Akasja

[Akasja]

Akasja Appearance Race: Chaktawe Gender: “Woman” is a close concept, but there isn’t completely equivalent gender terminology in the Tawna language. Age: 23 Birthday: 54th of Fall, 492 AV Birthplace: In Suli territory Appearance: Akasja (pronounced Ah-KA-sha) stands at 5’10”, which is on the fairly tall side of the spectrum for Chaktawe. She has full lips, a somewhat rounded nose, slightly raised cheekbones, and expressive, dark eyebrows. Overall, Akasja is quite muscular from almost constant physical labor and practicing various fighting techniques with her dagger. While Akasja weighs in at 170 pounds, this number is somewhat misleading. A good fifteen pounds of this weight comes from a dense, water-bearing organ that all Chaktawe are born with. Akasja’s height, however, coupled with frequent traveling in the Eyktol deserts, keeps her from looking bulky. Akasja wears airy, light attire suitable for uninhibited movement. She is usually found in a rust-colored, knee-length wrap that is slit up both sides to the mid-thigh. She also wears either a light or dark cloth bodice that laces up the sides with leather. When with her family, or on special occasions, Akasja can be seen wearing various pieces of handmade jewelry. Often she wears no adornments other than a band of paint across her eyes to indicate her tribal affiliations. (With her father from the Suli tribe and her mother from the Kalanue tribe, Akasja will make paint using either white clay or by crushing the dried shells of black cave beetles). At night, Akasja wears and/or sleeps on a large, golden wolf’s pelt. Two of Akasja’s most striking features are her all-black eyes and thick eyelashes, which are specially equipped to protect against the desert’s blowing sand and bright sunlight. To anyone not familiar with the Chaktawe people, their black eyes may be frightening to look upon (which sometimes is used to the Chaktawe’s advantage). Akasja’s own gaze is often very intense and borders on hypnotic. Her hair is also black, although it has some lighter streaks from exposure to the strong desert sun. Akasja’s dark features stand out beautifully against her copper-toned skin. Another unique feature belonging to Chaktawe are the small, freckle-like motion sensing pores on their fingertips. When Akasja is not working with her hands in one manner or another, she is taking care of them, keeping them moisturized and limber with plant or animal fats and a special blend of rejuvenating essential oils. One of the most important physical features of the Chaktawe are their perfectly adapted feet. Thick footpads and toe webbing allow the Chaktawe to travel long distances in the hot desert without being burned or sinking into the sand. While some passing Benshira, Eypharians, or other travelers have gawked at her feet (and other physical features), Akasja tries not to be too offended. She knows that, in the unforgiving desert of Eyktol, she and her people are able to outrun, outmaneuver, and outlast most everyone else. Character Concept Akasja is a highly guarded person around those who are not Chaktawe and can come off as aggressive. She intimately knows the history of her people and protects her culture from those who might destroy it. Befriending Akasja as an outsider can be a daunting task, but it is possible. It takes just the right blend of striking her fancy while proving oneself to be helpful rather than harmful. Since her childhood, Akasja has been curious about the world and people around her, as well as her own people’s history, bringing her to learn basic Arumenic and some of the Common language. Akasja’s proximity to Ahnatep when staying in the Suli camp has been one of the biggest catalysts of her decisions to travel and to learn Arumenic. Learning that language, however, has been largely a defensive measure, as the relationship between Chaktawe and Eypharians is tenuous at best. After years of traveling the deserts of Eyktol, Akasja has come to know the land almost like one would know a family member. Daily, Akasja uses what the land gives her and her people, be it plant, animal, or mineral. Her innate compassion has also driven Akasja to understand how various Eyktol flora can