Korali

Another character backstory. This character was created alongside two others. Korali was the youngest of the three siblings, and also the most likely to cause trouble. I have gotten to play her in a couple of one-shots, and she has been mischievously fun to play. Just took me a while to figure out what exactly I wanted for her backstory.

Korali had a tendency of getting in trouble as a child. Especially because she knew her older brother would always protect her. Vonbok always gave her a finger waggin, making her promise not to do it again. The relationship was sometimes strained because despite her promise Korali would sneak off getting into a similar situation.

Amara, Korali’s older sister, always knew what to do to keep Korali and Vonbok from straying too far apart. Being the middle child, Amara was like the glue that held the siblings together. Korali was grateful for the times Amara stepped in. She would always hug Amara, telling her sister she would do better, but Korali always fell short with that too.

Korali didn’t mean to cause so much trouble, but she really wanted to belong. All the other kids played games in the streets, or showed off their magical and musical talents. Korali didn’t have any of those skills to show off. While the games rarely held her interest for very long. All the kids always wanted to slay the dragon. Korali didn’t like the idea of slaying a dragon, she preferred to try to befriend it. This usually led to fights. Dragons are evil. You slay them. These words were usually followed by Korali’s fist in someone’s mouth.

Her parents tried to help. They wanted all their children to be happy and were proud of all of them. Though they did worry about Korali from time to time. They had to use a few more stern words with her than they had with the other two, but they always took the time to listen to her. Allow her to tell her side of the story. While Korali struggled with staying out of trouble her family was always there, and always loved her.

It was a cool rainy day when all that changed. Vonbok had been out on his paper route, while Amara and Korali had been playing hide and seek. Korali had been hiding in the closet being quiet when she saw her parents dragging Amara into the room. Her mother looked scared. “Where’s Korali?” her father asked. Amara shrugged. Korali wanted to stay hidden, but something in her parents’ demeanor told her she needed to reveal herself.

“I’m right here dad,” Korali replied as she left the closet.

“Good, go with your sister out the…” Before her father could finish his sentence there was a loud crash at the front of the house.

“It’s too late dear.” Korali looked to her mother. There had been a hint of fear in her mother’s voice.

“Quick. Go back in the closet. Make no noise and do not come out for any reason.” Their father finished speaking as he shoved both girls into the closet, closing it. Korali, feeling defiant, despite the loud noise, started to open the closet door. Amara stopped her but Korali had gotten it far enough that she could see their mom and dad leaving the room, except her father didn’t make it out. Her mother screamed falling back into her father, who stumbled backwards, back into the room.

Korali saw the dagger in her mother’s chest, blood staining her clothes. Her mother was still gasping for air. Her father’s pained cry at seeing their mother bleeding covered up the sound of Amara clasping her hand over Korali’s mouth and pulling her back into the closet. Korali struggled against her sister. She wanted to go to her parents; help them, but her sister was a lot stronger than she remembered.

“Korali stop, we can’t save them.” The words were softly whispered in her ear. They were full of fear and wet. The fear got Korali to stop moving. It was then she realized her sister was crying. She wanted to say something when a strangled cry came from her mother, and then her father let out a painful wail.

“My love, I’m so sorry.”

Korali felt tears on her own cheeks. Somehow, she knew her mother’s cry had been her last. She started trembling as her father begged for his life. Every painful cry she heard, brought a sob to her lips, muffled by Amara’s body. Then there was a final cry, cut short, and Korali knew. She knew her father was now gone too. She wanted to leap from the closet. She wanted to hurt those who had taken her parents, but Amara held her tight.

“Where do you think the kids are?”

“Probably not here. No way they let them stay here after the message was delivered.”

“Do we go looking for them?”

“Let’s go talk to the boss. He says yes, we will come back and wait for their return.”

Korali could hear the men speaking. Their voices making her blood run cold. She actually shivered when the one man started chuckling. Amara gripped her tighter. Both heard the men leave, but neither could move from their spot. They knew they had to. They had to find Von, but they huddled there in the closet not wanting to see what had been left behind. Neither knew how long they had been huddled together when they heard Von’s voice announcing he was home.

