Dahlia Character Sheet

Character's Name - Dahlia


     -Nickname- None


Gender - Female


Sexual Orientation - Heterosexual

Age - 20 at time of death. Having been blessed by a guardian spirit at birth, she was somewhat "reborn" after being murdered, but the prevailing bubbly, outgoing part of her personality died and was replaced with the withdrawn, fearful, and untrusting parts of her sub-personality.

Marital/Relationship Status - Single, never married.

Education Level - Low to moderate. She can read and write some, and she is good with money, but she is not particularly educated on history or literature.

Appearance -

     Height - 5'5"

     Weight - 97 lbs

     Figure/Build - Slender. She has the capability to be curvy, but she has been underfed for quite some time and is suffering because of it. Her hips and ribs are very noticeable, but her too-large clothing hides it.

     Hair - Long and black. It falls to about her mid-back and curls naturally at the ends. She usually styles it to enhance these curls and typically wears the top layer in ponytails, with the rest down.

     Eyes - A dark reddish-purple. Could be described as "wine colored". Her body originally possessed the rich brown eyes of her father, but when she was murdered and "reborn", they changed.

     Skin - Both of her parents were light-skinned Europeans, but enduring a childhood hidden away from the outside and an adolescence locked in workhouses, the lack of sun exaggerated her light complexion. Now that she is no longer truly human, her skin does not function normally and she is as pale as the night she died.

     Tattoos/Piercings - None

     Scars - A particularly jagged one on her left side from when she was stabbed

     Preferred Clothing - Flattering clothes that still protect her modesty. Though her occupation puts her in low necklines and brightly patterned skirts to attract patrons to her booth, she tries to wear shawls or short jackets over her circus uniform whenever she can.

     Significant Jewelry - none

     Addictions - none

     Allergies - None, but being shut away from the world for most of her childhood leaves her susceptible to many illnesses

     Physical ailments/illnesses/deformities - She has been on very hard times and is underfed. Nothing critical yet, but she is getting there.

What they sound like - Soft and low

Family background & ethnicity - Her father was a wealthy owner of a diamond mine and her mother was his mistress. Both white Europeans, though Dahlia inherited her father's dark hair and eyes over her mother's light ones. He was a married man when he hired Dahlia's mother to accompany him on his five-year trip to Africa to check on his existing mines and look into purchasing a few more. It was during this time that Dahlia was conceived. Her father was extremely unhappy at the prospect of an illegitimate child and his mistress being out of commission for any length of time. Around the date she was due, a drought was plauging the villiage. The villiagers were parying to any guardian spirit that would listen to please bring life back to the area. The labor was difficult, and when Dahlia was born, she wasn't breathing. The midwife was at a loss and as she was turning to tell the mother the sad news, a great wind swept through the villiage bringing with it life giving rain. A chill settled in the air and the nurse felt the baby shudder and let out a low wail. Dahlia was then handed over to a wet nurse and nannies who raised her in seclusion until her parent's return trip to England, where her father quickly abandoned her and her mother and has not been heard from since. Her mother, who made her living with her body, was distressed by the thought of caring for a toddler while trying to "peddle her wares" and treated her child as a burden and with cold disdain.

Residence - She travels with the circus and sleeps in the corner of one of the circus's few living quarter wagons at night.

Occupation - Trinket and sundry seller for the circus

Possessions - There is not much room in the wagons for unnecessary items, so just a few items of clothing.

Hobbies - She never had a chance to get into any hobbies what with the grueling schedules of the workhouses and all.

Politics/Beliefs - That there has to be\is something out there that watches over and protects people, and that everything has a purpose.

Personality -

     Likes - Flowers, music boxes, Kivuli's stories of Africa

     Dislikes - People and most of her coworkers

     Phobias - an irrational fear of malice by others

     Favorite color - blue

     Taste in music - anything played by a music box

Relationships with others - Strained and awkward. She has difficulty getting close to anyone or opening herself up to them. Even though she only remembers her past in brief snatches, she has an overwhelming fear that others are out to get her and a feeling that she will never be good enough to win anyone's affections.

Character Strengths - If she could ever find someone she could genuinely trust, she would be extremely loyal and giving to said person

Character Flaws - She has avoidant personality disorder

Desires - Someone in her life that truly cares about her and that she can trust never to leave her. Someone to love.

