Yu Suffiad

Yu Suffiad is a changeling warlock/paladin. They originally introduced themselves to Bells Hells as Dusk, an amnesiac elf, but are actually an agent of the Unseelie Court from the Feywild. They are played by Erika Ishii.

Appearance
Yu first presented themselves to Bells Hells as a slender, waifish elf with tousled short black hair. Up their arm, they have a tattoo of ocean waves illustrated in polygonal fractals. They wear autumn-colored armor. She carries a rapier, the hilt of which is set with shards of crystal and metal barbs. Player Erika Ishii said that their character notes for this character portrait included "K-pop hair" and, in all-capital letters, "soft and androgynous".

In their changeling form, Yu has opalescent white skin and dark, void-like eyes that "swirl with galaxies." They are taller and more muscular, with sharp, angular features. They wore black robes made of silk and leather. The robes had golden patterns that matched her tattoos.

Personality
To Bells Hells, "Dusk" appears wide-eyed, somewhat confused, and excited by aspects of the Material Plane, but ultimately fixated on returning to the Feywild. In their conversation with Zathuda, Yu is calculating and a little cocky, assuring him they will complete his task and that they are not only the most effective, but also the most attractive of his servants. They love the Feywild and feel nostalgic for their home whenever they are forced to travel to different planes. However, she also seems to genuinely enjoy being in Exandria.

While interacting with Bells Hells, Yu was careful and attentive in choosing their words. Erika estimated that only 30 to 40 percent of Yu's statements had "a grain of truth" in them, whereas the rest were "terrifying manipulation".

Background
Yu began their training to become an agent of the Unseelie Court at a young age and doesn't really have much of a life outside of work. In or before 843 PD, they were dispatched by Zathuda, a captain of the Unseelie Court, into the Material Plane to look for the Calloway family and retrieve the Moontide Crown from their possession.

Yu, as Dusk, stated their warlock powers come from their tattoo and that they didn't remember getting it. It is unclear how much of this is true.

Shortly after Bells Hells left the Raha Den, they heard several people telling someone to drop their belongings. As they continued, they heard a call for help, and saw Dusk, surrounded by a number of assailants. Bells Hells joined the fight and, along with Dusk, killed or knocked out all the other combatants. After the fight, Dusk thanked the party and fell off the roof they had been standing on. She introduced herself, and they all decided to go to A Taste of Tal'Dorei together. They claimed to have spent some time in the Feywild before reaching Bassarus, existing in a "twilighty area" thereof. They said that they did not have clear memories of anything else from their history.

Dusk went with Bells Hells to A Taste of Tal'Dorei. While there, they showed a locket to the party with their companions from the Feywild, whom Fearne recognized as her parents, Ollie and Birdie Calloway. Imogen contacted them and learned they were several days away. Dusk was also able to learn the potential whereabouts of Armand Treshi by casting Suggestion on Adon Hiro.

Dusk had a conversation with Fearne in which she encouraged Fearne to fully embrace the chaos of the Feywild. Afterwards, they left to get rest, but secretly spoke to Zathuda instead, in a different accent, assuring him they would deliver him the Moontide Crown and end the Calloway line. The next day, Dusk joined Fearne and Fresh Cut Grass in visiting Esmer, and later met up with the rest of Bells Hells at Imahara Joe's.

Dusk asked Laudna out to dinner, which Laudna awkwardly deflected, unsure how to respond. Later, Orym inquired about Dusk's sword training, and the two sparred, with Orym winning the bout.

During the Deathwish Run Dusk and Orym jumped onto a crawler, claiming it for themselves. Dusk also healed Laudna, revealing themself to be a paladin. She and Laudna later discussed their early awkward encounter the previous night, and she reassured Laudna that there were no hard feelings. Chetney approached them as well, and asked that if Dusk were hunting the Calloways, that he would be glad to help if he could get a cut of the money. Dusk denied this, and later told Fearne about the exchange, which Fearne dismissed as a likely joke.

When Birdie Calloway met the party at Imahara Joe's, she did not recognize Dusk. Yu then revealed their true form, a changeling in black robes, and grabbed both Birdie and Fearne.

Yu attempted to seize Birdie and Fearne Calloway, but the rest of Bells Hells intervened. During the ensuing combat and tense discussion, Yu repeatedly cast doubt on Birdie's statements and accused her of thievery of the Moontide Crown, which Birdie admitted she had stolen. Ultimately, after much back and forth, it was agreed that Yu would leave for a month and return to reclaim the crown after the device in which it was needed had been activated. Yu then left Imahara Joe's, but not before Birdie stole the ring they used to track them.