Korali wanted to run to him, but she was still afraid of what she might see if she left the closet. They heard his footsteps approaching and heard him enter the room. “Mom! Dad! No,” he shouted. There was confusion and a hint of fear in his voice. “Amara… Korali, where are you?” His voice had changed to one of desperation.

“In here,” Amara spoke out, slowly moving away from Korali who was kneeling when Von opened the closet door. He wrapped Amara in a hug and when he did Korali saw her parents’ bodies, and the blood. There was so much blood. Korali started screaming, tears streaming down her face. She had no idea what else to do. Strong arms scooped her up. She could hear a voice trying to comfort her as the one carrying her rushed from the room. Korali couldn’t understand the words, but her parents mutilated and bloodied bodies were the last thing she saw as she was carried from the room.

What exactly happened next Korali couldn’t fully remember. There had been a lot of running and tears. When they finally stopped, they found themselves in front of a temple. All of them were exhausted and collapsed in front of the temple walls, falling into an actual sleep.

Korali woke to the sound of voices. Opening her eyes she saw a man, at least she thought she saw a man, talking to her brother. “What about my sisters?” If the question got a response, Korali didn’t hear it. Then the man was gone. She rubbed her eyes. Had she really seen a man talking to her brother? Von turned to her and as he did, she saw Amara standing next to him. She was crying. Von motioned for Korali to join them so she did. The memories of what happened started to come back. She needed her siblings.

As she got close, Von pulled them both into a hug. Amara started crying harder and when the group hug ended Korali saw tears on her brother’s cheeks. Seeing them both crying, Korali could feel tears sting her own eyes. “Why are we crying?” the words coming out higher pitched than she would have liked.

Von put his hands on Korali’s shoulders looking her directly in the eye. “I must go into this temple,” his words were soft and slow.

Korali shrugged, not understanding. “Are they offering us shelter?”

Von shook his head, no longer able to look her in the eye. “Just me. I’ve been called to go through some special training.” Von paused bringing his eyes back up to Korali’s. She had opened her mouth to argue, but he placed a finger against her lips. “It’s the only way to keep you two safe.”

Before Korali could respond, Von pulled her and Amara back in for a hug. The embrace seemed to last forever but when it ended, her brother turned away from them and walked through the gates to the temple. The gates closed behind him. The tears that had only been stinging Korali’s eyes, started to fall. She felt Amara’s arms around her shoulder.

“Come on, we… we must travel on.”

“But… Von…”

“He is where he needs to be.”

“But…” Korali didn’t know what else to say as she let Amara turn her around and lead her away from the temple. They’d just lost their parents; how could her brother just leave them? No matter how Korali turned it around in her mind, it just didn’t make sense. “Amara…” Korali didn’t get any further as her sister just held up a hand to silence her. Korali was so stunned she almost stopped walking. That wasn’t like Amara.

They walked in silence for quite a while. The sun started to set and Koral was getting tired. She was about ready to risk trying to speak to Amara again when her sister stopped. “We will rest here.”  Korali looked around. They were in the middle of nowhere, but there was a forest to their right. She just nodded and waited for her sister to say more. Instead, Amara motioned for Korali to follow, which she did, a little ways into the forest.

It wasn’t long before they had a small fire going. They had found some edible berries and having eaten those, Korali found she could barely keep her eyes open. “It’s ok, sis. Go ahead and sleep. I’ll keep watch.”

Korali wanted to argue but she yawned instead. “Ok, but wake me when it’s my turn. You need to sleep too.”

Amara did her best to smile, but it didn’t matter because Korali was already asleep. Amara waited a few minutes to make sure Korali was indeed asleep, before she snuck off further into the woods. First their parents were killed, then Tyr wanted their brother. She couldn’t handle all the grief and loss; not handle it and her sister. It was too much.

“Korali will be fine. She’s a strong person. She will find her way.” Amara said the sentences over and over as she moved through the forest until she was convinced, she’d done the right thing.

…

Korali wasn’t sure how long she had slept, but when she woke there was light trying to stream through the trees, and the fire had burned itself out. Weird. Korali sat up looking around. She couldn’t see Amara anywhere. Maybe she went looking for more berries. Korali sat there for almost an hour waiting for Amara to come back. When she didn’t, Korali thought it would be a good idea to try to find her. She didn’t want to stray too far from the camp though in case her sister came back.

