Aethal Mu Rong

[Aethal]

Aethal Mu Rong's Theme: Basic Information Name Pronunciation: [Ey-thul Moo-Rong] Race: Human Language: Common Birthday and Age: Season of Winter, day 65, 488 AV - age 22 Gender: Female Physical Description When she was little, Aethal's mother would measure her height by carving lines into the tree near their cottage. When her mother was no longer able to carry the measurements out, Aethal continued in her stead and her last marking reached 5 feet 7 inches tall. She never really knew her weight but her slim, lightly toned figure often kept her guessing around the 110 pound range. Aethal's skin is fair and she was graced with exotic features. She never researched her origins, but she believes her mother migrated to the Ravok area from the east. Her eyes are as dark as the midnight sky and she has a habit of licking her lips, leaving them very slick and almost reflective at times. Her hair trails down her back and its shade is burnt brown which tends to look black in dim light. She has limited clothing since her funds have been dangerously low and she recently came to the decision that she must lure herself away from her hobbies and find a good source of income. Her favorite attire has been the saturated purple gown she purchased from a very kind tailor when she first starting living on her own. Character Concept Aethal often averts her eyes to the floor when talking with fellow Ravok inhabitants. There have been many instances when a man would strike conversation with her and she would always feel the rush of blood enter her cheeks. She has led a timid life and is quite unaware of her beauty. She usually finds the darker complexions more handsome and her porcelain skin seems to proclaim her rather fragile in her eyes. Her personality consists of heavy apprehension. She was always afraid of getting in trouble as a child and wanted to make her mother proud. As she grew older, she noticed it was quite easy to get an intuitive look into certain matters. She often rests on the floor of her small home and ponders away many hours of the day. Aethal's greatest strength would have to be her sheer determination throughout her life. She is always proud her mind is sound even through her greatest traumas. She consistently makes the best choices which keeps her from falling beneath her standards of either becoming a beggar or a man's lover. The low point in her character would have to be the constant fear of rejection. She never knew her father and the only person close to her was Sayura, her beloved mother. Aethal feels it was easy for Sayura to accept her for who she was because she was her child and it might be beyond Aethal's capability to have tightly woven relationships with outsiders. Knowing all this, Aethal isn't so sure she could recover as easily as she has before many times in her past if she failed at making a true friend. Character History Aethal's Mother - Sayura: Sayura was perhaps the greatest master of the longbow Aethal had ever seen. She was often practicing and this made Aethal rather curious about Sayura's endeavors with the arrow. One day, Aethal followed her to a practice session and picked up her mother's quiver off the ground. Aethal was so excited she let out the most entertained squeal imaginable. It was then her mother decided to teach her the art of mastering the longbow; a gift Aethal would eternally be grateful for. Aethal never quite understood why Sayura picked the city of Ravok since her mother despised Rhysol and the Black Sun with a great passion. She would always inquire the reasons her mother loathed this northern most place in Sylira and Sayura would easily dismiss her inquisitive nature time and time again. However, Aethal never gave up and forced Sayura to begin the story of her father and when she first met him. Sayura had first exchanged glances with Aethal's father on the docks of Ravok and it really helped make this dark place a tolerable home for her. She always loved remembering the moment she first gazed into those beautiful charcoal eyes of his. It happened to be the same day she was contemplating an escape from the wretched city and Aethal's father somehow convinced her living here could work if they were together. Sayura then proceeded to tell her daughter with a hesitant, shaken voice, of the morose decision he made when she was just born. He had rambled on about his brother being dangerously lost in the jungles of Falyndar and he was afraid his only sibling might stumble upon the savagely home of the Talobian society. Tears streamed down her face as the images recollected, but she had pressed on with the grim memory of how he kissed both their foreheads and swore he would return soon with his brother. Sayura painstakingly waited for months and months, eventually feeling he may be lost forever and with a small child she had no way of ever knowing. With no husband, Sayura halted Aethal's acquisition and told her she would always stay in Ravok to keep the fond memories of her husband with her