SO, YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT
CREATING A CHARACTER…

  Great!  Now, how to go about it, eh? 
Well, here is the template for generating a character for Holt of Grand Illusions.
After finishing your Character Information Sheet (CIS), send it to Amberfox for consideration!
So, sit back and get to it!  

NAME:
Since we are nothing more than a group of wanderers slapped together, both sound 
and tribal names may be used. A tribal name is one that is descriptive (ie: Amberfox,
Desertmoon,Cutter, Nightfall) and a sound name is one for sound rather than meaning (ie: Vaya,
 Kahvi, Annakiya, Co’Raxsis). Please keep in mind that a sound name means that the character
has no secret soul name. They are considered on in the same.  

RACE:
Anything other than elf would be hazardous to the survival of your character,
however, with bravery, you may submit troll, human, preserver, ½ elf/troll, ½ elf/human, etc.

GENDER:
Self explanatory.  Please, no inbetweens.  

PURE\ANIMAL BLOODED (IF ANIMAL, SPECIFY WHICH):
Many characters have part animal blood, though a great deal more are of pure elfin descent.
Remember, those of animal blood are the only elves capable of growing facial hair and
then only if they are at least 500 turns old. If your character has animal blood,
what animal is she/he sister/brother to? There is no need to list the percentage of animal versus
elfin blood; if your character has even a trace of animal blood, your elf will be animal blooded.

SOUL NAME:
Generally one to two syllables of all that your character is.
Again, if your elf has a sound name; there will be no soul name.
Same applies for a character not elfin.

KNOWN BY:
Who knows your soul name? Recognized mates and soul siblings will, parents might,
others generally won’t. Also list if your own character knows it or not.

LIFE\LOVEMATE (SPECIFY WHICH):
If your elf has one, specify which and list the name(s). If the mate is dead, unless the
name of the deceased character will play an important role to your character in stories or art,
there is no reason to list the name, just that the mate is deceased. Do not feel as though
an NPC needs to be invented for this, I’m sure there is a willing member out there with
a character actively seeking a mate.
If you so desire, I can send you a list of available characters.

CUB(S):
Remember that cubs are rare among elves, they are not baby machines.
Conception without Recognition is rare and, at this time, I’m not accepting any born
outside of Recognition to help keep the population in check. We do have a higher amount
of twins than most other holts, but at this time, even we have too many.
I ask that you try to avoid this.  

AGE:
The time this Holt takes place is around the same time as Cutter and
his adventures from the original Quest.  This allows your character a vast age span to
choose from.  There will be characters that do not even know how old they are,
which is perfectly acceptable.  Just list, “unknown” or something similar.

HEIGHT:
Because we are wanderers, heights will vary drastically. We already have several
“mutations/throwbacks” so 4’ average (for Wolfriders) will be a refreshing change for us all.

HAIR:
Okay, folks, “brown” will not do. Please be descriptive and include not only the color,
but the length and style as well.  If brown, what shade of brown – light, medium, dark?
If you wish the character to have long hair, how long?  If short, how short?
Artists are not mind readers!

EYES:
Same rules applies. Be descriptive of the color as well as the shape. Are they wide
and slanted (Cutter, Nightfall), narrow and slanted (Rayek, Voll), wide and level (Clearbrook),
large and round (Redlance), etc?

SKIN TONE:
If your character is nocturnal, it’s a safe guess the character will be pale. 
Of your character is a sun worshipper, it’s safe to say the character will be dark.

BODY TYPE:
Again, large will not do.  Large what?  Is your character thin, skinny, thin
but muscular, muscular, etc?

MARKS\SCARS\OUTSTANDING FEATURES: 
Not necessary, but interesting stories could develop from these. Listed here would
include beards, mustaches, facial shapes, voice type, deeply arched eyebrows, freckles,
allergies, unusual height, muteness, deafness, something unique about your character.  

CLOTHING:
Be descriptive of color, style, and material. Summers are hot and humid
(think 90+ degrees with near 100% humidity) and winters rarely going below 60 degrees
with heavy rains.  If you think your character will enjoy heavy wool and layers of
clothing, go right ahead, but consider comfort in a jungle.

JEWLERY:
Can be metal, wood, cloth, gemstones, fur, bone, hair.  Remember, there are
metalshapers and forgers in the Holt so metal does not NEED to come from trolls.

