Description:

Tall & willowy, green cat's eyes hidden behind obsidian wrap-around
shades, long silver hair spilling across a black leather jacket.
Looks 18, full of youth and energy, the life of any party.

Background:

Shiko was born in late 2014 as old Tokyo was dying from the riots
caused by the VITAS plagues.  Her unmarried mother died of
complications arising from VITAS and childbirth.  Shiko's grandfather
held a gun on the doctor so he would perform the delivery.  Shiko was
born normally; a twin was stillborn.  Grandfather escaped with the
newborn baby as the rioters stormed into the hospital destroying the
outpost of a science which had turned against mankind.

Grandfather, a powerful Yakuza Oyabun, raised Shiko as his own daughter
amidst the chaos, carving an oasis of tranquility for his only
grandchild.  Despite Grandfather's stern caring, Shiko had a rather
lonely childhood in Japan and made up numerous imaginary friends to
fill her days.  Until the first wave goblinization struck in 2021.  The
tenuous civilization rebuilt in Japan after the plagues shattered
amidst hatred & intolerance of "impure" blood.  Fear-maddened crowds
rampaged through the streets destroying anyone even suspected of
goblinhood.  Ojii-san pulled major strings to get Shiko on one of the
few flights out of the quarantined country.

The now elfin Shiko grew up in California as the daughter of a powerful
Japanese Industrialist who made a fortune by pulling out of Japan
before the chaos crumbled its economy, and a much larger fortune by
buying up large portions of California after the Great Quake of 2027.
She wanted for nothing material.

Wandering the forests on the family estate she discovered to her
delight that her friends had taken form; that the spirits had
returned.  She talked with the dryads and the spirits of the land,
who were much taken by her beauty and innocence and taught her their
secret languages and way. A great spirit Raven taught her the secret
names of all the spirits, but so far knowledge of sorcery has eluded
her.  Or perhaps she simply doesn't care - you can't talk to spells.

With her parents' money she attended the most exclusive, if not most
academically challenging, schools, enjoying a life of leisure and ease
as a priviliged member of the International Jetset.  She is not the
typical Jetset female, shallow as a wading pond and somewhat less
intelligent.  The combination of wealth, beauty, and being an elf
willing to mingle with humans has granted her carte blanche in the most
exclusive parlors in Europe and the Americas.  Definite A list.

Like most elves, Shiko appears much younger than she is, 18 rather than 26.

Shiko graduated from Bennington College with honors in 2035, but before
she could get too thoroughly settled into the traditional pasttimes of
the idle rich - rounds of parties, vacations, and travelling - her
parents died under suspicious circumstances.  Shiko traced their
murderer all the way back to the rubble of Old Tokyo, where she made
the unpleasant discovery that etiquette and a winning smile are little
match for ruthless killers.  She was saved by a hard-edged elfin
razorgirl named Aware, and together they brought the killers of Shiko's
parents to rough justice, and recovered her family fortune.  Aware
agreed to accompany Shiko back to California and soon made a name for
herself in Yakuza circles.  Despite similar ages Aware's harsh
childhood has made her mature beyond her years, and she considered
Shiko her "little sister."

Numerous little things led to the eventual discovery that they were
sisters in blood as well as spirit.  Aware doesn't speak of her
childhood, but it appears Shiko's twin did not die in the hospital,
after all.

By the time Shiko tired of the repetition and superficiality of the
Jetset, Aware had started setting the foundation of The Library, her
support and research team.  Shiko gladly joined, at first for the
excitement and then for the cameraderie of a common purpose.  She has
established herself as the "front" for the group, interacting with high
level representatives or accomplishing any High Society tasks that need
to be done.  The group tends to regard her as Aware's little sister,
reflecting Aware's own attitude.  Shiko is Aware's "best friend and
confidante" when Aware feels like having one, closer in some ways than
Aware and Sheen.  In contrast to a very outgoing personality in public,
Shiko is reserved, even shy when not "performing" while Aware lets her
calm, quiet, serious professional mask down to enjoy herself with the group.

Shiko has begun to tire of her little-sister role, and enjoys playing
big sister to Wendy, the Library's sylph mage.  Shiko's also
increasingly attracted to Sheen, who sees her strictly as Aware's kid
sister and has no romantic interest in her at all, much to her
frustration.  So far she's been unable to come out and tell him how she
feels.

In the last year Shiko has been accumulating low-power cyberware,
largely a reflection of an adolescent wish for more power.  She has a
couple of chipjacks, a datalink, modified green eyes (her own, not
cyber) with flare compensation added to natural low light sight, and
Level 3 Skillwires.  She also has a large collection of skillsofts
which she carries in a custom bag organized for retrieval in a single
action (plus an action to slot).  She hasn't tried slotting any while a
tiger; it wouldn't be a good idea.  Oh yes, the tiger...

The recent summoning of a Tiger Spirit has left Shiko in a state of
semi-possession; no one else knows yet.  She can call upon the Tiger
Spirit to transform her into a large white tiger with reflective green
eyes.  As an elfin were, silver has no special effect on her but cold
iron is a bane.  Her pupils in elven form have become slitted like a
cat's, but everyone ascribes it to fashion.  She's wondering just how
to break the real reason to everyone.


Totem

Raven is a trickster, clever and devious.  Raven is also the
transformer, responsible for changes.  He is a living contradiction,
greedy and generous by turn.  Raven shamans are gluttonous and always
hungry, finding it next to impossible to refuse an offer of food.
Raven dislikes fighting, preferring to see others handle that part of
life.  +2 for conjuring wind spirits.  If not under the open sky,
Raven shamans suffer a -1 to all Magic rolls.


Notes on Elves:

Elves tend to look eternally youthful.  It takes them 10-40 years to
look 18-21 and they stick there.  The skin stays smooth and youthful;
the eyes and facial muscles sometimes change.  The awakened elves are
all still practically children.  Elves divide the world into 4
categories - Names, Adults, Children, and Outsiders.  Children are
elves who haven't accepted responsibility for their actions, Adults are
elves who have accepted, Names are elves whose actions make them
immortal, everything else is an Outsider, and essentially part of the
scenery.  Of course a lot of awakened elves still think in human terms,
not elven.  Shiko does, so far.


Contacts:

100 assorted


Notes:

Roll Name + Magic vs. 2d6 to transform to/from
White Tiger with Green eyes, 200kg, 4m long. While a Tiger add 1d10
to Close combat. People attacking her in tiger form with Cold Iron
add 1d10, without cold iron they drop their highest die roll.

All Shiko's skillsoft chips are carried on her person in a small bag as
much of the time as possible.  They are organized in the bag such that
she can select any chosen skillsoft and slot it within two rounds,
possibly one if she's in a hurry.