Greetings, travelers! I will be intermittently posting artwork of the various characters from "Of Lowlifes, Lutes, & Liars," and including character details and backstory for each entry. For those of you hoping to maintain the mystery in the novel, be warned; spoilers ahead. 

*Super Smash Brothers Announcer Voice* CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTER!

Starting first in the artwork roster is the main event, Miss Khazmine Asteras herself! Specializing in melee claw strikes and ranged attacks with Major Barshaw's war whip, this half-breed outcast is a rising star among the Solanai warriors. 

Name: Khazmine Asteras
Age: 17 (child era*) / 30 (adult era)
Race: Half-Breed (Human/Outsider)
Eyes: Glacier-Blue
Hair: Black
Skin: Pale-Lilac
Height: 5’ 10”
Weight: Varies
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Affiliation: Independent/Solanai
Occupation(s): Thief/Charlatan, Fetch-and-Carry
Ether Class(es): Deceiver (Optics), Void Claw (Force)
Abilities: Half-Breed Longevity, Improved Senses
Weapon(s): Major Barshaw’s War Whip, improvised melee weapons

Khazmine is the last surviving member of the Asteras family, a formerly-renowned lineage of Outsiders from north and east of the High Wall. When her mother took a human as a mate, she was shunned from Outsider society and faced harsh persecution for bearing half-breed children—her daughters, Ruby and Khazmine. Regardless of how skilled with ether they were, no Asteras was safe from ridicule by humans or Outsiders from that point onward.

Not much is known about the Asteras siblings’ childhood, aside from that they escaped a fire in their manor house during a resurgence of the Territory Wars, and fled their homeland for a better life to the southwest. Ruby and Khazmine journeyed alongside merchant caravans, sell-swords, and free-lances to find freedom, paying their way to the city with what few treasures remained from their house.

Life in the human city of Old Sarzonn was much harder than either child assumed, with poverty, sickness, and violence trailing the siblings wherever they tread. Unable to afford accommodations in Cheapside, both children found themselves in The Dregs, slowly weakening from starvation and illness.

Long before Khazmine reached adulthood, Ruby fell ill with Blightwave, a terrible disease that ravaged her body and spirit before destroying the only family the outcast had left. Orphaned and alone, Khazmine turned to pickpocketing to earn a living, as few people would ever hire a poor half-breed from The Dregs.

A rough childhood in the slums of Old Sarzonn hardened Khazmine over the years, forcing the youngster to grow cold and indifferent to the suffering all around her. Unable to secure work as an apprentice, due to her mixed heritage, the half-breed stooped to stealing and scavenging to survive.

As the half-breed daughter to human and Outsider parents, Khazmine is seen as an “outcast,” and a second-class citizen in many parts of Chromaldus. In the city of Old Sarzonn, half-breeds are considered abominations, and are often maligned and hated right out in the open. Luckily, Khazmine has tricks up her sleeve to avoid being targeted by malicious forces.

Khazmine is an exceedingly rare class of etherling, called a Deceiver. Of the ether users in Old Sarzonn, Deceivers are considered one of the top three most dangerous, using their skills with optical illusion to manipulate people’s perception of them. The holy house of Old Sarzonn had hosted several etherling purges over the years, hunting for lowlifes and etherlings deemed “too dangerous” to live.

Luckily for the outcast, Khazmine had managed to avoid Star Guards from the holy house, growing her fledgling skills with ether to escape pursuit. During her trials to survive the mean streets, the outcast discovered a sailcloth lean-to in the Forbidden Ruins, one that housed two orphaned children in desperate need of a home. Though it took time and persuasion, Khazmine eventually took Aranthus and Pavocinis in as her little brothers.

Aside from being a Deceiver, Khazmine has intuitive use of force-related magic, and is able to form ether claws as melee weapons in close quarters. Even before her employment as a Solanai fetch-and-carry, Khazmine could also channel ether into her limbs, lending strength and speed to boost her latent talents—a highly prized skill among the Solanai. Additionally, the outcast has undergone Solanai initiate training to improve her ether abilities and combat prowess.

As for weapons, Khazmine is often found brandishing her mentor’s battle trophy, a leather war whip from the Titan of Tevrose, Major Tazanni Barshaw. Trained in ether handling and combat by Major Barshaw and Lieutenant Mevralls, Khazmine is a tenacious and creative opponent, using battlefield terrain to her advantage. Though her formal training includes some minor melee weapons focus, the Deceiver is also highly adaptable in combat, making use of improvised weapons to improve her chances of survival.

At present, Khazmine’s primary goal is to keep herself and her adopted siblings alive in the cruel city of Old Sarzonn. Having lost her family before, the outcast frequently places her brothers’ well-being above her own, and is fiercely protective of both Aranthus and Pavocinis. Should anyone dare to harm either boy, they should brace for the ferocious whiplashes and void claws of a vengeful Deceiver.

*Character profiles are taken from the perspective of the child era, a period before the Day of Dark Skies in Tevrose. This corresponds to the first 50 chapters of “Lowlifes,” while the adult era is 13 years after the Day of Dark Skies, and includes chapters 51 and onward. Ages are listed for both periods for reference.