, and at the small of her back.
For the past four years, Selis lived a largely uneventful life in a villa that she purchased in Saerloon. On a whim, she decided that the time was right for her to return to Baldur's Gate, and so she has arrived.
Goals
► Continue to provide entertainment and information via The White Mask Theater, The Performers Guild, and The Baldur's Gate Gazette
► Renovate and revive The White Mask Theater and The Performers Guild
► Expand the reach and respect of The Baldur's Gate Gazette
► Be recognized, titled and/or ennobled by the Council of Four for her positive contributions to society.
Miscellaneous Facts:
► She was bestowed the nickname "Clanae," which means "Rose Whisperer" in Elven, by Alsarias Lythar. The name is meant to be an expression of the blind elf's appreciation for her perfume.
► Should Selis be killed in a storyline, she will remain dead until/unless revived IC.
Plot Ideas
► Anything theater- or bard-related
► The White Mask Theater has had a ghost for years. Selis could attempt to investigate its origins, as the theater was a new construction.
► Anything that piques her investigative journalist instincts
► Anything related to The Baldur's Gate Gazette
► Selis is a sucker for anything romance-related, and she enjoys / would enjoy helping others work towards the goal of "happily ever after."
► Anything and everything!
[ Thank you to Hidennka for graciously allowing me to adopt her lovely biography format! ]