Aleni (Grass Spiders)

Basic Information

Name: Aleni
Type: Dragon-Blooded Exalt
Age: 39
Player: NPC
Aspect: Fire
Concept: Grass-Spider
Motivation: Find the one that got away.
Political Affiliation: The Hallowed Order of the Grass Spiders
Anima: A complicated spindle of fiery gears eventually unfurls into organic and natural curves, which take the shape of crocodiles that carry away the ephemeral bodies of the dead, clearing the way for the future.
Likes: Dogs, lizards, hot weather, markets, string instruments
Dislikes: Promise-breakers, birds, percussion instruments, blunt weapons

Background

Aleni bears an unspeakable burden - she may have failed to complete to a hit, and the matter remains unresolved. Sometime shortly after her recruitment, Aleni was given the task of killing a man known only as 'The Tightrope Walker'. Originally a circus performer from Great Forks, he made his way to the extreme North and claimed to find a golden thread leading to worlds outside of Creation. Although Nazareth was intrigued when he was approached by divine agents hoping to resolve the matter through channels unrelated to Heaven, he could not ignore the exorbitant sum they were offering for the job - Nazareth's curiosity would have to die with their target. For reasons Aleni will never understand and always resent, Nazareth chose her to carry out the hit.

Aleni tracked the man to his hideout in the extreme North and set about her carefully laid plans. Everything was going smoothly until a previously unseen figure appeared from amidst the blizzards to defend the mark. Though Aleni fought valiantly, she was knocked unconscious and awoke in a pool of her own blood. She was seriously wounded, even for an Exalt - her left arm had been cleaved completely off (and was never found), and she was stranded in the middle of an extremely unkind environment. Worse, however, was the disappearance of both the mark and the figure defending him. Although tracking efforts continued for several years afterward, the search became less and less of a priority, eventually transforming into resigned defeat. The Grass Spiders could not locate the man. He has not been seen publicly in Creation since, and though the divine agents who called for the hit assume the man has vanished for good, and consider the matter resolved, Aleni does not. She was scarred both physically and mentally, and although she serves the Order as a productive member, at her core, she cannot truly be at peace until she knows what has become of the man she was assigned to kill and learns the truth about the figure who appeared to defend him.

Aleni grew up on the streets of the Nexus - although she was initially a pickpocket, her short temper led to a reputation for violent crime. After inadvertently thwarting one of the decrees, the Hooded Executioners attempted to live up to their name, but as they readied their halberds to slay the young thief, she took her Second Breath, quickly destroying her would-be captors. With a pile of dead Hooded Executioners at her feet, she quickly fled Nexus. On the run, word of her exploits quickly spread to the ears of the Grass Spiders, who recruited the young Exalted girl into their ranks.

Though actual limb restoration is beyond even Rizuka's capability, she has many times offered Aleni a biomagitechnical replacement for her arm. Aleni refuses every time, preferring the wound to remind of her previous failures - only when she accomplishes her Motivation will she accept any sort of prosthetic.