regardless of her feelings towards the city's religious worship. Aethal's mother always had sorrow written all over her face since the tragedy of her father, but Sayura was strong and very disciplined from her archery training and this made it very possible for her to continuously put on an admirable facade of happiness. It was the fateful day, shortly before Aethal's sixteenth birthday, when a member of the Ebonstryfe had taunted her with words Sayura simply couldn't ignore. He had said with a gloated tone, "This frail mistress couldn't even fire an arrow near him if she concentrated her hardest!" Aethal always thought that was a mindless statement and easily dismissible, but It must have been an unbearable day for her mother. Sayura swiftly drew an arrow and grazed the guard's cheek, entirely at ease with her own discretion. Sayura knew this was a crime sentenced by death and Aethal found it very hard to forgive her mother on the day of her execution. They both had exchanged tearful looks and Aethal did her best not to feel remorse after witnessing the life being taken out of her dear mother. Sayura left her their small cottage and all of her archery equipment, but the most potent thing she imparted her with was the sad memory of a mother no longer around for love and guidance. Aethal's Theme: One day while traveling by boat, an unruly but kindhearted bard stopped her and insisted on playing a song in her honor. Being the tender age of seventeen and often distraught when dealing with strangers, she hesitated for the longest time and wasn't sure if listening to music would cheer her up. After numerous pleads from the man, she eventually accepted the jovial offer. Aethal sat on the floor and listened as the melody played on through the plain but effective flute. It was so invigorating and beautiful that it brought tears to her eyes. She asked if he could remember the melody for her and play it whenever they met for old time's sake. He agreed and asked for her name. She bowed her head while saying "Aethal Mu Rong" and always felt a little proud of herself for having an actual theme in her name. Aethal's Relationship with the Black Sun and Rhysol, the God of Evil: Aethal didn't know if she should welcome positive feelings about the religious clan most inhabitants of Ravok seemed to worship without any doubt. Unlike her mother, she never had a direct encounter with the Ebonstryfe and often told herself hating the city guard would only make her life more miserable than it already was. Aethal has had very little to her name and even if she made the decision to move from this city, she would have minute means of actually pursuing it without becoming a nomad. Being a wanderer might have sounded interesting to her at some time in her life but her main goal is to keep her ladylike stature and focus on becoming skillful in longbow archery. The Will to Master the Longbow: When Aethal became enthralled with archery at a young age her mother told her she could be as good, if not better, than her if she kept on practicing. Aethal swore on her mother's grave she would train daily until she could easily call herself a master longbowman. By the time she was seventeen, she befriended a kind fletcher who showed her the basics of making wooden arrows. After a whole year of vigorous self training, she managed to accurately aim and shoot at close range. Her mother taught her various methods of drawing the bow, but she always preferred to use three of her digits when aiming, dubbing this the Mediterranean style. She often found it difficult to shoot efficiently past thirty yards and felt she might need some outside training and advice in the near future. Training (Skills, Arcana, Gnosis, Lore) Skill List: • Longbow - 30/100 (30 points from starting package) • Fletching/Bowing - 25/100 (10 points from starting package and 15 points from racial bonus) • Cooking - 10/100 (10 points from starting package) Lore: • Bow draw and release: Mediterranean style - slightly varied by having the index, middle, and ring fingers on the string to master the "string walking" method. • Bow aiming technique: "String walking" - very accurate aiming for short distances. Equipment and Possessions Equipment: (starting package) • 1 Set of Clothing (cloak/coat & footwear included) • 1 Waterskin • 1 Backpack which contains: • 1 Set of Toiletries (comb, brush, razor, soap) • Food for a week • 1 eating knife • Flint & Steel Housing: (starting package) 1 basic 20x20 single room cottage (400 square feet) with a hearth, bunk, chest, chair, and small table. Family Heirloom: Aethal's mother, Sayura, left her the very best quiver she had ever purchased. The memorable heirloom is a birch bark back quiver entwined with sheep leather casing and stitches. Aethal keeps it very close to her as she practices her bow skills every day. Ledger Currency - Present Time: 100 gold rimmed mizas (starting package) Purchase Log: Coming soon! Thread List Season of Spring, day 40, 510 AV - "[Location] Odds and Ends: The Docks"