Larkin

Appearance:

As far as appearances go Larkin is a rather unremarkable young woman entering her mid-thirties. Those who knew her mother say that she is the picture of her in her youth, but she has her father's piercing eyes. She has waist length blonde hair, and eyes that are a golden-amber in color. People who look into her eyes sometimes get a feeling of being trapped, and her stare can unsettle children and animals, setting horses to panic and wee ones to fits of tears, both unable to break away from her fierce gaze.

Compared to the other villagers, she is in robust health, her limbs full and strong, and her vitality equal to that of any man, belying her slender and very feminine appearance. She doesnt display this strength in public, as it would be unseeming for a woman to perform feats of strength that might put some men to shame. This isnt to say that she has superhuman potence, but rather she is as strong as a fighter PC, rather than a country lass.

Larkin has her father's temper. He is locally known as a foreign merchant who comes and goes three to eight times a year, though he only brings gifts for his wife, and brings no merchandise to sell or trade. He speaks of far away lands, and wonderous sights, and has a temper hotter than a scorned volcano. She also has no fear of little things, not of spiders or snakes, nothing that crawls or squirms discomforts her in the slightest.

Background:

Forty years ago, a dashing merchant came to the village, and swept a bonnie lass off of her feat, and won her over with his gracious and courtly manner. She couldnt resist his silver tongue, or the gifts of gold and small jewels that he laid at her feet. She took him as a husband though she knew that he would be home only seldomly, but she knew that she had his love. After eight years, after the village had taken her for a barren spinster, she was heavy with child.

Larkin was born, her father present at the birth. The child was strong and healthy, demanded milk from the breast immeadiately. Her father, Draughlin, gave a hearty laugh and named her Larkin, a name from a foreign land. Her father kept to his schedule, seeing her and her mother no more than six to eight times a year. Sometimes he would stay for no more than two days, while other visits lasted nearly a month.

At twenty, Larkin married Lugh. He was the best warrior in the village, and a coarse man. Their marriage was brief, as she would yield no child from her loins, and Lugh simply left her alone. Draughlin dissapproved of Lugh and told his daughter not to worry, that all had been taken care of.

Despite her health, and beauty, none of the other village men were interested in her hand. To them, she was too old and one husband had proven her basket to be empty. It seemed that she would have to content herself with being a deserted wife, a spinster, until old age took her to her grave. Unfortunately, death came for her mother first. She was distraught as Draughlin missed her funeral and wasnt told of her passage, and cremation until nearly four months had passed.

It wasnt long after his fit of rage, and anguish that the dreams started. Larkin had always been a strange child. She had a fondness for lizards and snakes, and the cold things that crept upon the ground. Despite being snake-bitten she showed no infirmity of weakness, no lameness that came with such. She dreamed of serpents of scarlet and gold scale, and of flame. She dreamed of being trapped inside a sheath of leathery skin.

Draughlin had been gone for two years, having not returned since discovering his wife's demise. Larkin was well put up, living in a house crafted of stone, and well stocked with coin and property. She would spend days alone, taking food only at night. She sat on her bed and peeled off her own skin, brittle and dry as paper, but thicker. This began to happen every few months, the skin going dry, and splitting and cracking. A week later, she would fresh again, her skin as soft and supple as it had been when she was but 16 years old. No wrinkles lined her face, no grey streaked her hair, but she molted, two, three times a year.

She was comforted by the gold she possessed. She would be calmed by simply counting the golden coins, on occassion she would spread them across her bed, until the coins were two or three deep before carefully laying down upon them. The cold metal pressing into her naked flesh soothed her in a way that nothing else, not wine or song, could.

It was the harvest time, and a thief took into her house and took twelve pieces of gold from her, taking them from her bed even as she rested upon them. She woke, her blood boiling with anger, she could smell the thief, and she tracked him down to the barn he was hiding in, rolling the gold coins across his knuckles.

The next morning, the old farmer was distressed to see his barn burnt to charred timbers, and even moreso at the fire blackened skeleton in the ashes. Then, Tomaso turned up missing, but Larkin had her 12 pieces of gold back, along with the other coins stolen by the thief.

Roleplaying Notes:

Da' Truth
Larkin is half human, her mother was human while her father was quite surprisingly a dragon. In a story suitable for the fairytales, the dragon draughlin espied a woman while he flew above, and he clad himself in a human shape and courted her. He was much pleased with her, and was happy. None knew his secret, and he enjoyed the love without fear that she gave him, for love is a mighty thing. He kept in good living, for as long as her life would last, but was genuinely surprised when his wife became pregnant. While he felt a tremendous love for his wife, Larkin was...not so loved. Love is also fickle.

Larkin's Heritage
Larkin is immune to reptilian poisons of all sorts, and only the strongest of natural, or alchemical poisons can affect her. Her stomach is strong enough that she could eat rancid meat and not become ill. She still ages, but at a fraction fo what normal humans age, and looks 20 despite being in her thirties. She could logically survive to see 500 to 600 years before succumbing to old age. It is physically demanding and draining, but she can breath a gout of flame but not more than once in a week at the most frequent, and her strength can grow drastically, but only when violently upset or when in a rage. She can also smell as well as a bloodhound, making her an excellent tracker.

Larkin's Weaknesses
Since her birth, she has been taught to be a country lady, and has as little knowledge of a broadsword, sorcery, or divine spellcasting as the average gamer knows of knitting, industrial automation, or 80's punk rock. Despite being rather tomboyish, sleeping on piles of gold, and hunting thieves by scent, she is a quiet and reserved woman.

Plot Hooks
Dragon! - rumors fly over the death Tomaso, and the PCs are brought in to investigate the rumor of a local dragon. Being the local eccentric and a spinster to boot, some think that Larkin is to blame, but their opinion is local politics rather than factual.

Meet My Daddy - Larkin is wealthy and beautiful, low maintainence and happy, an ideal wife for the often absent Adventurer-Husband. What does the PC-Groom to be do when he discovers that his soon to be father in law is actually Draughlin the Black, scourge of six kingdoms?

Find my Daddy - Angered over being abandoned by her father, Larkin hires the PCs to help her find him and confront him over his behavior. The PCs slowly notice her...odditites, and then later come face to face with either the 'merchant' or the dragon...mayhem ensues.

Help me, hide me - The villagers have decided to killLarkin after a spell of plague passes through during one of her moltings. She seeks the protection of strong warriors and cunning wizards. Pity the thief, for she will have no mercy.

Sticky Fingers - A PC thief manages to sneak into Larkin's home and finds her sleeping naked on a heap of gold, rather than a feather-down matress. Does he take some coin, or wake the lady with a kiss? Does the lady return his kiss, or does she turn him to ash with a rage fueled blast of flame...or both?

Final Note
Larkin is a coming of age character who has the potential to become a good ally for the PCs, should she, and the PCs survive. She is wealthy and powerful, and still growing into her draconic heritage. She could also take on more of the 'evil' traits of dragons and become a strong villian, hunting the PCs for their stockpiles of gold, and familiarity with her and her condition.