Aelska
Race: Xynfax (Faun/Satyr) female, Moral
D&D Equivalent Class: Druid/Bard
Age: Mid-60s (Fae kin live a long time)
Appearance: Aelska has caring brown eyes, light, human-like skin from the waist up and is adorned with soft medium brown fur covering her lower body, with white between her thighs and to her rump and under her deer-like tail. The hair atop her head matches the soft brown of her legs. Her ears are the same soft brown, with white fur inside, and dark brown mottles on the tips. Standing at 5 feet tall and weighing 100 pounds, she possesses a nimble and graceful presence.
Personality: Aelska embodies a kind-hearted and wise nature. She is known for her agility, moving as gracefully as a gazelle, and her impressive speed as a runner. With her deep connection to nature, she excels in animal handling and healing. Additionally, Aelska is a skilled archer, adept at utilizing a bow and arrow.
Preferences and Background: As an herbivore, Aelska follows a plant-based diet. She grew up in a mystical Enchanted Grove, a place nestled deep within the virgin forest. There, she learned the ancient arts of nature magic, developing a profound connection with plants and animals. Through her enchanting melodies, she can communicate and commune with the natural world. Aelska embodies a calming presence and serves as a source of wisdom and guidance for her friends. Although she considers the entire wild world her home, she recognizes the needs of her companions and chooses to stay with them.
Quirks and Relationships: Aelska is an open and free-spirited individual who has had many lovely sensual experiences with both males and females. She is shy by nature and won't pressure anyone into a romantic relationship. Currently, she has a crush on Rozika due to her wild nature and empathizes with her plight. However, she would never make the first move, preferring to allow their connection to develop naturally, or not at all. She would never do anything to hurt her friends.

Aelska’s Tale
She shifted gracefully on her log, her brown eyes catching the firelight. “I am a Xynfax, as you know. Ve do not have towns or cities—not like you. Ve have no need of them. My people live vhere the vinds and vaters guide us, among the trees and mountains. Ve build no valls, for ve see no reason to keep the vorld out. For as long as I can remember, I have lived in tune with the natural vorld, moving as the seasons dictate. That is the vay of my kind.”

Rozika tilted her head, intrigued. “But… what ‘bout family? Don’ you stay together?”

Aelska chuckled, a low, musical sound. “Ve are a family—all of us. But, if you mean the children I have borne, they are grown. Six of them, each venturing into the vorld as they vish. That is also our vay. Ve nurture them, guide them until they are ready, and then ve let them go. It is not a sorrowful thing. It is life, ever flowing forvard.”

The words carried a bittersweet undertone, and Rozika noticed the brief shadow that crossed Aelska’s face. Yet, her smile returned, tranquil as ever.

“Do you see them often?” Rozika pressed, her curiosity piqued.

“No,” Aelska replied simply. “It is not expected. If our paths cross, then it is meant to be. If not, I carry them in my heart.” She gestured lightly, as if casting a handful of seeds into the air. “Love, for my people, is not something ve hold tightly. It is open, like the vinds. Ve have no need to bind it in rules. Over my years, I have shared love vith many—lovers of all kinds, species, and genders. Each one, a fleeting moment of beauty in the tapestry of my life.”

Rozika’s cheeks warmed at the candidness, but Aelska’s tone was so matter-of-fact, so unselfconscious, that it felt natural. Rozika stared into the fire, her thoughts a tangle. The faun’s life seemed so alien to her, yet something about it resonated deeply, like a faint melody just out of reach.

For a while, none of them spoke, the crackle of the fire filling the silence. Then Clover stretched, breaking the spell. “Y’know, I can’t even imagine livin’ like that. No walls? No guards? I’d feel naked as a calf.”

Aelska’s laughter rippled softly through the night. “That is because ve are not afraid of the vorld, Clover. Perhaps one day, you vill learn to live vithout fear, too.”

The big woman grinned, shaking her head. “You Xynfax sure are somethin’ else.”