Serelai Ashtear

Tall and lithe, she carries herself with the balanced ease of someone raised among roots, branches, and uneven ground. Her sleek red hair falls to her waist, worn mostly loose. A crown of braids circles her head, while a single braid runs down the middle of her back, threaded with oak leaves, feathers, and crimson berries gathered along the trail. Fair skin contrasts with the freckles scattered across her nose and cheeks, while her green-gold eyes watch the woodland paths with patient attention. Warm golden jewelry catches against her fair skin: jade-set gold studs nestle among several delicate hoop earrings, while layered necklaces rest at her throat and slim bracelets chime softly at her wrists. She dresses in layered hues of green beneath a long cloak that brushes her calves and breaks up her outline among the trees. Her leather armor is worn smooth at the edges, darkened by rain, and marked by careful repairs where old straps and plates have been replaced. Tall leather boots rise nearly to her knees, their soles built for mud, roots, and steep forest paths, with weathered brass clasps fastening them in place. A leaf-shaped clasp secures the cloak at her throat. She carries an heirloom recurved bow passed down through generations, its polished wood marked with tiny carvings of vines and birds and darkened where countless hands have held it. She carries the scent of pine resin, damp earth, and woodsmoke, and wherever she goes, small signs of the forest seem to follow: a red leaf caught in her braid, a fox watching from the brush, or birdsong rising after her passing.

She sings while traveling, favoring low woodland melodies that carry between the trees without revealing her exact position. Around a campfire, she remembers old verses and adds new ones for the people she meets. She can mimic the calls of birds and forest animals closely enough to draw curious creatures from hiding, signal allies through the canopy, or send a hunting party in the wrong direction. When she is thinking, she often answers questions with a soft whistle before speaking.