Alocera Upperbough

[Talis]

Name: Alocera Upperbough.

Alias: Cera.

Race: House Brownie.

Initial Alignment: Chaotic Neutral.

Height: (Minimum Tiny size, since House Brownies are Borrower vibes. 20cm by my research, I'd go smaller if I could lol!)

Weight/Build: 1,5 pounds.

Age: Adult (Brownie ages are not the clearest, so I've said 22.)

Eyes: Violet.

Hair: Rose.

Deity: Tymora.

Base Class & Proposed Development: Sorcerer. I have no long term plans, I am just picking spells as I go. Anything themed on conjuration/transformation I am likely to choose.

Notable/Distinguishing Features: Her diminutive size and strange hair/eye colour.

Appearance:Alocera walks confidently despite her height. She has colourful hair, bright eyes and a quick grin. Her clothes do not resemble the usual Brownie fair, and often mimic more traditional Waterdhavian fashions. Some might find their eyes drawn to her for some reason (high Charisma.)

Personality Profile: Unlike most Brownies, Alocera is confident and ambitious. Whether due to the efefcts of her sorcerous blood, or something more base, the tiny fey has never wanted to hide away from the much larger world around her. She is prone to helping the innocent, and fiercely loyal to her friends, but she can be guilty of focusing more on her own needs at times than any concept of a greater good.


Background:

Alocera was born into the Upperbough family of House Brownies. These particularly diminutive fey rejected the more rural existence of most of their kind, and instead sought life hidden away within the confines of another's home. In this case the Upperboughs secretly lived in the attic of the noble Assumbar family, in the Sea Ward of Waterdeep, 'borrowing' whatever they needed from the wealthy humans below.

As the young Brownie grew, it became apparent that her strange hair and eyes were more than a mere quirk of birth. When she was angry, candles lit and then went out. When she was sad, water dripped from the ceiling. When she was happy, colourful light shone across the room. Though not fearful of Alocera's sorcerous gifts, her parents and siblings were terrified that she would one day accidentally alert the Assumbars below and ensure that the family was evicted - or worse.

Yet in time the girl would become well in control of her powers, capable of conjuring minor spells and ensuring that no strange magical emanations occurred around her. Despite this, she grew restless in her role as a cautious thief. She witnessed the feasts, garments and treasures on the floors below, and she yearned to experience them for herself. This yearning led to her taking unplanned trips below, sneaking into rooms in the dead of night, avoiding the housecat, and 'borrowing' that which she did not need and would not go unmissed.

Eventually, this behaviour saw her enter into the bedroom of the young Ersabeth Assumbar, who was of a similar (relative) age and sound asleep. Alocera had saw that she had been gifted a vast collection of rare coins from across the Sword Coast and beyond. Quietly sneaking into the young noble's side drawer, Alocera fished out a coin that she would later discover bore the icon of Tymora on one side, and the profile of Lady Luck on the other. Despite this good fortune, she turned around to find the bright eyes of the now awoken noble staring right at her.

Fortunately for Alocera, lonely Ersabeth Assumbar lived a life bereft of friendship. Her Siamorphe worshipping family would not approve of her mixing with commoners, and the noble families living nearby had no children of the same age. Instead, Erabeth and Alocera soon became fast friends and agreed to keep it as much of a secret as the Upperbough's presence above was. In time, Ersabeth would begin secretly taking Alocera along to places and events she could only dream of - theatre productions, art galleries and even Grand Balls, to name a few. Though she was most often hiding in a bag, or below the chairs, the Brownie loved every such opportunity.

Yet for ever boon granted by Tymora, so too might one expect to find the dark hand of Beshaba inflicting an equal bane. As the pair became young women, the now Lady Ersabeth's responsibilities only grew. Soon, she was entertaining important guests regularly both for matters of business and politics. On one such night, a particularly boisterous nobleman began to drunkenly threaten Ersabeth and her friends with shame and ruination if they would not take him up on his 'generous' offer to join some now-irrelevant plot on the Waterdhabian courts. As Ersabeth encouraged him to put his drink down, the man threw the red wine all over her white dress.

Alocera, watching from the rafters above, was furious. In a moment of foolishness, the fey cast 'reduce person' on the nobleman, causing him to shrink to a fraction of his size. The laughter that erupted was sudden and glorious, but the consequences would be felt forevermore. Alocera was caught, the Upperbough's were revealed, and Ersabeth had to decide between her friendship and her ambitions. Alas, she chose the latter, and feigned complete ignorance of the 'invasive fey pests.' Suddenly, the Upperboughs were under arrest and held captive for several days.

If Lord Assumbar and his no-longer-shrunken business partner did not find the whole affair so embarrassing it is possible that Alocera's story would end there. Fortunately, they were instead locked inside a crate and dumped onto the outskirts of distant Red Larch. Here, most of the Upperboughs would return to the traditional Brownie life, seeking a safer, more rural existence, having learned the lessons of their mistakes. Yet for Alocera, this was unacceptable. She had tasted what was possible, and she had to have it again.

Just a few years later, after a heartfelt farewell with her beloved family, Alocera would find herself on a caravan destined for Waterdeep.

Goals: Alocera wants that which she felt was denied to her as a child. Status, possessions of her own, and a great big house that is far too big for her and her family. She seeks to rise in Waterdhavian society, and if forced to admit it, she would love nothing more than to be a Masked Lord of Warerdeep despite how unlikely that is. If really pushed, she would admit that she desires to sit across from Ersabeth Assumbar as her equal, out of sheer spite more than anything else.


Enemies: Her former best friend, Lady Ersabeth Assumbar, would no doubt serve as something of a rival or opponent should they ever cross paths again.

Possible Plot-Hook Ideas and Misc Facts:

- Alocera and Ersabeth meet once again. Either deliberately, for whatever reason, or coincidentally.

- Other Brownie's from Waterdeep learn that Alocera has returned and seek her out for help or to reveal secrets of her family's past. Perhaps her fey-blooded powers have more of a story behind them than she realises.

- Alocera gets an opportunity to ascend the political world of Waterdeep.