Lieta Rakuris

Lieta Rakuris is a character played by Ryan Neenan. A woman born with luck on her side, she is a devout follower of the lady of luck who volunteered to help protect Thesk from Thay in Kephtem's Watchful Eyes.

Note: Due to conflicts, I never played this character in a campaign. However, she remains as an NPC.

Description
Lieta is tall for a human female and fair skinned. Her dirty blond hair is usually kept straight and short, brushing against her shoulders. Her soft brown eyes hold both a sparkle of playfulness and a determination of character. Years of religious study has left her a bit frail, but most find her alluring in one way or the other.

She usually dresses in humble clothing, tending toward shades of brown and gray that wash out her complexion. The symbol of the luckmaiden is usually found woven into many of her clothing.

Personality
Born into the church, Lieta's life has focused on Tymora's gift and her ability to channel Lady Luck's power through her. As an invoker, she realizes the importance of not just Tymora, but of all gods who struggled together against the Primordials. She often offers prayers to many members of the pantheon, regardless of alignment, and even may revere Beshaba and her followers because she and Tymora where once one god - she, in fact, invokes Tyche's name on occasions. This tends to confuse or even anger other clergy of her church, but she shrugs off their concerns. In addition to Tymora, she holds Selune, Amaunator, and the dead god Azuth in high regards, for it was they that split Tyche in ancient times and birthed her patron.

Like her patron goddess, Lieta can be flirtatious with men, never one to stay long, and has a heart for adventuring. When she left Suzail, she believed that it was Tymora's will, and that fate and luck will be by her side no matter where she lands. She participates in and applauds practical jokes - especially on those who worship some of the more serious gods. She takes to heart Tymora's dogma: One should be bold, for to be bold is to live. Without direction or goals, you place yourself in the hands of Beshaba. Trust in your own luck, and place yourself in the hands of fate.

Though good and caring at heart, Lieta still appears rough around the edges in most social situations. Her belief in her role in her church often comes out as a literally holier-than-thou attitude. Her practical jokes can often seem unnecessary, bordering on cruel at times. Still, her humor, boldness, and fun attitude usually overcome these faults.

Family & Relationships
Since she knows nothing of her origins, she has no blood relatives. Her adoptive father, Enabran, was already an old man when he found her, and as such passed away of natural causes when Lieta was 19. In Suzail, she is well known throughout the religious district, and has made many contacts in every good and unaligned church. None of these, however, would be called close friends. The only exception would be the head cleric of the church of Tymora, Leland Dumar. It was Dumar who first believed in Lieta's gifts, and helped to show her a path she could take to use them.

Romantic relationships have also been numerous, as her flirtatious nature is something she enjoys. No serious relationships have come from any of these couplings, however, nor does Lieta believe this will ever happen.

“Better an ounce of luck than a pound of gold”
The morning is a still one. The sun peaks above the horizon, and Amaunator spreads his light on the world. The moon and Selune’s glory sets; a night of battling Shar’s darkness done. The early risers give a small prayer to Chauntea as they head to the fields to harvest their crops. Somewhere in the distance, a hammer hits an anvil, and a faint dwarven chorus gives homage to the mighty Moradin. The man walks and enjoys the morning sun, the sounds of the city, and the people he sees. He is a creature of habit – his morning path bears the wear of years of repetition...

...The game has gone well, the boy is winning, something that never happens. He needs just one more bit of luck. His die feels warm in his hand, and his roll shows his excitement. Off the table it flies, to the uneven stone floor. His brother watches in amusement. The die tumbles in seemingly slow motion, just out of the boy’s reach. It pauses, and then edges itself into a crack, on its corner. That doesn’t count, yells the brother; Roll again, and this time do it right...

...Along the water, the wind blows in an awkward direction, swirling as if guided by an unseen hand. The animal crouches nearer, poised at its unusual prey, unaware of anything else. Then a crack as loud as a blow by Tempus’ sword – the wind takes its victim, and the tree limb falls toward the water... ...The horses seemed to have noticed, but damned if he was paying attention. The two women of Sune – it was more than a man could take at this early hour. His turn gone, his mind worked a quick detour. The horses seemed to laugh at his folly, but yielded to his command to turn...

...I am going to win, thinks the boy, and the die explodes from his hand as if as hot as Asmodeus’s realm. It hits a crack in the table, spilling to the floor, jumping off his shoe. Its momentum should be taken by now, but it seems to have its own idea of where it will land. It rolls to the door, and to the street...

...The detour would take minutes off his run. The cart load would be late, and his boss would not be happy. He might even take it out of his pay-- What was that sound?...

