Name: Nadiah (nah-dee-ah)
Race: Konti
Age: 29
Birthday: 12th in the Season of Summer 488AV
Birthplace: Mura
Height: 5’3”
Weight: 105 lbs
Gender: Female
Languages
Fluent: Kontinese
Basic: Common
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Konti Gift
Aspiration Sight - Nadiah was born with the ability to see how a person views themselves in the best light. By initiating physical contact she can feel and sometimes see an individual’s aspirations; how they wish to seem to the rest of the world. Some people wish to seem noble, or charitable. Some even wish to be seen as intimidating, or brutal. It is all relative to the individual’s aspirations. She can see people as what they want to be; what they aspire to be. Even if to the untrained eye the person seems to be failing at their aspirations, Nadiah can see what they hope to be.
Her ability to discern a person’s aspirations aids in her painting. When painting portraits for a commission she often adds subtle touches to her painting to reflect how the subject wishes to be seen.
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Gnosis Marks
Avalis (Marked - 1) - Nadiah has carried the mark of Avalis from birth, as is quite common among her people. The gift of divination is prized but can be seen as a curse if one does not learn to handle it with finesse.
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Appearance
Nadiah appears much like her other Konti sisters, her small 5’3” stature and delicate features make her appear quite fragile. Her body is lean with few curves so she appears somewhat childlike. The only indication that she is not another teenaged human is her startling silvery white locks and the iridescent scales that wrap around her body. The pallid ribbons of scales begin at the crest of her forehead and meander down her back and arms until reaching down Nadiah’s willowy legs to end at her ankles. Her hair possesses a bright silvery hue, rather than pure white and rests just past the halfway point of her back. She often keeps it pulled back or braided as to not interfere with her work.
Nadiah’s eyes are the color of the ocean at midday, an unapologetically rich blue that is striking against the delicate features of her face. Her lips are small and almost always set in a slightly disapproving frown as if she is constantly trying to figure out how to condense people into the simple lines and colors of a canvas.
Her gnosis mark gifted by Avalis rests on the nape of her neck, often concealed by a tumble of silvery locks. The mark is shimmering lily with a subtle blue color to it, with a blush of purple when caught in the right light.
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Character Concept
Nadiah is an artist who is losing her love of life. It’s hard to hold to an idyllic model of the world when you can clearly see that the world is not as bright and colorful as you thought. She tries to simplify people into two dimensions like her paintings, so she can be quick to judge and condemn others.
Because Nadiah has the ability to divine a person’s individual Aspirations through physical contact she is often disappointed when people fail at their lofty goals. She once had a very bright and positive outlook on life, but recent years have revealed to her that many people never try to better themselves. So she is somewhat bitter in her dealings with others and has become something of a pessimist. She will be pleasant enough to strangers, but she intentionally keeps a very private life and avoids physical contact with others because of her ability. Nadiah has a very cynical and scathing sense of humor. She is prone to occasional outbursts of biting remarks when frustrated with the ignorance of others. The young Konti has a strong sense of what she believes is right and wrong, and she has few reservations about letting someone know when she believes they are absolutely wrong. Unless the person in question is a client she has little problem in telling someone exactly what she thinks of them. Nadiah holds an appreciation for people who know who they are and who hold genuine Aspirations.
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History
Nadiah was born on the Konti isle to her mother Lydia. Her mother was a painter and brought up her daughter as an artist as well. Their modest home was located near the water, as is with most Konti homes. It was often open to the ocean air as Lydia showed her daughter the art of working with oils and watercolors to create picturesque scenery. While her mother adored painting landscapes, Nadiah was always fascinated with painting people. Something about the complexity of a person’s personality always piqued Nadiah’s interest. She sometimes painted her mother wistfully staring at the ocean, knowing in some way that her mother wished to see more of the world than the Konti island. Perhaps this was her mother’s Aspiration, to become a brave worldly traveler who painted more than seaside landscapes of warm silvery sand and restless gulls. Maybe that is why Nadiah eventually left the island to travel for herself. Her mother never wanted to leave her sisters, and she was terribly fearful of the outside world. She had only traveled to the mainland once to find a mate, and returned to the island as quickly as she could. Being away from her sisters and the gentle, well mannered culture of her people was a difficult time for Lydia. She became fearful of ever leaving again, and put aside her idyllic dreams of traveling. It was because of this fear that when Nadiah did express her desire to leave that Lydia introduced her daughter to the magic Hypnotism, of which she was quite competent with.
When she left home at twenty seven years of age Nadiah knew enough of the craft to possess a defense against individuals who might have unsavory intentions toward her. Her mother had continually reminded her of the dangers a Konti faced on the road, especially one with the gnosis mark of Avalis.
Upon bidding her mother farewell as she boarded a boat to Sylria, where her journey began. Nadiah was soon disillusioned with the rest of Mizahar as soon as she found herself at a loss for work and begrudgingly took a job as a clerk for a group of traders at the Eventide outpost. At the very least the position allowed Nadiah to improve her Common speech, but she longed for a time when she could paint in the light of day on a real canvas and not on scraps of wood and parchment that she painted by candlelight at night. She bought what paints she could with her merger earnings, and eventually began decorating a few pieces of cheap pottery that her employers occasionally sold. Most traders didn’t care whether a dish or tea pot was embellished with a cluster or lilies or a blue birds, but occasionally some would buy something of Nadiah’s for their wife or daughter and would return with requests for more items to be painted. It was one of her small pleasures, to know that her art brought enjoyment to others. It was far from riches but it was enough to earn the young Konti enough money to travel again. She was tired of the leering looks of some of the men that sold goods inside the pewter gray walls of the tower, their Aspirations were wretched and at times nonexistent, she did not want to fail her own Aspirations as they had. She would become an artist, and a good one at that. The world could be bitter and colorless as her mother had said, but she would find the color in her life again.
Nadiah had heard of a place in Riverfall where there was a home for people like her; A school with a proper art gallery, for proper artists. She was hesitant of her decision to go there because it meant traveling further than ever before from her home. However if she remained in Sylria she would certainly return home having failed in her quest to become a worldly artist. So Nadiah purchased passage from a small passing caravan bound toward Riverfall, her last hope to live her dream. If she could succeed there, perchance she could one day bring a little of the world back to her mother.