Character Building: Verit
I did this with Swift Fox, and maybe it’ll help with the rewrite for Black Mask & Pale Rider as well. Pania and Shani remain essentially the same, however, I will put up character descriptions of them as well. For now, here’s Verit.
Simply put, Verit is a pixie. A fairy. A member of the fae folk, and completely and totally a being of magic. Verit stands about 4 inches tall. Pretty tall for a pixie, really. Which might have something to do with her attitude. While around Pania she is curious and happy, and even sometimes gets herself into trouble, around her own kind she’s seen as an outsider.
She has pale skin which glows a soft white, not any of the vibrant colours that others of her kind might. Raven black hair, dark but large eyes that are a deep blue in colour, and even her delicate wings are framed in black. Many thought she was not good enough to assist any of the mages within the towers of Stonebridge, or with the prestigious Arcanum Bridge Academy. Eventually, however, Verit found herself in the care of, what she at first considered a bit of a flighty sorceress. Verit’s first impressions were off regarding Pania, because Pania seemed more bardic than one who would require the services of a familiar. But as Verit soon learned, Pania was an adventuresome sort, and one who would often chronicle these adventures in large tomes. At first, Verit wondered why Pania had such a huge library, when it held no tomes of magical spells or long held arcane knowledge. It was more like a library of adventure stories and local histories. After Verit had been with Pania for a year, she finally grew courageous enough to ask Pania if she could read the many tomes within the library. Taken aback, Pania did agree, and often would help Verit pick out her books so she could read at Pania’s writing desk. The same work area that Verit would ensure was tidy and organized.
You see, Verit wasn’t like other pixies. Her physical appearance wasn’t the only reason why she was seen as an outsider, but also the fact that she was well read. That she could read. Not many pixies could read, and even fewer had a grasp on four different elven languages. Verit did, however. And it was a skill that Verit often would help Pania with.
Eventually, Verit began to accompany Pania on her adventures, keeping herself perched up on Pania’s shoulder, holding onto the cloth of Pania’s cloak as they would travel. It was during these times that Verit proved even more valuable. Like all pixies, Verit has a curious nature. This curious nature has allowed her to spot warning signs of danger, look out for man made traps and even spring locks that are difficult to get past.
Verit even proves that she is a quick learner, and will often listen to Pania’s opinions, and others, to the point where she has started to develop her own philosophy on the world around her. Pania does not keep her as a servant. Verit has full control of her own movements throughout Pania’s house, but always stays close to Pania when they adventure.
Pania feels very protective of Verit, and in a way, Verit very protective of Pania.
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More ideas coming
More ideas coming to mind for the rewrite for Black Mask and Pale Rider. I’ve already decided to add Pania’s pixie, Verit, to the mix. Verit is a typical pixie, acting as a familiar to any mage or sorceress. Which Pania is without a doubt, a sorceress.
image by Anne Stokes
This essentially describes the visual of Verit that will appear at the beginning of the story. However, by the time the story concludes, Verit will have imitated aspects of both Pania and Shani and the way they dress. Having her own version of denim slacks, boots complete with little spurs, chaps, a poet’s silk shirt, a corset and a long cloak and fancy hat. Verit will stick very close to Pania, at first because Pania believes that this non magical world called Earth has weakened her, but after a while it’s because Verit works so well with Pania. Verit is a curious little thing, as she can open locks and cast small spells, both of which are extremely helpful to Pania. Verit can also be a bit of a troublemaker, and will be quite vocal with her actions when someone attempts to cause harm to Pania, and in time to Shani and her own companion.
image by butterfrog
Shani will have something very different by her side. Or rather, hanging around her shoulders. A small lizard looking creature, that will add to the elven gunslinger’s fame (or infamy), called a pseudodragon. Not a real dragon, but the creature has all of the aspects of a larger, fully grown dragon. Shani, as it will be explained in the story, will rescue the tiny beast from the clutches of a brigand lord who has been ravaging the roads in Brytilonia. Shani will discover that the tiny creature’s master was killed by the brigand band, and so she takes it upon herself to take care of it. Shani herself being dragon blooded feels something of an affinity for it. Eventually, she calls it Scales, but still waits for the day the pseudodragon will tell her it’s name. Scales is kind of lazy, as he hangs about Shani’s shoulders and will snap at a wayward bug that happens to fly by, or munches on pieces of jerky that Shani gives him. He is rather protective of Shani, however, feeling that he owes it to her for being rescued by her.
When Shani and Pania meet, naturally there will be exploring from both Verit and Scales.
The above images are not exact to what I imagine the two additions, but they are just a helpful visual guide. They are copyright their respective artists (visit the artists’ pages to learn more about the individual illustrators).
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