WEAPONS:
Keep in mind we wander. If your character is weighed down with every
imaginable weapon, she/he will probably die because she/he couldn’t escape.  Please try
to limit your weapons or try to space them for easy access and weight distribution.
Try to keep in mind our technology, this would not allow for switchblades, guns,
repeating crossbows, or nuclear weapons (you’d be surprised at what I’ve seen).
Besides, how would you carry an ICB, anyway?

SPECIAL POSSESSIONS:
Anything that might border on sacred to your character.  

ABILITIES:
Limit magical abilities to the age and experience of your elf. A cub will not be an
advanced, powerful healer. Elves without abilities are more than welcome. Most elves are
able to send, animal bond, and have a degree of magic feeling (the ability to sense other
magic, either being or long since used). If your elf has these, please list them, as some elves
will not. If your elf has a bond animal, it is because the elf has animal bonding (lots of people
forget this). At this time, we already have enough healers, seers, and metamorphs (shapeshifters),
so I so request you avoid these when creating your elf. Try to limit abilities. “Superman without
kyptonite is boring!”  Characters with usual skills can be just as interesting as a character
with unusual magic (and generally more readily accepted). When an outstanding ability
becomes too prominent, I will have to stay closing it off to incoming members.
Humans and trolls will not have any abilities.

SKILLS:
These are non-magical talents.  Be descriptive!  Things listed here would be
fighting, hunting, tracking, scouting, dancing, singing, tanning, weaving, climbing, star
navagation, astrology, metallurgy, metalforging, historian, elf lore, troll lore, human lore,
animal lore, forest lore, plant lore, herbalist, herbal healing, jewelry making – the list is
practically endless!  Keep in mind the age of your character and experience. 
Have fun with it!

FAMILY: 
Theoretically, this list should be small considering the low birth rate.  If your
character’s family is unimportant, please list them as deceased, missing, at holt of origin
without listing their names. This will allow incoming members a wider range of names to
choose from.  There are also several members currently seeking relatives, so do not feel
you have to invent your own.

ORIGIN:
Where is your elf originally from?  An option is wanderer if you can’t think of
one. Another option is to have your elf come from an already existing holt (please ask
permission from that holt leader first) or one of our source holts.

PERSONAL HISTORY AND INFORMATION:
What was your character doing
before joining the Holt?  Why did your character leave the place of origin?  What was
your character doing while wandering?  What was that character’s life like?  What is your
character like now (shy, outgoing, moody, mischievous)?  What is the character’s
personality?  Be descriptive and have fun!

COLORS\SYMBOLS:
Optional.  Is there any specific color(s) your character identifies
with?  A symbol your character readily identifies with or can be identified by?  

KNOWLEDGE\OPINION OF:

HUMANS:
Okay, easy enough. How does your character feel about those tall round ears? 
What does is known about them and how much?  Any exposure at all?

TROLLS:
Same as above, only this time with trolls

  PRESERVERS:
Get the idea yet?

  OTHER ELVES:
How does your character interact with elves? Is there a particular
elf or types of elves your character dislikes or gets along with?  

BOND BEAST:
This is a particular type of animal your elf shares an empathetic bond with,
and in most cases, the animal is large enough to be ridden. Please, only one bond animal
at a time, imagine stretching your mind between several animals at once!

NAME:
The poor slob has to have a name, doesn’t it?      

GENDER:
Again, self explanatory.

COLOR:
What color is it?  Please try to limit mutations, albinism, and bizarre mix-breeds. 
You can also list the animal’s personality here as well.  

ANIMAL FRIEND\RIDE (SPECIFY WHICH IF APPLICABLE): 
This is an animal that
your character doesn’t share an empathetic link with and can be any animal found on The
World of Two Moons (Abode). Animal friends are basically pets and rides are basic
beasts of burden.  Try to limit the amount of animals your character travels with – a zoo
is hard enough to run with a large staff, imagine a single person trying to manage.

NAME:
You know the routine…can be tribal or sound

GENDER: 
Do I have to say it?

COLOR:
Try to remain true to the breed (no reason to have a pink squirrel unless you dyed
it that way for some sick purpose). Again, you can list personality here.  

MEMBER NAME:
Hey, it helps to know who this is!

ADDRESS:
Don’t be shy!  If someone wants to get in touch with you or it’s time to mail the
newsletters, how do we reach you?

TELEPHONE NUMBER (OPTIONAL):
Some members love the phone and readily talk when called. This is optional.

EMAIL:
Others are hopelessly obsessed with the internet and will readily reply to email.
This too is optional.

EMAIL AMBERFOX!!!!
Your request will be answered in a reasonable
amount of time (to her).