help prevent sickness and heal various wounds or illnesses. Because of this, she has come to be seen as a budding healer in her community. Despite her caring and curious nature, Akasja will not hesitate to draw her wolf bone knife at a moment’s notice when she feels threatened. She has been conditioned to automatically mistrust anyone who is not Chaktawe. Although Akasja knows not every outsider has bad intentions, she refuses to risk her life or her people's future by letting her guard down. Specifically, Akasja has come to detest the Eypharians, though she quietly tolerates them, even faking cordiality, when within their territory. Nomadic life has exposed Akasja to many different kinds of people and creatures, keeping her knowlegable despite her defensiveness. Character History The first time Akasja saw the rain, she was was four years old and still without her own name. Until that day, Akasja was called Nayapa, a diminuitive of her mother’s name, Naya. A sacred vision came to the young child while she slept. This vision would bring her notoriety among the Suli and Kalanue tribes and awaken Akasja’s understanding of her own power. The summer of 496 AV had continued a relentless drought, one of the worst in her parents’ memory. Yet in her dream, young Akasja was sitting in her parents’ tent, a small, precious pile of dried Hik fruit before her. Her mother, Naya, sat across from her. “This may be the last of the Hik, Nayapa. We will have to travel again soon.” The young girl fell silent, thinking about her mother’s words. She looked out along the horizon, holding the strip of Hik fruit in her small hand. Suddenly, a knowing came to her. The air would grow cool and blow strong, the skies would turn grey and lower toward the earth. Water would come from above. The plants would grow again. Her people would thrive again. “Mother,” the girl said without thinking. “There will be water.” After Nayapa awoke, she went about her day as usual, but could not shake the uncanny feeling of her dream. It was not until midday, when Nayapa found herself sitting across from her mother in their tent, eating strips of Hik fruit, that she realized her dream had become real. “This may be the last of the Hik, Nayapa,” her mother said again. “We will have to travel again soon.” A strange feeling, like a warm blanket of air, wrapped around Nayapa. Her little body swelled and tingled with knowing. There would be water. It was coming right then. “Mother,” she said, “my dream has come true.” Naya paused and looked seriously at her daughter. “What did you dream?” she asked. Nayapa stood up before she responded, looking out towards the horizon. The sky was darkening, the clouds rolling in the distance. The wind was picking up. “The water, it’s coming.” Young Nayapa did not hesitate to slip out of her parents’ tent and into the open air. With the camp behind her, the little girl compulsively walked ahead into the desert to meet the oncoming storm. The sky lit up and rumbled low like a fantastic beast. Nayapa froze, suddenly nervous about what was going on around her. She stared up at the clouds in wonderment, and a drop of water splashed against her face in response. Nayapa felt a sense of total calm wash over her, as if she were being comforted by a close friend. The rain began to pour as she stood there, drenching her and the earth. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When Akasja was 15, she participated in her own “Searching”. During it, she came to realize that she would one day have to leave her homeland in order to procure different knowledge, herbal medicines, and anything else useful for the continued vitality of her people. This Searching is where she discovered her own guardian (or, more accurately, he discovered her): a Hoopoe bird named Islankar. At the age of 22, she began her long-awaited journey across Mizahar. Family/Friends Father: Kekayaat (Suli) Mother: Naya (Kalanue) Grandparents: Ayejli (maternal; Kalanue) Cousins: Riika, Koyok, Aleja, Ewaaya (Kalanue) Friends: Jalen (Chaktawe- Tatsuwaat), Meljaad (Chaktawe- Suli), Pearl Blackwater (Drykas) Languages Fluent Language: Tawna Basic Language: Arumenic Poor Languages: Common; Pavi Skills Skill EXP Total