Nahali

[Nahali]

Nahali, from the tents of Abiel, of the sons of Jeroab Basic Information Race: Benshira Birthday & Age: Day 4 of Spring, 491 AV Gender: Female Physical Description Lean and long-legged, Nahali presents an image of solid competence, with strong hands and a practical, no-nonsense manner. At 5'5" and 126 lbs., her wiry, angular frame is a balance of taut sinew and corded muscle, lacking in physical grace but well-suited for walking miles in the desert or carrying a lamb across her shoulders. In features and bearing, she is bold and proud, with a grave dignity that seems much older than her years. Usually bound in a coronet of braids, her chocolate-brown hair falls almost to her waist when loose. In contrast to her dark hair and sun-bronzed skin, her eyes are a limpid jade-green, like the color of new leaves in spring from climes more temperate than Eyktol's. Character Concept If she were ever asked to choose a word to define herself, Nahali would unfailingly describe herself as a shepherd. Certainly, Nahali has led her flocks through enough pathways and hills, assisted with enough shearings, illnesses and births, and deterred enough predators with a rock to the skull to deserve the title. Her years of experience have taught her the value of diligence, loyalty, mental and physical strength, perseverance, intense protectiveness toward her flock, and a steady hand and unerring aim with a slingshot, and Nahali has absorbed these lessons well. Anyone who threatens her flock or herself would face a fierce, merciless foe; any sick lamb or willful he-goat would find her a patient, gentle caretaker. However, Nahali also views herself as a herder and protector of more than just goats. A faithful follower of Yahal, she also feels the duty to serve her fellow believers and keep them safe from harm. She is strict in observing Benshiran customs and holidays and in enforcing their laws. This is not to say that Nahali aspires toward Rapa status; rather, she considers her role to be more of a bodyguard or watchdog to her family, her Tent and the Benshira at large. Should anyone be foolish enough to threaten the lives or purity of this second "flock," Nahali would leap to fight off the threat until it was destroyed. In temperament, Nahali is hardworking, solemn and determined, with an unshakable devotion to her vocation and beliefs. She prefers work to play, for she takes pride in doing her work well and knowing others will benefit from her efforts. She greatly respects and admires expertise and wisdom in all its forms but cannot abide anyone who seems useless or ornamental. In the evenings when the work is done and the families gather together, however, Nahali's serious demeanor makes her seem dour and brusque compared to her livelier brethren. All too aware of her physical and verbal clumsiness, she frequently hovers at the edge of these gatherings rather than joining in the action. She does enjoy the music, songs and dances of her people, though, and is a surprisingly good singer herself, after years of keeping herself company during long days in the desert sands and crooning to sick or wounded goats. Through her singing, Nahali expresses the joy, passion and exaltation in her heart, lifting her rich contralto voice in praise of Yahal and in celebration of Benshiran triumphs and tragedies. Character History Descended from the sons of Jeroab the just, Nahali was born the oldest of her parents' three children and the great-grandniece of their Tent's silver-haired but clear-headed patriarch, Abiel. According to tradition, their families had been nomads and shepherds since before the Valterrian. Thanks to many generations of hard work and abiding faith in Yahal, their Tent was blessed with large flocks of goats and cattle. From childhood, she was playing and frolicking with the animals of the camp, from lambs and kids to the dogs that guarded them and the camels their Tent rode. As a young girl, she was cheerful and clever, with an easy laugh and a generous, trusting nature. By age ten, Nahali had befriended the other shepherds of her Tent and was helping them in tending the flocks. Though never easy, life unfolded simply and predictably for Nahali and her family. The search for fresh water and edible desert vegetation consumed them through the seasons, and she came to know the unique ecology of Eyktol, the patterns of rain and drought, the shifting of the dunes, and the predators and prey that stalked the sands. The older shepherds taught her their walking songs and meditative hymns, and her developing voice would carry upon the arid desert wind as she gradually mastered their lilting rhythms and phrases. The summer after Nahali's fifteenth birthday was a major turning point in her life. During the months of scorching heat, the Tent was hard-pressed to find safety and water. In desperation, they finally pitched their tents beside a source of brackish groundwater near the entrance of the ruined city of Hai. Most of their flocks managed to survive, as did their people. However, they had made camp at the mouth of Hell, and out of that mouth spewed horrors and abominations. One night, a monstrous pack of criminals and madmen who dwelt in Hai stole into their camp, planning to murder them in their sleep and steal their goods. Only a shout from Nahali's youngest uncle gave the Tent any warning, and he was promptly slain for his pains. During the ensuing battle, Nahali found her slingshot and began firing stones at their snarling attackers. One of them noticed and closed upon her as she searched frantically for another rock, dealing her a huge, gaping wound that split her down the ribcage. After the battle was won, they found her body half-buried by sand, sticky with a drying mess of blood. For weeks afterward, the Tent's healers tended her, never certain she would make it. But Nahali, lying motionless in the low-slung cot, knew she could not die. In the euphoria produced by loss of blood, she saw the face of Yahal shining in her dreams and heard his voice thundering in her ear, charging her to shepherd his faithful the same way she shepherded her goats. Her flesh slowly mended, leaving only a long, ridged white scar across her torso. She recovered fully after a month, emerging from her sickbed a resolute, fierce woman totally unlike the happy-go-lucky girl she had been. The healers called it a miracle and Nahali agreed, for she believed Yahal himself had sped her recovery so she could fulfill her life's purpose. Since then, she has trained relentlessly with her slingshot to develop her hand and eye. Like a woman possessed, she does whatever she can to fulfill the vow she made to Yahal during her convalescence. Her parents despair of ever marrying her off, for though she has dutifully learned to manage a household, Nahali seems determined to assume the traditionally masculine role of protector and provider and shows no signs of wifely submissiveness. This, coupled with her lack of feminine charm, has brought few suitors to her family's tent. Nahali hardly seems fazed by this, though, or by the fact that her younger brother and sister will be married before she will, for her self-appointed vocation quietly consumes her. Training (Skills, Arcana, Gnosis, Lore) Skills Animal Husbandry 24 Novice Starting Package + XP + XP Slingshot 20 Novice Starting Package Wilderness Survival 5 Novice Starting Package Quarterstaff 5 Novice Starting Package Singing 18 Novice Racial Bonus + XP + XP Dance 1 Novice XP Lores Lore of Yahal Starting Package Lore of Desert Creatures Starting Package Rapa Lore XP Masha Customs Lore XP Languages Shiber Common Equipment and Possessions Clothing Ankle-length tunic of dark-blue cloth Loose, flowing shawl that drapes over head and shoulders Voluminous, sleeveless mantle to protect against cold winds and blowing sands Leather sandals Fine green veil hung with silver disks and tiny bells, barely worn Essentials Waterskin Backpack, containing: Set of toiletries (brush, comb, soap) Rations for a week Eating knife Flint and steel Water additive Housing Large tent Large tarp 100 ft. of rope Lantern and 2 torches Bedroll and blanket Animals and Related Gear Chavi, a fiery-tempered chestnut Eyktolian desertbred stallion with three white socks Full set of riding tack Large saddlebags Abir, an intelligent brown-and-white Helevaos Shepherd dog Weapons Slingshot (Hebrean) 20 Slingshot bullets Quarterstaff Ledger 95 gm, 2 sm Thread List Summer, 505 AV: [Flashback] What We Were Spring, 510 AV: Another Morning in the Desert [Open], From Here to Yahebah [Ke'sear], Shelter in the Storm [Nala, Japikoa]