Making sure to keep their small camp in sight, Korali started looking for her sister, now and then calling out to her. After a couple hours, Korali went back to the camp. She hadn’t found any trace of Amara. Not even a footprint. Where could she have gone? Korali sat on the ground near the fire pit staring at the ashes. Something in her said Amara wasn’t coming back, but she didn’t listen to it. Amara wouldn’t leave her. They were sisters. Sisters stuck together.

Korali spent two days at the small campsite, never straying too far in case Amara showed back up. At the end of the second day, Korali finally admitted to herself that Amara wasn’t coming back. What did I do wrong? Korali let the tears fall to her cheeks, though she made no sounds. She was alone now. “I guess I’ll have to figure it out myself,” she whispered. She cried herself to sleep.

…

A couple days later, Korali had finally made it to a bustling middle-sized town. She was dirty, hungry, her clothes were tattered and all that got her were some dirty looks. She went into several different establishments willing to work for food or coin. Every place turned her away. She was walking out of yet another store when a stranger bumped into her. She was too tired to care, just put her hands in her pockets, thinking of going back to the forest.

In her pocket though, Koral felt a piece of paper. Pulling it out, she unfolded it and read it to herself. You look like you need a little guidance. Meet me at the north edge of town near the old oak tree. – A Well Wisher Korali was confused, but after a couple of minutes decided she’d go. Her family was gone, what did she have to lose? Korali made it to the north side of town, and found a single oak tree surrounded by flowers. It was so beautiful. She found herself staring at it in awe.

“It’s quite the sight to see, isn’t it?” A low, raspy voice sounded next to her, bringing her out of her thoughts. She turned and saw a male elf, with olive colored skin, long black hair pulled back in a ponytail, and his eyes, they were strange. They were golden in color. “You known it’s not polite to stare.”

Korali quickly looked away. “I’m sorry. I’ve never seen eyes like yours before.” The male elf smiled at her, and Korali realized this elf couldn’t be much older than her brother.

“You look like you could use some food and fresh clothes.” Korali flushed red as she remembered her appearance. All she could do was nod. “Come with me. I think I can help you.”

At first Korali hesitated. Her parents had always warned her about strangers. Thinking of her parents’ warning reminded her that her parents were gone. Her brother was called away and her sister left her. Again, she thought, what do I have to lose? So, she followed the male elf with the strange eyes. She followed him out of town, down the road, on a little way before a house appeared. He took her to the house. No one else was there. He showed her to a bedroom that had a fresh change of clothes on the bed, and he showed her where she could clean up.

“Name is Aerosavin, by the way.”

“Korali,” she responded without thought. Aerosavin smiled before turning to leave so she could have some privacy.

“I’ll have some food ready in the kitchen when you’re done,” he said over his shoulder.

Korali nodded, though she was sure Aerosavin hadn’t seen him. The guy was being really nice to her and she was beginning to wonder why. Too late for that now. Korali walked into the bedroom grabbing the clothes, then went to clean herself up. She took her time trying to think through the situation and figure out what the guy might want. To her the possibilities were endless. It started to make her head hurt to think of all of them. Letting out a sigh, she put on the fresh clothes, which to her surprise fit perfectly, and made her way to the kitchen.

“Ah, you look much better now,” Aerosavin stated as she entered the kitchen. He was sitting at a small table which had food spread across it. “How do you feel?”

“Better.” Korali hesitated as he motioned for her to sit across from him. She did so slowly, eyeing the food, then looking up at the male elf in front of her. “What do you want from me?”

Aerosavin sat back in his chair. He tried to hide his amusement, but it still shown as a slight grin on his face. “Be my little sister, and I’ll teach you how to survive in this city.”

Korali eyed him, but as far as she could tell the man in front of her was being sincere. “Why?”

“I lost my family, and I can tell you are currently alone in this world. Just thought we could help each other. You are free to leave at any time.”

Korali sat there considering what the man had said. It was either an elaborate hoax to eventually kill her, or the man really did just want some company. “Ok, then,” was all she said as she reached for some food. The man didn’t say anything more and neither did she. They ate in silence.

As they finished eating, Aerosavin once again spoke. “Lessons will start tomorrow after breakfast. You should get some sleep.”