Proficiency Animal Husbandry #XP 5 Novice Bodybuilding #XP 1 Novice Botany #XP 1 Novice Brawling #XP 1 Novice Childcare #XP 1 Novice Cooking #XP 1 Novice Cosmetics #XP 1 Novice Dancing #XP 1 Novice Detection #XP 2 Novice Endurance #XP 2 Novice Fire Building #XP 1 Novice Flirting #XP 1 Novice Foraging #XP 4 Novice Grooming #XP 1 Novice Herbalism #SP 10, #XP 24 34 Competent Horsemanship #XP 3 Novice Hunting #XP 1 Novice Intelligence #XP 1 Novice Investigation #XP 1 Novice Land Navigation #XP 2 Novice Logic #XP 3 Novice Massage #XP 1 Novice Medicine #XP 5 Novice Meditation #XP 1 Novice Navigation #XP 2 Novice Negotiation #XP 3 Novice Observation #XP 34 Competent Organization #XP 2 Novice Philtering #XP 2 Novice Planning #XP 1 Novice Rhetoric #XP 11 Novice Riding: Horse #SP 5; #XP 9 14 Novice Running #XP 3 Novice Seduction #XP 1 Novice Sewing #SP 5; XP 1 6 Novice Socialization #XP 34 Competent Stealth #XP 4 Novice Storytelling #XP 3 Novice Tracking #SP 5; #XP 2 7 Novice Unarmed Combat #XP 2 Novice Weapon: Dagger #SP 10; XP 1 11 Novice Weapon: Shield #XP 2 Novice Weapon: Spear #XP 2 Novice Wilderness Survival: Desert #RB 10; #XP 1 11 Novice Wilderness Survival: Plains #XP 2 Novice Lores - Acklar Bark: Used for medicine - Akasja: Boys will be boys - Akasja: exploring the unknown - Akasja: feels like a lone wolf - Akasja: from Eyktol - Akasja: misunderstands some Common - Akasja: not used to the cold - Akasja: works in the River Flower - Alar'ck: unproven but attractive - Animal husbandry: remain calm and unmoving when approached by a hunting cat - Applying traditional Chaktawe face paints - Ayejli: Akasja's grandmother - Baiting a conversation - Baultimes: owner of Baultimes' Barrel - Being grabbed for a dance - Bodybuilding: holding a struggling animal down - Botany: An Acklar Tree - Botany: Slippery Elm Tree - Chaktawe Prayers to Makutsi - Chaktawe Oral History - Cyphrus: The Sea of Grass - Dagger: different grips - Dravite: Pearl's husband - Dressing up for the festival - Drykas: horse lords - Dueling requires light feet - Endrykas: the market has everything - Endrykas: winter temperatures - Everyone loves to gawk at a Chaktawe - Eywaat: feathered prince - Herbalism: Herbs are safer diluted in oil - Hunting: letting your prey tire of its own accord - Isla: the Hoopoe bird - Jalen: a pleasant boy of the Tatsuwaat - Keeping stock at the River Flower - Kekayaat: Akasja's Father - Language: start with Common when speaking to strangers - Location: Baultimes' Barrel - Medicine: Helping hands are just as good as healing ones - Muddy weather means a lot of grooming - Naiya Dawnwhisper: unable to make boots - Naya: Akasja's Mother - Pavi: signs for weapons - Pearl: A skilled doctor - Pearl: Married to a Watchman - Pearl: The good doctor - Racing a horse against Pearl - Riika: A skilled potter with many suiters - Rufio: fast thinker, fast talker - Sea of Grass: blood attracts all kinds of predators - Sewing: Threading a needle - Shadowknoll: accepting family - Shahar Dawnwhisper: a man of his word - Shahar Dawnwhisper: a quiet man - Shield: an extension of the body - Some flowers when combined create a relaxing oil - Spear: find the balance - The speed of an Endrykas Strider - Tracking: paths in the tall grass - Unarmed combat: hip toss - Veins ooze/arteries squirt - Viper Cucumbers: A great ingredient for soups - Wolves often travel in packs - Words do not make a good lover - Yvas: Drykas horse gear Possessions 1 Set of Clothing: -Cloth bodice with leather side-ties -Linen wrap -Simple Undergarments -Wolf fur mantle (cloak) -Simple Boots - Mid-calf height boots: waterproof, leather, lined 1 Backpack which contains: -Comb (Bone) -Brush (Wood) -Soap -Razor -1 Waterskin -Balanced Rations (1 week's worth) -1 eating knife -Flint & Steel - 1 lb. Aklar bark (loot) - 1 lb. Slippery elm bark (loot) Weapons/Armor: - Wolf bone dagger - Steel-tipped short spear - Small wooden shield with steel center Occupation(s): - Fall 515 AV (start date) - Spring 516 AV (end date): Herbalist at The River Flower in Endrykas; 6 gm/day Heirloom: Golden wolf leg-bone dagger, sharpened and double-edged, in a sheath made from the leather, fur, and paw of a golden wolf’s foreleg. It is tied at