Disgusted by - Piggish men, women of ill repute, and the town's ever growing drug habits

Feels guilty about - All that Kivuli has done for her that she feels she can never repay

Can't live without - The protection and structure of the circus

Would finish, "I've never told anyone this, but..." with - "I am in love with someone..."

Kivuli Character Sheet

Character's name- Kivuli

     -Nickname- "Nawvlee"- what the African tribes he encountered would call him, meaning "big devil"

Gender- Male

Sexual orientation- Heterosexual

Age- Technically has lived as long as antelope have existed, but has lived in a human body for 27 years, and appears approximately 30.

Marital/Relationship status- Single, has had brief, uncommitted relationships (resulting to 2 human and an unknown number of antelope children) before.

Education level- Primarily philosophical and artistic over academic. Has some knowledge of African and European human culture. Can read well enough, but is hardly affluent, and can write enough to sign his name and manage mostly legible contracts now and then.


Appearance-
     -Height- 6'3"

     -Weight- approx 170 lbs.

     -Figure/Build- Would be stocky, if was not purely vegetarian in diet. Is too thin for his height, making his neck, hands and feet seem slightly too thick/large. And, since the antelope spirit inside him is slowly changing his body's structure, his neck is uncommonly long, his teeth are all too long and flat, and his body hair is dark and wiry to the touch.

     -Hair- Red-brown, and grown past his shoulders. Usually pulled back into a low ponytail to hide that his antelope mane of thicker black hair is growing back in. The black does show around his temples, though, as well as behind his ears, and extends in a line down his neck to between his shoulderblades.

    -Eyes- Light blue with a pupil of an azure shade. His eyes are actually glass- After his antelope avatar (which had distinctive blue eyes of this manner) was killed, the hunter who shot it preserved the pelt and replaced the blue eyes with glass ones. After Kivuli killed the hunter and inhabited his body, he took the glass eyes and put them in the human body (as the hunter's eyes had been blown out during the possession process). This does not impair his vision, since he is a spirit and can see through the eye sockets as if they were windows.

     -Skin- Tanned

     -Tattoos/piercings- No piercings, and though not actually tattoos, has facial markings resembling a sable antelope's and a symbol (which resembles a sun and is surrounded by rows of pattern) on his back that appear on his body when stressed out or emotional.

     -Scars- Only small ones that the hunter had before the possession. On close inspection, has a few on his eyelids from when the hunter's eyes exploded.

    -Preferred clothing- None, as he finds it constricting and uncomfortable. When alone, though, he usually wears a wrap or sash of some sort around his waist. In public, he dresses as a man of the upper middle class (usually with some sort of bold accessory from his homeland or from the circus) and onstage wears a striking striped vest and white pants, accompanied by his antelope skin, which is worn like a cape.

     -Significant jewelry- none

     -Addictions- None, as he does not understand the "human desire to poison oneself,"

     -Allergies- Allergic to many blooming plants, but his strict diet of fruits, vegetables, a little bread and water helps combat this.

     -Physical ailments/illnesses/deformities- Only the ones brought about by the antelope spirit, listed above.

What they sound like- His natural voice is little more than a low whisper, warm and smooth. When onstage or upset, though, his voice becomes louder and harsher, almost snappy. He has traces of an African accent (more south African than anything) but it is gradually mixing with the British he inherited from his body. He is not one to waste words, and is much better at listening and processing what is being said around him than contributing to a conversation.

Family background and ethnicity- Though his human body is a European man, Kivuli is African at heart. He is a guardian spirit which protects the antelope, serving as a spirit of punishment and retribution to those who take advantage of his herds. Though not having a true "family," he does share his purpose with a "sister spirit," whose name is Angavu and who embodies nurturing and sacrifice. Together, they have monitored the antelope herds for as long as they have existed. At times, the tribes in the areas they have moved through have worshipped them. The magnificent antelope avatars they inhabit were sacrifices made to them by a tribe who sought many successful hunts in the years to come. They received them.

Residence- Travels. Primarily moved through the country, tailing other larger circuses, but when one gets close to the city, he is never too shy to move in with them. He lives in a private wagon, about the size of a small bedroom, pulled by a Shire horse. The room is something of a mix between a human dwelling and a stable, holding a bed, desk, and clothes trunk, but also keeping a large space open and supplied with hay for when the ringmaster desires to go into his antelope form. Having no real possessions, his space is fairly neat, but is also not one to clean up after himself, so oftentimes clothes and documents are scattered around the space.

