Lugana

''The fire is dying and the spirits are low and the festivities are just getting started! I'm totally going dancing right now. Come give me a drum solo, Tudaam!''

Feisty and charismatic tattooed storyteller, singer and dancer- a reinterpretor of Hulun tradition. Lugana is an emerging personality amongst the Hulun.

Description
The first thing to notice about this young, dark-skinned woman is her long, curly, black hair, adorned with the colored bones of various small animals. Being naturally dry, the hair stands up in all directions and occupies a large area around her head, giving it a gravity-defying look.

She is usually seen wearing an outfit of skins and hides taken from several animals. Her skin is partly covered in tattoos that depict scenes from Lugana's favorite stories.

Though she has inherited her rough skin and strong jaw from her father, Lugana appears to be more beautiful than her physical limitations give reason to mainly because of her everpresent, inviting smile. Her slender frame gives her a fragile look, but looks may deceive...

Socially active by nature, Lugana loves her tribe's celebrations. The song, dance and art that accompanies the Hulun's social gatherings are her passion. She loves to learn and teach stories of the tribe's history and has great respect for traditions and customs, though she does not feel bound by them. She feels the stories give great advice on how to do and not to do things, but there are no absolutes. Every life and every situation is different.

Lugana looks upon the world with awe and wonder. To her, even the most simple details in nature hold a powerful magic, which can be detailed and understood. Despite her intelligence and social skills, Lugana can sometimes be lacking in common sense, something often pointed out by the elders of the tribe.

Lugana has sometimes suspected she cannot bear to be alone and idle because of some forgotten trauma in her youth, but she feels unpleasantries in the past deserve to remain in the past. Life is short. As a follower of Boros, she knows any day can be her last, so the present is what matters most. This duality of respect for the past and focus on the present is an important part of Lugana's personality.

Lugana is the daughter of Tolor and Magha. She is a member of K'harg's band and shares a tent with Aelwynn, Limda, Vashka and Perèliel. She is eighteen years old.

Background
Eighteen winters ago, she was guided into this world by Empala, the mother-of-the-land, to the respected spellcaster Mahga and her mate, warrior and hunter Tolor, of the tribe of the Hulun. Lugana she was named, an ancient word for "Spring Wind", as she was born when the cold winter had finally started giving way to the impending summer. Her first years saw the name fitting her. Nothing could take away the wind from her steps and the smile from her lips as she curiously, eagerly sought to learn of this strange, new world she had been introduced to.

During those early years, her smile only left her lips for brief moments, and a tear only came to Lugana's eye when Mahga was suddenly and unexpectedly taken away by Boros, Empala's brother. Instead of shunning the guardian of the dead for depriving her of her beloved mother, Lugana found herself intrigued by this strange being who held the key to knowledge of this world and the next.

In her teenage years, Lugana became a worshipper of Boros, much to the dismay of her father, who had always been a stout follower of Temera, the goddess of battle. He attempted to teach his daughter the ways of battle, but found she was more interested in knowledge and the secret skill of magic, and ultimately accepted that his daughter was more akin to her mother than him. Lugana lacked much of the magic abilities that had been such an integral part of her mother's life, and instead found herself amassing knowledge of her tribe and the world. She listened intensively to the elders, the singers of songs and the weavers of tales. Gradually, she became a holder of lore new and old, and despite her young age, the people of the Hulun often found themselves listening to her wherever the tribe's traditions and customs were concerned. As she came of age, Lugana was already a respected storyteller.

Role in the Story so Far
Lugana had spent much of the day leading up to the Feast of Xa rehearsing the drumming, dancing and song that was to be part of the celebration alongside her opposite number, Tudaam. Like many amongst the tribe, they were distracted by talk of Daromir's absence, and the bard Ozrael helped put their minds at ease with some stories. lugana recounted an excellent telling of the origin of the feast, from the perspective of the hero Arag.

When K'harg announced the impending war with the Raven, Lugana was dismayed to see so manyof her age-mates volunteer, declaring them all to be crazy and stomring off to Wernek's Ascension. She did not see her father, Tolor, leave for war and Grimach elected to inform her. The pair soon returned to camp and were assigned guard duty by Moraath, with Lugana joing Ret and Bolen at the south gate.

Lugana was upset to witness the slaughter of the panther, but was soon distracted by the fire at Marek's tent. She foolhardedly rushed in, hoping to save him from the flames, only to find an empty tent and receive lungfuls of smoke, in spite of Bolen's attempt to put it out. As the Hulun dealt with the blaze and came to discuss the event, Lugana seemed to trust Nina's account- reprimanding Grimach for dismissing her- but was anxious that Marek be given the chance to defend himself. She seemed slightly suspicious of the elder Fanwé's defence of the boy but admires her liberalism.

The following day, as the party headed south with Bundu, Lugana becomes more and more convinced that the events around the camp seem to be somehow connected to the village of Forl. There the tar was manufactured that was used to start the fire, and it lied in the western direction that the dreams of the shaman seemed to point. She conspired with Grolik, Bolen and Grimach to break away from Anna and lead her own expedition to the village.

Beyond the Fourth Wall...
Lugana is an original character and PC in the Warriors of the Plains created and played by Achard. The description and background in this article are lifted from the original character application. The italicised text in this article is taken directly from Lugana's in-character posts in the game thread. Most quotes attributed to Lugana elsewhere on this site were originally written by Achard.