Akasja’s hip with goat sinew. Braided into the sinew is a string holding both a crow and a vulture’s feathers to signify the territories where Akasja’s parents come from. This special knife and sheath were given to Akasja by her father in the early days of Winter, 513 AV, to prepare her for her travels away from home. She has practiced with it ever since with much dedication. Housing 1 large tent (4-person), large tarp, 100 ft of rope, flint & steel, lantern, 2 torches, bedroll, blanket, fishing tackle & hooks, a compass, a riding horse, a full set of tack, and a large set of saddlebags. -Horse Breed: Eyktolian Desertbred (mare) Location: Original home in the Suli and Kalanue territories of Eyktol; currently Akasja travels around Mizahar. House: Akasja is now traveling away from her family, so she continues to follow a nomadic lifestyle. She spends much of her nights or down-time in a large tent, which she will decorate with feathers or drying herbs when she stays in one place for long enough. Ledger Starting = 100 GM Season Items/Cost Total Winter 514 AV Wages: 0; Housing (Seasonal): -45 GM; Purchases: 0 55 GM Fall 514 AV Wages: +546 GM; Housing (Seasonal): -135 GM; Purchases: 0 446 GM Winter 515 AV Wages: 552 GM; Housing (Seasonal): -135 GM; Purchases: 1 steel throwing spear: -2 GM; 1 small wooden/metal shield: -6 GM; 1 pair of waterproof, leather, lined boots (mid-calf): -3 GM; Warm wool socks, shirt, & pants, + leather gloves: -10 GM 842 GM Spring 516 AV Wages: 0; Housing (Seasonal): -135 GM; Purchases: 0 707 GM Summer 516 AV Wages: 0; Housing (Seasonal): -135 GM; Purchases: 1 badger pelt & hunting lesson: -10 GM; Thread List Date Title Location Grades 11th Fall, 507 AV Autumn's Gathering The Burning Lands Observation: 1, Socialization: 1 11th Fall, 507 AV Bonfires and Starlight The Burning Lands Observation: 3, Rhetoric: 1, Socialization: 2, Cooking: 1, Childcare: 1, Wilderness Survival (Desert): 1, Running: 2, Stealth: 1, Brawling: 1, Storytelling: 2, Dancing: 1, Flirting: 1 Date Title Location Grades 39th Winter, 514 AV The Traveler Between Eyktol and Endrykas Observation: 5, Organization: 1, Tracking: 1, Riding (Horse): 1, Detection: 2, Hunting: 1, Stealth: 2, Intelligence: 1, Running: 1, Bodybuilding: 1, Endurance: 1, Land Navigation: 1, Rhetoric: 2, Logic: 1, Socialization: 2, Negotiation: 1, Animal Husbandry: 1, Wilderness Survival (Plains): 1 Date Title Location Grades 9th Fall, 515 AV Gather Around Endrykas Horsemanship: 1, Tracking: 1, Land Navigation: 1, Riding (Horse): 2, Observation: 4, Sewing: 1, Socialization: 4, Investigation: 1, Medicine: 2, Herbalism: 2, Foraging: 1 16th Fall, 515 AV Reminiscent Foraging Endrykas Philtering: 1, Herbalism: 1, Observation: 5, Grooming: 1, Animal Husbandry: 2, Socialization: 5, Rhetoric: 3, Riding (Horse): 4, Botany: 1, Logic: 2, Planning: 1, Organization: 1, Foraging: 3, Horsemanship: 1, Endurance: 1 22nd Fall, 515 AV A Bird in the Hand Sea of Grass Ungraded 2nd Winter, 515 AV Seeking Warmth Endrykas Socialization: 5, Observation: 3, Negotiation: 2, Animal Husbandry: 1 3rd Winter, 515 AV The Festival of the First Frost; The Festival...II Endrykas Pt. I: Herbalism: 1, Cosmetics: 1, Observation: 1, Socialization: 1; Pt. II: Meditation: 1, Seduction: 1, Rhetoric: 1, Observation: 2 20th Winter, 515 AV Setting Sights; Setting Sights Pt. II Endrykas Pt. I: Animal Husbandry: 1, Horsemanship: 1, Observation: 5, Socialization: 5, Rhetoric: 4, Weapon (Dagger): 1, Unarmed Combat: 2; Pt. II: Observation: 3, Weapon (Spear): 2, Weapon (Shield): 2, Socialization: 2, Storytelling: 1, Herbalism: 1 28-29th Winter, 515 AV A Friend In Need... Endrykas Herbalism: 2, Socialization: 2, Observation: 2, Medicine: 1, Philtering: 1 46th-50th Winter, 515 AV Out of Harm's Way Endrykas Herbalism: 2, Medicine: 2, Massage: 1, Socialization: 3 Date Title Location Grades 34th Spring, 516 AV A Slow and Steady Farewell The Sea of Grass Socialization: 2, Riding (Horse): 2, Navigation: 2, Wilderness Survival (Plains): 1, Fire Building: 1, Stealth: 1 49th Spring, 516 AV Among the Ancient Stones of Sylira The Wildlands grades 79th Spring, 516 AV Disguised Herbs The Cobalt Mountains grades 9th Summer, 516 AV Catching A Scent The Wildlands grades