Elodie Tuppence-VonLiechtenstein

Elodie Ayita and Ilya Ami Tuppence were born just minutes apart, Elle first and Il shortly after. To their mother’s dismay, dwarven babies are huge, making the pregnancy extremely difficult and painful. On top of that, dwarf conception rarely ever resulted in two embryos being fertilized, aka twins. This was to be the first, and by far not the last (or strangest), of many odd events to happen to these two siblings, whose fate no longer rested in their newborn hands.

The Tuppence twins. Dwarves born into a small, somewhat newer village (some would call a hamlet) that had split off from the other original, main dwarven tribes. This was the Hamlet of Arlo, tucked into a hidden ravine of the Evander Mountain Ridge. They became surface-dwellers and grew slightly shunned by other tribes that preferred secluded caves and tunnels. Over the years, they developed their own society with rules, shared beliefs- even deities, and delegated tasks all designed to help the greater good. Unlike their counterparts, that mined precious metals and stones, they spent most of their time foraging the landscape and exploring the forests that surrounded them; this lead to a shared knowledge of plant medicine and rituals that were learned by watching the local wildlife. Because of this drastic lifestyle change, their people were much more outgoing and friendly; they didn’t hide or shy away from new things and were always eager to learn more about the world and it’s wonders. 

When the twins were 7, a travelling man had come to their humble hamlet bringing stories of adventure and magic- enchanting the villagers and their children with mysterious whimsy. Songs and poetry filled the square, accompanied by the sound of laughter, the hum of excitement, and the aroma of a last-minute feast prepared for their guest. After hours around the warm bonfire’s glow: conversing, eating, and drinking- the villagers slowly began to turn in, one by one, to drift off to fantastical dreamscapes inspired by the stranger's fables. As they dozed off, a foggy sense of joyous wonder settled over the night as it stilled- and as quickly as it had descended, was it replaced with mayhem and turmoil. 

The next morning, as Arlo stirred, screams of horror and grief rang out, shaking the morning dew off of the leaves. During the night, someone had crept in through the windows and taken the souls of all the young boys, as they slept. The town was rightfully shaken, and the only outlier was this strange man that came the night before. Coincidentally, the innkeeper said he never checked out last night or anytime that morning and when they went to investigate the room it hadn’t even been slept in. Days, then months, then years had gone by and eventually the trail went cold, and the people of the town never recovered. Mistrust and skepticism took hold of Arlo, and the once charming town closed itself off from anyone, retreating into the woods and the trees to be forgotten in the mountains. 

Elodie had lost her twin brother that day, with no explanation and no reason. A stranger, a seemingly harmless vagabond, waltzed in through their marshy defenses and the next day all the boys in the hamlet of Arlo were dead. Since then, questions and theories have racked Elodie’s head, driving her to near madness- but the biggest question remains in her periphery to this day. Her brother, Ilya, or his ghost? Soul?  Some aspect of him stayed behind and only she can see him, if he really is there. And if Elle isn’t just really going mad over all the unanswered questions, the trauma, and the loss, what is the purpose of him hanging around?