Ayrskra Talh'dhan

Ayrskra stands just under five feet tall, with a slender, athletic build. She has bright red skin adorned with golden tattoos of circles and lines, as well as a black and gold eye tattoos on her chest and forehead.
Her eyes, which her tattoos match, are entirely black with gold diamond-like pupils. Her hair, which is cut short except for a long braided ponytail, is dark maroon.

Ayrskra dresses in clothing reminiscent of her homeland, including black and gold shawls and golden jewelry. She prefers going barefoot, her clawed feet adapted to walking in harsh environments.
She also occasionally straps a scimitar across her back.​

Ayrskra is an individual shaped by the underhanded dealings and backstabbing of life in the court of her Dao.
Slow to trust, she sees nearly everyone as a potential enemy and very few as potential allies. All others are beneath her notice.

Lying, killing, and stealing are all acceptable in her eyes. The only unforgivable sin is being caught. She is a meticulous planner and has no trouble patiently letting a plan unfold over months or even years, all while the target of her ire is unaware.

To those she sees as allies, she has a cautious but firm loyalty. She will aid them in any manner she sees fit, even if they do not ask for it. There is always a catch, of course, and she will be quick to remind her 'friends' of favors owed if she is in dire straits.​

Haddra, the Storm Cleaver. A scimitar that bears no special properties at first glance; just another weapon. However, the blade's strength lies in it's ability to cut the elements. Flames, lightning, light, shadow, even the wind itself. Elements and forces of nature can be diminished and eventually banished with each swing of the blade. Only one element can be cut at a time, and the user must focus on which element they wish to cut.

The blade itself cannot be destroyed by anyone except it's owner, and ownership can only be claimed by the sword being gifted to another. This can be done via manipulative methods, such as blackmail, bribery, or even mind control.​

Form of the Whirlwind. Ayrskra can use ancient magics to transform herself into a sentient cloud of wind and sand. While in this form she can fly slowly up to around a hundred feet in the air and pass through any opening her sand can get through.

She is difficult to harm in this form, as physical attacks do nothing to her cloud-like form. However fire and lightning can turn portions of her body to glass, which she must shatter and grind back down to sand before she can return it to normal.

Theoretically, if she were turned entirely to glass, it would act as a sort of suspended animation, keeping her alive but unaware until such a time as the glass that made up her form was broken back down into sand.​

Djinn. The Djinn are an immortal race of spirits, the elements themselves given flesh. So long as a Djinn is not killed, they will remain as long as their collective elements exist. There require both food and sleep, but less of either than a human might.

They are notably stronger than the average human, with a typical Djinn having the strength and stamina of five men his size. They likewise recover from injury at greater rates than humans. What is lethal to a man is an inconvenience to the Djinn.

While they are a hearty people with great strength, the Djinn have one key weakness: magic. Particularly magic that binds. Many a Djinn has been caught by the machinations of a Sorcerer or priest.

The one defense that Djinm have against this is, if they are bound, they gain the ability to grant wishes. These wishes can be twisted to harm wish maker if they are not clever, and once a Djinn has granted thirteen wishes, they are freed from their bondage. This does not, however, prevent future attempts at binding the Djinn.

Note: I do not intend on ever having Ayrskra bound by anyone, so this power should never come up. It is primarily a story element to facilitate part of her back story​

TW: mention of noncon
The world Ayrskra was born into was one cleft in twain by warring gods. The gods battled each other until their own power was so diminished that to further injure one another would mean the death of them all. So they created agents to do battle on their behalf.
Notably of these were the humans and the Djinn. The Djinn were stronger, more difficult to kill, and had mastery over the elements themselves. But humanity was far more prolific and adaptable. And they could learn magic which allowed them powers even the Djinn couldn't match.

So their wars waged on, with either side clinging to victory at any given time. Ayrskra, born a Djinn of the Earth and the Wind, was thrown into this battle under the banner of Asbidom, the Dao under the Earth.
Life in Asbidom's court was rife with underhanded dealings and perpetual betrayal. Murder was as common as buying bread in the market. One's life was cheap, unless you caught the Dao's eye.

Ayrskra kept as low a profile as she could, working mostly as an informant and assassin when needed. A single contract changed her station overnight however.
Sent to retrieve information on the workings of a human sorcerer, Ayrskra was in fact betrayed and sold to the very same man as a guinea pig for his binding magics.

His first wish ensured that Ayrskra would be obedient, if unhappy with her predicament. His next ten were inconsequential to the Djinn herself, though she realized he had planned this out far in advance. There was no way to twist his wishes to her benefit.
His eleventh with was truly devious however. He used her own magic to bind himself from ever speaking the words to make another wish, even incidentally. With the thirteenth wish left unspoken and his own magic making him immortal, Ayrskra would be in his service forever.
The sorcerer kept her as a servant for centuries, testing magic on her and commanding her to entertain any guests he hosted.

This continued for decades, years blurring together until Ayrskra had no idea how long she had been there. She dreamed.of escape, but knew it would never come.
One day however, one of the sorcerer's guests broke his one rule. They wished they had something aloud. Not even caring to twist the wish, Ayrskra granted it, freeing herself from the sorcerer's shackles.

She did not escape immediately however. Ayrskra was patient, and would seize the opportunity when it was best presented. One day, nearly a fortnight after her release, the sorcerer ordered her to bring him a weapon he had found some years before. Haddra, the storm cleaver. An intended gift for a king who was warring with the Dao under the Earth.
Ayrskra approached with the blade but, instead of handing it over unsheathed it and cleft the sorcerer's forearm off.

He attacked her with magic, but the sword cut through every flame he uttered forth. She attacked savagely, seemingly killing him. Ayrskra fled into the night, returning to her home with the stolen sword.
Once back, she kept a low profile once again and slowly took her vengeance on the ones who had betrayed her. The Dao took notice and summoned her to his palace. She was given prestige and power, honored for her victory against her enemies, both human and Djinn. Ayrskra lived like a queen.

In the midst of her highest moment however, fate intervened twice. The sorcerer lived, and had conspired with the same king he had intended the sword for to assault the Dao under the Earth directly. He used his connection with the sword, as its rightful owner, to find it, and by extension the Dao's palace.
The siege lasted a long time, with the Djinn barely holding against the sorcerer's magic. During this time, a human appeared, by her own words from another world entirely.

Ayrskra met with this human in secret, wishing to flee before her Dao and all he held we're crushed by the sorcerer. And she hoped that, if she were in another world, the sorcerer could not find her.​