...Can’t you roll a die normally? says the brother. The boy chases it out the door, his eyes on the die and how it lies, and if he has won. He does not see the cart, nor does the driver see him because of the sound...

...The man’s walk is usually quiet this early. But what is this? First, a deafening crack, and now a cart has overturned in his path; a boy seems to be hurt. Luckily, there is help already; his services would not be needed. He pauses and looks to his left and right. To the right, and by the water; that would serve him well...

...The animal is stunned and scared, and runs. The basket spirals in the current of the water, its weave slowly breaking on the plants that have seemed to attach to it somehow. A ray of light glistens off the metal trimmed handle...

...The man squints, and bends down, pausing his walk on his new route, and can’t help but smile. He reaches down, just as the plants give way and the basket slips, and picks up the small child. He is greeted by a smile back.

Early Years
This is all Lieta knows of her origins, as her adopted father Enabran Rakuris - the man who found her that day - would relay this story to her many times in her youth, often on the steps of The Towers of Good Fortune in Suzail. Enabran was a cleric there, and as such Lieta was quite sure he had embellished the story somewhat over the years. Still, she was sure Enabran knew nothing else than what he had told her, and that the substance of what he told her was quite true.

At first, Enabran believed that the little girl he had found should be taken to an orphanage. However, while staying at the temple over the next few days and gaining her health back, Enabran fell in love with the little girl. More so, he felt a connection - he would later tell Lieta - that told him that he must raise her, and raise her in the halls of his church. Curious, he spent the next few days finding out the details of that faithful day he found her in her basket. He met the boy who was almost killed in the street; he interviewed the driver of the cart. He was curious to find that no one else in the ward heard the loud sound that he and the driver had. Though he never discovered this, he would have been more curious to know that there were no priestesses of Sune in that ward that morning.

The city had no problems with warding the girl to the church, and as such Lieta Rakuris was named and formerly adopted by Enabran. A bachelor and only child himself, he had little knowledge of child care, and in reality Lieta was raised by most of the church clergy. She grew up peacefully, and proved herself to be a insatiable student. She wanted to know everything about Tymora, and the other churches in Faerun. She wanted to know about Cormyr and its history. She regaled in the tales she heard about adventurers that traveled the country in search of treasure, danger, or just to do good.

Speaking the Words
Lieta knew there was something special about her early on. She felt at home in Tymora's temple, and to her there was little other else in her world. As she got older, however, she started to notice things that confused her about how her father and the other clerics went about worshiping her patron. To start, she wondered why they focused on such things as their holy symbols? Yes, the luckmaiden's symbol is important to remind yourself what you believe in, but why would it hold any power? And why did they pray so much to Tymora? The Luckmaiden is all knowing - she can see into your heart, and know what you believe, and who you are. While praising her is worthwhile, Tymora should give a person power based on what is inside, not what one says.

Eventually, she noticed that a scarce few in the temple did not chain themselves to these things like her father and the others. This opened Lieta's eyes, and it was quite clear to her that this was her path to Tymora: not to pray for her power, but to be blessed with it, to speak it, and to wield it like Tymora's own luckblade. One of these people that caught the 12 year old's eye was Leland Dumar. Dumar was one of the youngest of the regulars at the monastery, but already a respected man among his peers. Leland did not carry a holy symbol, Lieta noticed, and when he healed the wounded his power seemed to come from the very words he spoke, and flowed not from a piece of metal but from his very body. Her father respected Leland, but obviously disapproved somewhat of his methods, telling Lieta that prayer was the way to get close to Tymora. Still, Enabran didn't stop her a few years later when she approached Dumar and asked him to teach her to wield Tymora's power his way.

For the next 4 years, until Lieta reached the age of 18, she trained with Leland in the temple, learning to invoke Tymora's power directly. She learned Supernal, and mastered many fragments of the Words of Creation. She learned that for one to wield Tymora's power this way, a sacred covenant must be made with her. She learned that all gods are worthy of respect, as they stood against the primordials to help form our world. During this time, Leland assumed leadership of the temple. Enabran, who approved of Lieta's decision even if he didn't agree with it, began to show his age. By 1475, her training done, Lieta devoted her full attention to her father's failing health.

Passing Away and Moving On
(possible meeting with Kelden)

Powers
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%; text-align:left; text-valign:top; width:100%; margin: 5px; border: 1" !style="background:#ddddee;" | At-Will !style="background:#ddddee;" | !style="background:#ddddee;" | Encounter !style="background:#ddddee;" | !style="background:#ddddee;" | Daily !style="background:#ddddee;" |
 * - valign="top"
 * -valign="top"
 * -valign="top"
 * -valign="top"
 * -valign="top"
 * -valign="top"
 * -valign="top"
 * -valign="top"
 * -valign="top"