A pair of eerie, moonlight eyes peer out of the shadows, and you think you hear the whisper of something that must be like the cold fall wind, tickling and raking across the dead ground.  Only vaguely you can make out scar tissue that looks jagged and patterned on an otherwise black surface.

This is Suliss'urn Xukuth.

In a role-play world where drow are often played as heroic renegades or as token killers, Suliss breaks the mold in nearly every way.  Her initial storyline is filled with the richness and disturbing quality that well befits drow culture, nothing watered down or romanticized, just a blunt and honest look into a matrimonial society that holds no sentimentality.  It is impossible not to be compelled, even in horror, by her tale.

According to her player, "Getting right down to it, Suliss is a drow, and like most Underdark drow dealing with a past steeped in or around Lloth, she's not all right up there in the brainpan. She originally came from a character concept for (I am not kidding, brace yourself) an Eilistraee worshipping bard drow. She came to Rhy'din clawing tooth and nail through a dirt strewn tunnel that opened near the Red Dragon Inn and was taken in by several characters now considered history and part of the RDI: such as Guthorm, for example."

Needless to say, time leads to complexity, and Suliss has been given a great deal of that to develop.

"If I were to estimate, I'd say according to Rhy'din time she's probably been around for several decades, though I tend to play a little closer to real time and would say ten years give or take."

Despite the creation of this deep and fascinating character, her mun's honesty and humility rocket Suliss up in the list of 'best played characters' in the realm.  Courteous to a fault, Mel's tendencies towards decency and self-expression make her a pleasure to interact with. Despite this, however, she is in no way a push-over.  Not only is she an excellent role-player, but she's likewise a talented artist and photographer, and can be counted on for an honest opinion filled with common sense and tact.

When asked about herself she had this reply: "Me? Tell you about me? Well, alright--but the nice man holding the shock stick tells me to be nice.

"No. Seriously, I'm not that interesting. I'm an almost thirty year old housewife that spends her days fighting laundry, dust, and kitty dander. I enjoy chasing lizards bare foot in my Florida backyard, taking pictures of my hamsters and role-playing!"

Of course, anyone who knows her begs to differ.

Her role-playing ventures began in a very familiar way: "My first experience with role playing was accidentally clicking on a chat room link. That link was to the AOL chat room, Red Dragon Inn. At first, I hadn't a damn clue as to what in the world I was looking at. There was a lot of text enwrapped between :: :: in all sorts of different colors and it read a lot like one of my favorite fantasy books.

"After that realization slowly crept in, I understood what was going on and I believe that's when I became hooked. I don't remember specifically when I decided to stop observing and start playing, but when I did there were several people who not only guided me, but were influential in how I role-played. They were, in no significant order other than how kick ass they were/are: Sesian, Guthorm Othinsson, LrdFalamon, NorseLady, and Fayalki & D."

Among her favorite moments and storylines: "Some of my favorite storylines were written recently with the player(s) [of] Jodian Ayreg, Sinjin Fai, Salvador and Alysia. I only wish that I could rouse myself to write more often so that I could write with everyone again.

"Some moments that I remember the most is her penchant for creeping the hell out of characters that passed by the front porch at the Red Dragon Inn, or the time she 'hamstringed' the wheels of a bike, orrrr the time she drug a naked and screaming drow to drop at the feet of another drow. As a gift of course. :D"

To really understand what makes Suliss compelling, even at a cautious distance, one has to look at her backstory.  As it was already said, it's full of rich details that really pull the reader into that world, but likewise there is a genuine amount of horror on behalf of Suliss, instead of just at her.  Crawling from the depths once and coming close to contentment, she was dragged back down into the darkness and tortured hideously.

Her mun says this was her most defining moment: "I'd say the most shaping moment for Suliss was actually the moment that shattered her. When she was recaptured a second time and had to live through some pretty horrific stuff. I liken and often write the experience as the re-forging of a shattered sword."

One would think that after the torture she suffered, Suliss would be beyond salvage as a role-play character.  But this is not the case; the drow holds on, refuses to simply die, and there is some cautious optimism for her in recent times and a likewise cautious hope for her future, even with mitigating circumstances.

"I'd say some of her most defining moments were also recently, where she's gathered enough of her sanity to not only understand some more humane aspects of her own personality, but to comprehend that sometimes the best thing to do is to let go. It's odd, but she's growing up--again, it's much slower and much more painful, yet fun to watch from my standpoint.

"As for a light at the end of the tunnel? Part of me really wants to write one for her, or be part of one for her--but I think that sort of revelation and change can only happen with a really great role-play partner focused on that sort of character interaction. Unfortunately, the past two years I have not been reliable when it comes to role-playing, wanting to, and when I am online. People tend to not like waiting for two months for me to get my act together and come back online and I really wouldn't dare ask someone to wait for me anyway, soooOo...that light will have to wait."

As for Mel's future plans for her incredible character, she has her own hopes: "Some goals and ideas I'd like to reach or tackle with Suliss' is a little more sociability. I don't want to change the alleged dangerous or unpredictable nature of her, but I do want to have her somewhat more approachable than what she is now. According to a few player statements and observations, they say that the way she is makes it really difficult to approach her. And I admit it, if I were stuck in an alleyway with Suliss? I'd run screaming the other way. Not conducive to a good role-play scene, ya know?

"I'm very much a person to person interaction/character development sort of person. Action is okay, a storyline is good, but so are the intricacies of conversation and personality. There's so much of that we put into our characters and I love, love, love finding bits and pieces of that through role play.

"In role play, I'd love to be able to find a partner that holds the same random habits as I do--someone who tends to not mind it if I need a month or two for a break and knows that no matter how long I take off from role-playing, my characters are still there...I'm still here! Unless of course, god finds out about that one-time-with-that-thing and strikes me down or some such act of nature keeping me from the intarwebs."

When it comes down to it, Suliss is a mold-breaker.  One of a kind, compelling, full of intricacy and rich details that are nearly intimidating.  Her demeanor, likewise, can be deeply unsettling for those who encounter her, either character or mun.

But the next time that your character finds him or herself staring into those moonlit eyes, listening to the whispers that sound so much like the death of the world might, take a chance and stick around.  You may just find the interaction, even unnerving, to be one of the richest experiences of your role-playing life.

--

You can find more out about Suliss on Mutual Endeavors, or over on the Red Dragon Inn site, under the folder 'Paint it Black.'

-- Steff Watson
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