Originator of Character: Margaret R. Dean
Name: Sharai (known to the Mraal as the Spirit of the Winds [of Change], the Eater of Maidens
Soul Name: n/a
Race: Elf
Gender: Female
Birthdate/Approximate Age: b. TWR -4404 / NH -5584
Origins: Born in the Old Settlement
Household: Household Elder of Threetail Household until NH 23 / TWR 1203, when she moves back to Tower Mountain
Hair Length/Color/Style: Golden-brown, dark-honey color, curly. Usually worn short, with a headband or circlet. (In earlier times, up until the mid-Third Millennium, wore it longer, in a Leetah-like style with a tiara)
Eyes: Blue-green, slanted
Skin: Porcelain-fair, prone to sunburn
Height: 5' 1"
Build: Slim, athletic, with long legs and a short torso
Voice Quality & Speech Mannerisms: Clear, expressive, with a great range of pitch and a beautiful singing voice. Tends to speak lower when feeling mellow, higher when angry or excited. Extreme transports of the latter have been known to set dogs howling for miles.
Other Physical Attributes: Long, slender "musician's" hands. Rather sharp features, pointed chin.
Parents: Lingali, mother; Daemor, father (both D)
Siblings: Inlei, elder brother (D); Ceyte, Spago, Tajal, half-siblings
Other Relatives: Tandeya, Sarafel (D), Collya, nieces; Faih/Faience, Shazen, nephews
Current Mate: Xylene, lifemate (not monogamous); Crystel (also included in the lifemating at least while Sharai was at New Hope) and Jilleen are also favorite lovers
Recognized?: Yes, once
Previous Mates: Peysol, Recognized mate; Geibryl, lovemate; Wisp, lovemate (for a brief period while Wisp was in the Tower)
Children: Frith, Winken, sons by Peysol
Closest Friends: Xylene, Crystel, Mikail, Jilleen, Ceyte
Special Talents: Gliding
Skills: Musician and composer; sings, plays kitar and lute. She is adept at a wide range of styles and has composed the music for a good many of Mikail's (and others') dances. More experimental than many Tower musicians. Also an accomplished dancer, who acts as a kind of den mother and chorus coach to the dance troupe. At New Hope she founded the Choral Society and continues her interest in choral music at the Tower. Has a good working knowledge of cooking and culinary herbalism; helped run the kitchen at Threetail Household.
Hobbies: Food; likes to try out new dishes and new combinations of flavors. In the Third Millennium she started to experiment with mind-altering substances and still uses them occasionally (more often at the Tower than at New Hope) for recreation and inspiration. Others as mood strikes; she's probably experimented at least once with every art, craft, or hobby in the Tower.
Weapons Used: Rapier, for sport only; a flashy fencer. Learned some knife fighting at New Hope, both held and thrown; competent but not spectacular at this.
Bondbeast: n/a
Jewelry Worn: Various; often wears a circlet, usually earrings of some sort; also has a pair of filigree bracelets with cabochon gems and a matching belt buckle, a gift from Peysol at their lifemating (commis sioned from Jand).
Clothing: As experimental and changeable in her dress as she is in any other aspect of life. Usually avoids anything too frilly, cumbersome, or confining.
Other Special Possessions: Her mother's kitar (actually, by this time, a close facsimile of it, replaced piece by piece by Ceyte as the original instrument decayed)
Personal Info: Sharai is an exuberant, outgoing, experimental person, her motto being "I'll try anything once." She is wary of falling into any kind of a rut; routine bores her. Perhaps for this reason, with very few exceptions (such as her soulmate/lifemate relationship with Xylene) she tends to avoid deep emotional ties. She is affectionate to her friends, relatives and lovers, however, and has a tendency to meddle in their affairs "for their own good."
Similarly, Sharai is not prone to absorption with a single occupation or activity, her energy being divided among several interests (though her love of music has been a constant). She is always ready to try something new and different in her endeavors. Novelty attracts her; she often requires someone else to point out that an artistic experiment hasn't worked. "It's very different, Sharai. Why don't I understand it?"
Sharai is an elf with a great zest for life, but she is too intelligent, and has too much of an artist's perception, not to be affected by the atmosphere of the society she lives in. During the Third Millennium, for instance, she became increasingly fearful of Tyaar and the Tower's darkening in general, and her music became often dark and troubled in response. Even in a more congenial atmosphere she is subject to moody spells which, again, often find expression in her art. In her relationships with people, Sharai will often turn a blind eye to existing evils, avoid Functionals and those with disabilities, steadfastly ignore politics -- but what she avoids in action will still turn up in her creative work. Though in sheer talent and artistic gifts she is not up to Ceyte's level (which is presumably why Ceyte was chosen as Declared over her), she probably has a greater emotional range -- including, for instance, anger, fear, hatred, and naked lust.
Especially in the Third Millennium and later, Sharai is an unapologetic hedonist, up for just about any thrill or sensation the Tower has to offer. "I'll try anything once" applies to her sexual proclivities as well, though she draws the line at deliberate cruelty, and since her separation from Peysol midway through the Second Millennium she has confined her attentions almost exclusively to her own sex. She has a pronounced taste for human maidens and while dwelling in the Tower always has a particularly beautiful one for a handmaiden/bed partner. She also deliberately encourages the attention of her cult, the Maidens (q.v.), and enjoys hosting orgies with them.
While not cruel or evil, Sharai is definitely self-centered and has a certain hardness in her nature (possibly due to her age). This should not be equated with coldness, since Sharai is very gregarious and also has a lively sense of humor. She will help others and in fact can be quite generous with her time and resources, as long as it doesn't endanger her own skin or freedom. She also can work well with a group, as her long association with the dance troupe, and later with her choral societies, can attest. She is neither overly egotistical nor vain, and never takes either herself or her art -- or life in general, in fact -- too seriously. While she can be temperamental her anger never lasts long. As a teacher or coach she rarely scolds, employing instead a dry quip or a raised eyebrow to call attention to faults.
Sharai's decision to emigrate to New Hope at the beginning of the Fourth Millennium was perhaps an over-hasty one, motivated both by a taste for novelty and her strong affection for both Xylene and Crystel. She did find the challenge of making a new home in the wilderness stimulating for a while, and reveled in the new sensations (or old sensations rediscovered, since she'd been born in the Old Settlement) as well as her discovery of the joys of choral music. However, she never really bought into the New Hope philosophy -- or perhaps could not face the concept of humans as equals and friends precisely because of the painful truth that they were fated to die. How many friends can you lose? She also frankly missed the luxuries and leisure for artistic pursuits that the Tower offered. In NH 23 (TWR 1203), finding that Xylene was having similar misgivings, she decided to return with her soulsister/lifemate to the Tower. (Jilleen also returned to the Tower with them.)
Once re-settled, Sharai finds the Fourth Millennium Tower quite congenial. Getting to know the new generation of elves, reacquainting herself with the dance and theater troupes, and organizing a choral group for the Tower (predominantly made up of humans) take up much of her time -- what isn't occupied with parties and socializing. Politics bore her, or so she professes, though she will sometimes engage in light, nonpolitical intrigue just to amuse herself. She is particularly attracted to the younger generation once they are out of childhood (she doesn't relate well to children) and is always ready to act as confidant, mentor, sounding board, or whatever else is desired.