Occupation- Runs "Stars of the Devil," a collection of physically "different" humans and some supernatural beings, most of which he rescued from abuse at other circuses. He loves his work, not only because it furthers his quest to free himself from his human body, but because it has given him a "herd" to protect. The circus operates by trailing bigger, more famous circuses and setting up not far from their stops, and then beginning their shows shortly after the bigger circus's ends. This has, though, led to many spats with the owners of the more prestigious circuses, especially since his shows are known to be somewhat disturbing and adult in content.

Possessions- Very scarce. The only thing he truly owns is his antelope avatar's skin, and most everything else was bought for him by Nacona, a vagrant Comanche man from America, and his right-hand man and closest friend (who actually suggested the idea of forming the circus.) He does make masks resembling those of the tribes he encountered, and keeps them in his quarters, selling one or two occasionally in the show's shop. His initial lack of balance on two human legs put him in the habit of carrying a cane, with a knife concealed beneath the head for protection. But, being 6'3" and known for a nasty kick, he doesn't often get to use it.

Hobbies- On top of his habit of chasing down rumors of various freaks/supernaturals whenever he goes into town, he also carves and paints spectacular masks based off of those the tribes he would encounter in Africa. He spends many of his sleepless hours slowly whittling and coloring the patterns of these pieces, many of which pay tribute to his sister.

Politics/beliefs- Doesn't involve himself much in either, but does believe that all beings should be treated with respect, if not more. He tends to find human politics preposterous, wether in the government, businesses, or in the social status quo.

Personality- Level-headed and collected, but is very naive in many ways. He is like a new father, ready and able to protect others, but still can overlook things and make mistakes. It doesn't help that he often comes off as flirtatious, since he will innocently say things to the female members of his troupe that they then take the wrong way and consider to be some sort of affection. But, the only thing he truly loves (at least at this moment) is his little band of miscreants and his duty to help and protect them.

     -Likes- Children, wide open spaces, running/dancing, making things with his hands, being warm, the sky, the feeling of dry grass underneath his feet, being around others, performing, rain.

     -Dislikes- Cruelty, small/cramped spaces, clothing, people who take advantage of others, being alone, wasting time.

     -Phobias- Lions and other large predators.

     -Favorite color- Clay red.

     -Taste in music- Heavy drum music with a driving beat. Is also developing a taste for the circus's organ and its whimsical, circular tunes.

Relationships with others- Has a reluctant relationship with human society, and his only real family is his sister, whom he practically worships. Otherwise, his relationships vary depending on the age of the person. If they're younger, the relationship is more fatherly; if older, more friendly. But does assert himself in that he is in charge, especially if challenged. He tends to not pursue love relationships, unless he feels the need to bolster the herd's numbers. But, having now been in a mortal form for so long, his desires are beginning to change.

Character strengths- Is loyal, protective, honest, and brave. He feels a responsibility and duty to help those in need, and does (for reasons beyond his own ends.) He is healthy, both mentally and physically, and is kind and considerate of those around him.

Character flaws- Is naive to many ways of human culture, and has a tendency to not respect authority beyond his own. Can sometimes be seen as manipulative by others, since he will put his duties over emotion, but almost never does this knowingly. He has something of a reputation as a heartbreaker and a hypocrite to certain members of the circus because of this.

Desires- To return to his homeland and sister, to regain his powers as a spirit. However, his developing mortality is also giving rise to the longing to find love and a lifelong mate...

Disgusted by- People's whose existence or happiness is reliant on the suffering of others, and those who will regard those who are different from them as animals. Also the smell of cooking meat.

Feels guilty about- His two human sons, Warren and Leander. Though he felt their creation was necessary to help the herd at the time, the emotional effect on their mothers has caused him great pain and the realization that human love is a very painful thing for all parties involved.

Can't live without- His antelope pelt, as he only feels really free when he puts it on and reassumes his antelope form. It also helps him maintain his sanity, by keeping his true and human forms distinct and separate. Also is dependent on the dream of returning home one day, and his quest to make that come true.

Would finish "I've never told anyone this, but..." with- "I have never really loved just one person before."