Koani Ehawee

Koani Ehawee
Garou Name: Fang of Reason

Breed: Lupus
Clan: Children of Gaia
Auspice: Philodox, of the Waning Moon
Rank: Cliath of the Sept of the Dreamer's Eye
Height: 5' 4"
Weight: 154 lbs
Age: 4 years, 7 months

Appearance
Homid:
As a human, Koani seems waifishly tousled. Her dark hair tends to be untended to, other than the beads braided into it, and her form is that of a healthy woman- strong limbs and a hearty figure, kept in shape with constant exercise, it seems. She has a faintly dusky tinge to her skin, and the sloped eyes usually found only in indigenous peoples.
The truth is, Koani's homid form is taken from the humans she first encountered- the Native Americans she first learned from after the confusing First Change she had. Whether by chance, region, or simply affected by her experience with them, her homid form has taken on the appearance of the people she associated so well with.
Her eyes are wide, intelligent, and perceptive- the color of them a dark-goldenrod, like honey and amber if it were somehow able to trap the wisdom of an elder- though she seems quite young, perhaps on the verge her second decade. Her skin is clear and healthy, but her hands are rough, and her body is littered with a small web of scars, upon her arms, and her torso, the hints of battle disappearing under her clothing.

Lupis:
As a wolf, Koani still retains the utter abandon as in her homid form- though her eyes are the same, filled with shrewdness and often fixated upon whom she encounters with an unsettling amount of comprehension for a wolf. Her fur is thick and dark, patches of grey on her muzzle, chest, and forelegs. Though she seems like a normal wolf, she has a perception that is disquieting, her nose acute and her ears swiveling with a flick before she turns her head towards where she detected the sound. In her lupine form, Koani constantly seems to be noticing everything around her- even if she does not seem to actively be attempting the task of it.

Personality
Koani is a good garou, but a bit of a bad human. While she is curious and inquisitive, she hasn't quite shook the innate suspicion of mankind from her mind. Combined with her difficulty of speaking (and indeed, her hesitance to speak for this reason), this makes her seem standoffish. Despite that, however, she is an intelligent woman that is still learning quite a bit about the world around her. She is honestly cheerful, sincere, but wise enough to know when to take on the aspect of seriousness. She often ponders to herself, and the machinations in her head are continuously at work- and it given a choice, she would rather be a pacifist.

Her Rage is something different entirely. Being a wolf, beforehand, certainly, there was a small range of emotions she felt- contentment, after a good meal and a run, settling into shelter surrounded by her pack. Anger, when one of the other pack members would overstep their bounds. Sadness, when she had failed to retrieve food or was caught without her pack or when she was caught in a storm without shelter. Fear, when she encountered humans and things she did not understand. All these simple emotions were instinctual and kept her alive.
The First Change magnified her emotional responses, whereupon she almost instantly was overwhelmed of her newly-recieved rational thought. The additional range of feeling, and the labyrinthine, provocative new emotions she'd felt- the transitory moments of elation, fury, horror, and the rest- had been the most gleeful and perturbing results of the First Change.

And the Rage, it always simmered there. It still does. Koani simply knows, now, to control it, to soothe it, to put it off until she finds one worthy enough to relinquish her hold upon the amplified eruption burning inside her. She seeks to control her rage- to balance it, as she must. She accepts it as part of herself- a necessary one, and a natural one.

Background
Koani was born to a lupus Uktena, upon the shores of America, where the ash and birch thrived. For an entire year, she grew, from pup to yearling, and when it came time, she left, to find her own pack. There was no drama- there was no traumatizing action that spurred her to this. That came later, when she changed, for the first time.

After the change, and the shock of emotion and the overwhelming state of thought she possessed, she was taken in by the natives of the land, and taught, for a long time, how to 'blend'. She has the language down- barely- and she understands customs enough to not violate the Veil. However, her thoughts and understanding of language- especially that of the white people- is limited. She is lost on the idea of religion (beyond Spirits, anyway), and many other social mores are beyond her. A few years does not make a socialite, after all.

And when the time came, a boat was made. An umiak, a strange vessel from a northern tribe, was retrieved, and a mission made. Eager to earn her place and help the people who had taken her in, Koani joined the mission.

