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⏵ player information
name and pronouns: elle (she/her)
age: 30+
contact:

whyellewhy

⏵ character information
name: Knife
canon: OC
age: 23 (estimated)
canon point: N/A
history:

The changeling who would be named Knife was raised in a prison cell for as long as they could remember. Their owner, a scientist named Rennslaier, trained them to have complete mastery over their shapeshifting abilities, but rarely fed them. The starving creature Rennslaier called a Perfect Blank Canvas made two successful escapes from their cell: The first resulted in a punishing scarring of their face, the second led to the brutal stabbing of Rennslaier and several staff before the changeling escaped the compound entirely.

From then on, they called themself Knife, after the implement which liberated them.

They wandered, estranged from society, scraping and scrimping for scraps, learning to hide, break in, and steal. Their early struggles to try and integrate into society found them caught stealing red-handed from a clockmaker named Solomon and his adopted son, Soliton. Instead of punishing the changeling-in-disguise, they agreed to let them stay and work for meals. At this time, Knife took on the name Pocket, wearing a bland human disguise. They learned a bit of tinkering and a whole lot of tailoring during that half-year stint, but when they felt their safety starting to fray, they vanished.

Back on their own, Knife spent a few years mastering roguish crafts and collecting inspiration for new disguises, before they scooped up a ring haunted by a nobleman who was murdered in cold blood. They make a bargain to help the ghost, named Podrick, in exchange for a reward. They come across some paperwork relating to Podrick's noble claim to land, and their path intersects with Soliton's once again. Soliton, too, has some claim to nobility, and their goals intersect. Alongside a paladin, a barbarian, and an artificer tied up in the political intrigue, Knife finds themself entangled in a mystery that goes beyond just paltry land claims.

From the point where Knife is being pulled, they and their party have established a sovereign town, adopted a baby dragon, made pacts with spider tribes for trade goods, and learned that they have alternate versions in a splintered timeline...and that Knife maybe murdered Soliton's birthmother before getting their mind scrubbed.

...Oh yeah and that changelings were created by elves as a second-class servant species (think house elves). YIPPEEEEEEEEEEE. Knife is having a great time learning about all this fucking history and destiny and shit when they can barely function as a regular member of society!

abilities:

Knife is a changeling, and as such, can morph their features and height to any small- to medium-sized creature (size taps out at about 10ft, but can't be smaller than say a 7-year old). They can perfectly mimic voices, but their strengths are relative to the shape (for example, they can morph into a bulky burly guy, but they wouldn't suddenly be super strong).

They have spellcasting abilities imbued in them by the goddess Hekate: Misty step, hex, longstrider, and other manipulations related to misdirection or debuffing foes.

They are a skilled seamster and carry many collected and self-modified articles of clothing for various disguises (their changeling powers can't change outfits, after all).

They are proficient with daggers, shortswords, and lightweight swords. And knives.

personality:

Fear and ~~hunger~~ anger are the strongest motivators of Knife's actions and inaction. It takes them a long time to warm up or trust others, rarely taking people at their word without actionable proof of that word being ironclad. By contrast, their impulsiveness can lead to poor decisionmaking and failures to be as committed to their own promises as they expect of others; they've not known enough consequences of such things to really build up empathy for others.

They tend to be abrasive, impatient, and rude when put in circumstances demanding their input; being focused on or observed puts them on edge and makes them quicker to lash out defensively (be it with rudeness or violence).

Around those they feel kinship with or trust to degrees, they are chattier and loose with their thinking (often peppered in casual swearing), but also more attentive to demeanor and apt to picking up mannerisms unconsciously (as opposed to the conscious effort they make to study manners for safety).

They carry an inherent sense of disconnection with others, understanding themself to not really be a person so much as a utility that had been raised and molded for others' purposes. It makes them moody and petulant when feeling left out, but inexplicably grouchy even when included - why bother! It's not like they're meant to be a person anyway! But also pleasepleaseplease a drop of kindness please.

Rarely do they let people see their neutral, chosen state (the face in their icons), not just because of the stigma of being a shapeshifter, but because they fear what others would associate with the face they feel safest in. Judgment scary.

When it comes to people they care about, as much ribbing as desperate attempts to appease them can take place, sometimes at a sudden, unsolicited switch. They are scared of rejection in the few moments they stick their neck out, and their memory of being hurt is long and full of festering, unresolved troubles. Their confidence is often a mask, but their pride demands they angrily press on, if only out of spite or the chance to hold something over someone. Proof of worthy existence, perhaps.

Because of their time imprisoned, they can get overwhelmed being in busy places, especially when they don't have a place to hide. They have a penchant to hyperfixate on tasks, often forget to eat until they're about to fall out, and can only really rest when they feel themselves fully hidden.

Currently, their primary efforts circle around Soliton (sorry Podrick, they're not into foppish dead guys). They've got something of a near tunnel-visioned adoration of him and they try to tailor their efforts to tasks that appease him in some way (this does not always work out; it's like a cat dropping dead mice at its owners feet).

It'll take some doing for Knife to learn to live safely for themself, not just others.