Korali nodded as she rose from the table turning away to leave. In the doorway, she hesitated. “Thank you,” she said softly, turning her head to look over her shoulder. “For all this.” Aerosavin smiled at her, and she went off to the room he’d shown her earlier. She crawled into the bed realizing it was the softest bed she’d ever slept in. For the first time since her parents died, Korali rested peacefully.

…

For the next few years, Korali stayed with Aerosavin. He taught her the ways of a rogue. Teaching her how to be deceptive, sneak up on a mark, and easily take what was needed without being noticed. Korali learned quick; honing the skills she had been taught, and if she somehow made a mistake, she easily talked her way out of it.

The two grew close, like a brother and sister. They always had each other’s backs, and the two shared a lot. Korali could tell though, that there was more to Aerosavin than he ever let on. It was the color of his eyes. They just didn’t fit. Korali also noticed, once her training was complete, the jobs they took were always going after bad, yet rich men. They never kept anything for themselves. Only the reward for completing the job. The fact didn’t bother Korali. Their jobs were always well paying so they always had enough.

One day, Korali was patiently waiting as Aerosavin looked over the job board. She noticed that he tensed up, and slowly walked away from the board. He looked nervous, checking his surroundings, as he made his way back to Korali. “There’s something I must go do. Take a job, complete it. I will meet you at the house later.” Korali was a little too stunned to say anything. She just watched him disappear into the small crowd that was there.

More people had gone up to the job board as Aerosavin had spoken, so Korali quietly went up behind them, listening. “A dragon lair. That’s so close. We must slay it.”

“How many will it take?”

“Let’s all go. We’ll surprise it.”

A chorus of agreement sprung up around Korali as her stomach twisted into knots. It was just like the games the kids in the street always wanted to play. Korali shook her head. It seemed like a lifetime ago instead of only a few years. This time though, it wasn’t a game. It was real. I need to help. The thought crossed her mind as one of the men pulled the paper off the board.

“Who’s coming with me?”

Everyone standing around him took several steps back, but Korali took a step forward. “I will go with you.”

The man frowned but no one else volunteered. “Fine, let’s go.”

Korali nodded and followed the man. She stayed behind him, watching his movements. The man was agile, she had to give him that, but his ability to move quietly was something to be desired. No wonder no one else wanted to volunteer. She smirked at the thought. They held the silence for the entire walk to the lair. While they had taken a different route, Korali realized they weren’t far from where she stayed with Aerosavin. How could she have lived so close to an actual dragon’s lair and not know? She didn’t get to dwell on it very long, as the man stopped next to a cave opening. He pulled out a small crossbow.

“I’ll take care of this dragon. You just watch my back.”

Korali nodded. Yeah, I’ll watch your back. She then followed the man into the cave. The man could not be silent. The dragon would know they were coming. Karli stayed to the shadows, hoping whatever happened, she could help the dragon and it wouldn’t hurt her. It wasn’t but a few minutes, when the man stopped. A young bronze dragon was staring at them. Korali thought it looked scare, as it huddled against the wall next to a small hoard that looked to contain pearls and gold.

Korali watched as the man brought his crossbow up, preparing to shoot it. The young dragon looked to try and back against the wall even more, though it was already as close to it as it could get. The man started chuckling. “Just a baby. This will be easy.”

Before he could finish lining up his shot, Korali snuck up behind him, stabbing her rapier into his back and through his heart. The man and the bow fell to the ground as she removed the rapier. She sheathed it, before looking at the dragon. It was looking at her. The fear in its eyes started to fade. Korali held her hands up as if to surrender. “I’m not going to hurt you young one.” Korali didn’t know if the young dragon understood her, but she hoped it did. “I’m going to go report that you are dead.”

Korali pulled out her dagger, inflicting non-fatal wounds on herself. She smeared the blood on herself and her clothing. “I’ll protect you,” she whispered, putting her dagger away. The young dragon hadn’t moved at all. She then turned walking out of the cave.

Korali then went back to town. She stumbled in playing the part of the wounded hero, telling everyone what they wanted to hear, dramatizing all the right parts. The man had given his life so she could finish slaying the dragon. The crowd cheered and started to celebrate. Some gave her a pat on the back. It didn’t take long though, for her to slip out of the town. She kept up the act until she knew none of the people could see her.