The last thing she remembered was a giant wave...

And she woke up on the shores of Omen, battered, bruised, and hundreds of miles away, with little explanation for what she was doing there. She could only explain it as the grace of Gaia- and when she learned of the ensuing darkness, she could not just leave it.

Merits
Starting Merits

Spoiler:

 

Code of Honor (•): You follow a strict personal code, and you either gain 3 extra dice to resist supernatural persuasions that would make you break your code, or the would-be persuader has to roll at a +2 difficulty.
(Koani's code of honor is basically being a garou. She has sworn to protect Gaia, humans, and wolves.)

Loyalty (•): You are devoted to a person, group, or cause, and easily resist attempts to persuade you away from the object of your loyalty. You also gain a Willpower bonus (in the form of bonus dice, or increased difficulty for your opponent) to try and resist supernatural forms of persuasion that challenge your loyalty.
(This is a general trait for Koani. She is loyal- To her friends, her Sept, her pack.)

Green Thumb (•): Not only do plants thrive in your care, they almost seem to burst into bloom from your touch.
(Represented by being a Druid: The feats Woodland Stride, Resist Nature's Lure, and Nature Sense, in particular.)

Roleplay Gained Merits

Spoiler:

 

"Special Friend" (aka Supernatural Companion) (•••) (most): You have a close ally (essentially one person at Allies 3) belonging to a major supernatural group other than your own. You can call upon her in times of need (as she can you). Depending on the kind of being they are, there may be negative aspects to having this friend as well as positive ones (e.g. a Werewolf having a Vampire ally...).
(Represented by RP- Koani closely associates with Brenard Alekstrazus, the vampire.)

True Love (•) (most): You've found that One who makes your life complete. Automatic Willpower success when striving to protect, come closer, or remain close to your True Love. Other benefits as well, Storyteller's discretion.
(Represented by RP- As strangely (and perhaps cruelly) as fate would have it, Koani has found her true love. She has not consciously realized it yet, as love is something that has not been explained to her beyond the platonic feeling that she finds with packmates.)

Experience Gained Merits

Spoiler:

 

Natural Channel (•••) (M3, WPG): You have a natural connection to the spirit world. If you are capable of doing so, the difficulty to cross the Gauntlet is -1. Spirits are also more likely to act favorably toward you.
(Represented by Koani's feats taken into Conjuration focuses: Spell Focus: Conjuration, Greater Spell Focus: Conjuration, and Epic Spell Focus: Conjuration.)

Merits Needing Confirmation from ST/Possible Experience Gained Merits

Spoiler:

 

Precognition (••••) (S): You have glimpses of the future. Though you can enter a trance and try to summon a vision, this foresight usually comes out of nowhere, and can be quite shocking in some circumstances.

Prophetic Ability (••••) (S): You see and understand (or try to) signs and portents sent by the Powers That Be, either through dreams or just a peculiar insight into everyday events. Your insights and visions are usually obscure, and it may take time and interpretation to get a grasp on their full indications.

Flaws

Spoiler:

 

Soft-hearted (•) (most): You can't stand to witness suffering, and if you do, difficulties are at +2 for the next hour.
(Despite the bestial front she puts up, Koani is actually quite in tune with her empathic side. While it is what allows her to calm animals and humans alike, it is a double-edged sword, and )

Illiterate (•) (VPG2): You can't read or write. This may make passing yourself off as that learned professor from Oxford a bit difficult.
(Koani was born Lupus. Two years of teaching still hasn't taught her the finer points of literacy, but she can recognize the occasional small words in writing. Writing to begin with is straight out of the question- no one would think to teach a woman how to write.)

Speech Impediment (•) (M3): 2 Point penalty to all verbal communication rolls.
(See above: Koani was born Lupus. Her speech is odd, and a tad difficult to completely follow, sometimes. It's dotted with odd pauses and carefully sounded out consonants and strange inflections that indicate that she is not used to speaking- or isn't a native speaker. Most simply assume that she is a foreigner, but with some sort of accent unknown.)

A Portrait of Koani Ehawee, circa 1348

Please do not use this picture without first contacting me about its use. I commissioned it and I would have to ask the artist if it could be used, to respect her wishes.