Fearne
Yu does genuinely like Fearne, and offered to take her back to the Feywild, swearing that she wouldn't sell Fearne out, and was willing to negotiate peacefully with the Calloways, making a compromised rerspite for Fearne's family.

Laudna
Yu, as Dusk, showed interest in Laudna early into their time with the group, saying that Laudna may have cold hands but she also had a warm heart. Some time later, Yu told Laudna about their feelings for her. Laudna panicked and fled quickly.

During the Deathwish Run, Yu used Lay on Hands to bring Laudna back from unconsciousness. After the race, Laudna clarified that her awkwardness during the confession was from being caught off-guard, and that she didn't feel she was ready for that kind of relationship. Yu hoped for Laudna that when she was ready, she would "find somebody that will make [her] feel less awkward."

After Yu revealed their true self and attempted again to seduce Orym, Laudna remarked that she thought she was special. Yu said they did think Laudna was special. Erika said that Yu's interest in Laudna confuses them; as an assassin, they can't get too attached, but they do have some feelings for Laudna.

Character information
Yu was initially introduced with a stat card stating them to be level 6 with a 58 hit points and a Strength of 11.

Notable items

 * Magical rapier with inscription of ancient runic version of Sylvan about "banishing shadow and then creating shadow in the same stroke"
 * Armor
 * Locket with a painted portrait of Birdie and Oleander Calloway.
 * Ring of dark metal, which can be used to contact Zathuda and locate the Calloways. Stolen by Birdie Calloway.
 * Second magic ring, likely a Ring of Mind Shielding
 * Magic gauntlets, possibly Gauntlets of Ogre Power
 * Hand mirror containing corrupted versions of Unseelie Court assassins used to assassinate targets, likely a Yore Mirror. Taken by Fearne.
 * Magical clothing, possibly Shiftweave clothing, as Yu was able to change its full appearance with a snap.
 * Magical boots

Changeling abilities

 * Changeling Instincts
 * Shapechanger

Paladin abilities

 * Divine Sense
 * Lay on Hands
 * Fighting Style
 * Spellcasting
 * Divine Smite
 * Divine Health
 * Sacred Oath: Oath of Conquest
 * Oath Spells
 * Channel Divinity
 * Conquering Presence
 * Guided Strike

Warlock abilities

 * Otherworldly Patron: The Hexblade
 * Hexblade's Curse
 * Hex Warrior
 * Pact Magic
 * Eldritch Invocations (3)
 * Agonizing Blast
 * Repelling Blast
 * Pact Boon

Behind the scenes
Erika and Matt began working on Yu Suffiad character in October 2021. From the start, Erika wanted them to have a fey ties and be a changeling who initially hides their true identity to their party. To incorporate them into Bells Hells story, Matt and Erika tied it with Fearne's fey related narrative and, searching for connections in the Feywild and with the local courts, Erika decided on the Unseelie Court, at which point Matt told her that this would tie into a plot to assassinate Birdie and Oleander Calloway. The Dusk persona was developed about a week prior to the filming of, though Erika had planned other false identities for the character as well.

Matt allowed Yu items and abilities powerful enough to sabotage Bells Hells or kill one of them on their own. However, he balanced the items in case Yu was knocked unconscious or killed by the party, who then would have been able to loot the items.

Erika said that they were "so fussy" about how they wanted Yu's character portrait that they sent illustrator Hannah Friederichs multiple Pinterest boards and pose references of themselves.

Yu's surname "Suffiad" was also the surname of Erika's grandmother.

Appearances and mentions

 * Campaign 3

Quotations

 * "I am Yu, Yu is me. Yu Suffiad. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance again."

Trivia

 * Seeing that Erika is of Japanese descent, Yu's given name is likely from the Japanese for "evening" (夕, yū). Additionally, this means that "Yu" and "Dusk" are related names.
 * Their given name is homophonic with "you", referring to their ability to reflect the appearance of others. This is referenced as they introduce themselves ("I am Yu, Yu is me.") and when Fresh Cut Grass mistakes "Yu and Birdie" to be "you [Fresh Cut Grass] and Birdie".
 * Yu's full name also sounds close to "yassified", an internet slang term meaning "to apply several beauty filters to a picture [...] until the subject becomes almost unrecognizable", which can relate to Yu's ability as a changeling to shapechange.
 * The animation on both of their stat cards features rolling waves in a woodcut-like style.