A part of her wanted to go back to the cave, but she didn’t want to scare the poor dragon any further. The other part of her just wanted to get cleaned up and put on fresh clothes. Walking into the house though, she heard noise from the kitchen. Curious, Korali walked towards the kitchen. She hadn’t expected Aerosavin to be back yet. Standing in the doorway, Korali watched as Aerosavin was busy making some dish.

“That smells good, but I didn’t expect you to be back yet.”

Aerosavin startled, which surprised Korali. She had never been able to sneak up on him like that before. “Oh… I…” He was nervous, though it wasn’t the same nervous as he had been that morning. Aerosavin sighed. “I have something to tell you, and something I want to give you, but right now go get cleaned up. The food will be ready soon.” Though she was really curious and didn’t want to wait, she nodded leaving the doorway and doing as Aerosavin suggested.

It wasn’t long before the smell of her favorite dish reached her nostrils. Korali quickly toweled off and put on fresh clothes. She ran to the kitchen. “This must be really important if you made my favorite dish,” she said as she once again stood in the doorway.

Aerosavin nodded. “It’s very important sis.” Korali smiled. She could remember how much it had bothered her the first time Aerosavin had referred to her as his sister, but it hadn’t taken long for her to get used to it.

“Well, then, I’ll set the table big brother so you can get around to this important part sooner.” Aerosavin chuckled as he watched Korali start setting the table. He hoped she took the news well.

The food was soon on the table, and they were eating. Korali hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she had started eating. So, she barely noticed that the entire meal was eaten in silence. As they were cleaning up though, she remembered why they’d had her favorite meal.

“Didn’t you have something important to share with me?”

Aerosavin smile. “I did but it will be easier to show you.” He held his hand out which she accepted. Korali was confused when Aerosavin led her to the dragon’s cave.

“Uhm… big brother, what are we doing here?” She felt Aerosavin tighten his grip on her hand.

“I… I haven’t been entirely truthful about what I am.” Korali looked at him questioningly but said nothing. She wasn’t sure what to say. Korali just kept hold of his hand as he led her into the cave. They stopped about where the man had been standing earlier. The body was gone, and there was no blood on the floor. The hoard of pearls and gold was still there, but the young dragon was not.

“I don’t understand.” Korali stated turning to Aerosavin.

Again, his grip tightened on hers a bit. “That… that pile of gold and pearls is all I have left from my parents.”

“But earlier, I saw…” her words trailed off as Aerosavin let go of her hand and moved a little way away.

“You saw me,” he said softly, his words echoing in the cavern. Korali then watched as the elven man turned into a young bronze dragon. She found herself too stunned to say anything. Korali just stood there staring at him. Are you mad at me? Aerosavin’s voice sounded in her head.

“Y… you’re… you’re actually a… a dragon.” Korali’s voice came out in a high pitched whisper. The bronze dragon in front of her nodded. Her eyes went wide and she squealed. Korali then ran over wrapping her arms around the bronze dragon’s neck.

Does that mean we are still friends? His voice again sounding in her head.

“Are you kidding? My big brother is a dragon. This is so cool.” Korali could see that the dragon was smiling.

I… I want to share some of my powers with you. To thank you for saving me earlier.

“You have powers?”

The dragon nodded. I know a little magic.

“I would be honored Aerosavin.”

He took Korali’s hand in his claw. This might hurt at first. I’m sorry. Korali shrugged and grit her teeth. One of his claws dug into her wrist. It was more painful than she expected and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. Korali could then feel something pulsing into her veins, it was the oddest sensation she’d ever felt. Within a minute, Aerosavin was pulling his claw away from her wrist. Korali could feel something settle within her. She felt stronger. She looked up at Aerosavin in time to see him changing back into his elven form.

“Are you ok? I didn’t hurt you too much?”

Korali smiled. “I’m fine.”

“Oh good, I was worried.” Aerosavin let out a sigh of relief, then smiled at her. “Now, you’ll have new lessons. I’m not that powerful, but you do have a little magic. We will have to explore what you can do.”

Korali squealed and wrapped him in a hug. “This will be fun.”  Aerosavin found himself chuckling over her excitement. After she let go of him, they made their way back to the house. They finished cleaning up what had been left, before heading to bed.

