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about

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Ismene is motivated by two things: looking cool and kicking ass. She is not particularly good at either, as her talent in the latter has largely been compromised by preoccupation with the former, to the point where she sacrifices power for style. Being an Amazoness, though, she's still a fair fighter—she just could be a lot better than she is now if she would only stop posturing and approach her goal differently.[break][break]

Ismene tries to be sensitive, sagely, and poetic, but really she's just pretentious. She doesn't have the knowledge or spirituality she pretends to have, and she thinks no one notices. Everyone notices. Annoying as she is, though, she's far from a bad person. She has a genuine sense of chivalry and good intentions. She just acts the way she does because no one has ever cared to look past the facade.[break][break]

NOTE: In order to refine her fighting style, undergo character development, and ultimately progress from Level 1 to Level 2, Ismene can take one of three paths, each of which has equal potential. This is a personal tracker, but if it inspires any plot ideas for you then feel free to share them.[break][break]

PATH 1: Ismene devotes herself fully to a beautiful, performative style, i.e. Capoeira.[break][break]

To start her down this path, Ismene must achieve the following:[break]

• Inspiration from watching dance, theater, and ritual performances.
• An appreciation of music and rhythm.
• A series of successes and general improvement with her current style.
• The motivation of spite.
• Lots of practice.
• A naive admirer or two.
• Time spent with gods and goddesses.
• Delusions of grandeur and general detachment from reality.

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PATH 2: Ismene compromises between her previous aggressive, brutal style and her desire for a beautiful, performative style, combining the best elements of both, i.e. White Crane Style.[break][break]

To start her down this path, Ismene must achieve the following:[break]

• A series of failures and general lack of improvement (or even decay) with her current style.
• A dose of reality, aka humility.
• A fear that she is a burden to her familia and/or party members.
• Some honest friends.
• A visit to her home village in Telskurya.
• A period of internal struggle in which she realizes the practicality of her previous style but refuses to let go of her aspiration.
• Lots of practice.

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PATH 3: Ismene seeks true spirituality in her style, i.e. Tai Chi.[break][break]

To start her down this path, Ismene must achieve the following:

• A thirst for knowledge.
• A dose of reality, aka humility.
• Disillusionment with the performative aspect of her current style and her general lack of knowledge in fields that she pretends to be well-versed in.
• Some honest friends.
• Empathy resulting from an open mind.
• Lots of introspection.
• A visit to an elven village.
• A spiritual mentor.
• Lots of practice.

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friends

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Ismene has never had a friend before. Not a single one. As a child she was lauded as a genius in the art of battle, so she had to shoulder the high expectations of the adults in her Telskyuran village as well as endure the envy of her peers. Her later aspirations to incorporate beauty into her fighting style were met with intense scorn. As such, Ismene has long since convinced herself that she's above having friends. In truth, though, it wouldn't take much to befriend her—just humor her grandstanding and treat her with respect. She'll be yours for life.[break][break]

Note: she's more of a soloist, but she wouldn't be opposed to taking on party members or joining an existing party, as long as they make her feel like she's taking them under her wing and not the other way around.

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enemies

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There are many who are sure to find Ismene annoying. Their irritation only fuels her superiority complex, which leads to more irritation, which leads to a cycle of animosity. She also has black-and-white moral convictions that she refuses to compromises on, so she would naturally declare herself the enemy of anyone who demonstrates a grayer morality, whether they feel the same way about her or not. Lastly, she's easy to manipulate if you flatter her the right way, so she may find herself the target of a more playful, conniving type of personality.

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lovers

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Ismene likes to think that she understand such grand ideals as love, passion, and heartbreak, but she has no real experience with them. All I can say is good luck.