…

The next few years flew by. Korali learned how to utilize the sorcery Aerosavin had given her and found it enhanced other abilities she never realized she had. Her favorite thing to do was create and throw a knife made of ice. It usually shattered whether it hit or missed, always dealing damage.

Aerosavin and Korali continued to grow close in their relationship, until one evening Aerosavin realized he liked Korali as more than a friend. He wanted to be closer than a brother. It frightened him a bit. So, the next morning, he woke early and went into town.

While Korali was sad Aerosavin had left without her, it wasn’t unusual. There were many mornings he would leave early. It was normal for him to go check on his hoard in the cavern. She made herself some breakfast and did some cleaning. She read a bit of the book she had been working on, and by then it was noon. Now she was starting to worry. Aerosavin had never stayed away that long.

Korali found some paper and left a note just in case Aerosavin came back while she went out to look for him. She decided to go to the cavern first. It made the most sense to her. She went in, being quiet so she didn’t disturb him, but he was nowhere to be found. Puzzled Korali walked out and headed back to the house. She was almost there when she saw Aerosavin stumbling towards her. It took her a minute but she realized he had an arrow in his back and one in his side.

“Run…” he tried to yell, but it sounded much softer. “It… it’s not safe anymore. The… the townsfolk figured… figured it out.” As he finished speaking, Aerosavin had stumbled into Korali’s arms. She could hear people shouting and knew they didn’t have much time. “Leave me.” Aerosavin barely got the words out when he felt Korali’s magic wrap around him.

A minute later they were in a different part of the forest, deeper into it. After another minute, he again felt her magic around him and once again they were deeper into the forest. He could no longer hear the shouts of the humans. He felt Korali remove the arrows, then heard the incantation for the healing spell. Aerosavin could feel some effects of healing, but it wasn’t enough. Korali seemed to understand that because she cast it again.

“What happened?” Korali finally asked after casting the healing spell the second time. She hoped it would be enough, because she couldn’t cast it again. She was feeling drained.

“I went into town. I was upset. A question caught me off guard, and next thing I knew they were firing arrows at me.”

“Why were you upset? Did I do something wrong?”

“What? No. No Korali, you did nothing wrong. You… you’ve done everything right.” Aerosavin paused. “Maybe a little too right.”

Korali looked confused. “What do you mean too right?”

Aerosavin closed his eyes. He could tell the healing she did was not enough. There was no reason to hide it now. “I fell in love with you Korali. I… I found myself wanting to be with you as a lover and not a brother.” Korali looked at him stunned, and tears filled her eyes. “I didn’t want to lose you.”

“I… I don’t know what to say.” Korali’s words were soft. She had felt a surge of emotions and she didn’t know what to do. Her heart had swelled when he admitted to falling in love with her. Had she secretly loved him too?

Aerosavin could feel his body starting to fail him. Their time was almost up. “You don’t need to say anything, but might I…” he paused wincing in pain.

“You may,” Korali replied before he opened his mouth to finish the sentence. Aerosavin smiled as he used what strength he had to maneuver himself so he was sitting next to Korali. He gently held her chin as he leaned in putting his lips on hers. It was tender and sweet. He could feel her tears, before pulling away. “I wish you would have told me instead of leaving.”

“Me too,” Aerosavin whispered, wincing again. “Please don’t leave me.”

Korali wrapped her arms around Aerosavin, holding him close. “I won’t,” she whispered. A few minutes later Korali felt him take his last breath, his body going completely limp in her arms. Emotions overwhelmed her as feeling his death brought back memories, she thought she’d locked away. Korali knew the humans couldn’t find them, so she sat there hugging Aerosavin’s body and she let herself cry. She cried until she fell asleep.

When Korali woke, she buried Aerosavin’s body. Then she snuck though the forest back to the cavern where he kept his hoard. Korali decided she would bury that too. When she arrived, she saw a group of humans going in. Anger consumed her, and she followed them in. Quietly Korali stalked them, listening to them brag about how they killed the dragon. When they went for the hoard, she killed them. A part of her wanted to go burn the whole town. Instead, Korali gathered the hoard and took it to where Aerosavin was buried. She then buried it next to him.

The desire to destroy the town had grown. Korali knew if she went back to the house, she would go into the town and set it aflame. So, she left. Traveling for what felt like hours, until she came across a different town. This one was smaller, but it was a start.