Flicka [WIP]

[Flicka]

BASIC INFORMATION Name;; Flicka, though is called Eiracan or Eira by her grandmother. Birth Year and Age;; 492 AV, eighteen years old. Race;; Three-fourths Inarta, one-third Vantha. Gender;; Female. Height;; 5'2" Gender;; 104 lb. Languages Nari (fluent) Common (basic) Vani (poor) TRAINING & SKILL POINTS Archery;; 10/100 10 pt - racial starting bonus Falconry;; 12/100 12 pt - starting package Fletching;; 5/100 5 pt - starting package Glass;; 12/100 12 pt - starting package Hunting;; 5/100 5 pt - starting package Singing;; 6/100 6 pt - starting package Storytelling;; 10/100 10 pt - starting package Lore of Hair Weaving - Has learnt to braid hair and thread in ribbons, feathers, and glass beads. Lore of Childhood Folktales - Has a knowledge of children's stories from listening to grandmother and mother. EQUIPMENT & POSSESSIONS 1 set of clothing (starting package) bryda - wool pants vinati - cotton shirt katinu - wool hooded coat sontav - leather gloves low boots wool scarf silk scarf 1 waterskin (starting package) 1 backpack (starting package) toiletries - comb, brush, razor, soap food for a week 1 eating knife flint and steel 1 kestrel (family heirloom) named Tornfalk, called Cudylloc by grandmother LEDGER 500 pinion (starting package)

[Flicka]

HISTORY & HERITAGE To clearly explain the events of my life and the way I have been brought up, I must begin this account of my own past by explaining the story of my grandmother. Ellesia was born and raised in the northern city of Avanthal. She came from a long line of storytellers, an ancient lineage of first-born daughters with words rolling off their tongues. It was a gift, augmented by a tradition of telling local folklore to the children. My grandmother was also born with a restless heart. When she came of age she stowed away on a ship heading to Wind Reach in hopes to quell her need for adventure. Arriving in the Inarta lands, Ellesia quickly realised her childish haste and the repercussions her decision had. The caste system of Wind Reach put her in the unfortunate position of a dek, due to the fact that she was Vantha and a foreigner. She struggled with racism and the distain towards her traditions while still maintaining her own sense of pride and cultural identity. Her glossy black hair, dark skin, and colour-changing eyes made her a social outcaste. After seasons of living on the streets in poverty, Ellesia's luck suddenly took a dramatic turn. She and an avora named Chevot had a passionate affair which developed into a strong love. The artisan invited her to live with him, enabling her to rise in caste and work towards a secure position as an avora herself. Having no formal Inarta education, my grandmother had only her sheer determination and stubbornness to drive her towards such a goal. Eventually she found talent in weaving and secured her place as an artisan. Ellesia and Chevot's relationship became unstable after my grandmother gave birth to Morva, who would one day be my mother. Though I have never been told the exact details of the deterioration and eventual collapse of their love, I do know that my grandfather became frantic with the sudden relisation of the enormity of having a non-Inarta lover and child. They were already the subject of rumour, such as the way that Morva was born a single child; also, Ellesia raised her with stories and lore of Morwen and Rhaus, the matron goddess of Avarthal and winter and the god of bards, respectively, explaining that since the deities were similarly respected in both cultures, the Inarta and Vantha were more closely related than they thought. These ideas of hers caused quite a controversy among those who heard them. Her reputation was questionable in such a racist and intolerant city, and if it were not for her sheer determination and hard work, she might have been forced into a lower caste. Yet my grandmother was a stubborn and dramatic woman, eventually finding her own role in the Inarta-dominated society. Chevot left her three years after the birth of their daughter. My mother had her own difficulties as a child. Morva was forced to tolerate the presence of pure-Inarta children, which constantly reminded her of her differences. She was brought up by Ellesia, who passed on the gift of storytelling, and was taught about her heritage. She quickly learned not to speak of her mother's culture to other children because of their ignorance of other traditions. Her dark auburn hair was not unusual, but combined with her olive skin and shifting eye colour, Morva seemed exotic compared to normal Inarta children. After entering school at the age of eight, this motivated my mother to become well-respected in her career. After graduating school at the age of fifteen, Morva was quickly recognised for her talent in glassworking. She could create beautiful colours and patterns with glass and had a knack for blowing it into smooth, decorative shapes. She became passionate with her talent and pursued it endlessly, working tirelessly to improve her skills. Immediately she was taken on as an apprentice and further proved her diligence. After years of increasing in talent, my mother became a director and overseer in glasswork, laying out plans and coming up with creative and innovative ways to make glass both practical and beautiful. In her own personal projects it is said that she pours her soul into the glass. She is now renowned for her work and it is often forgotten that she is only half-Inarta. Morva was reunited with Ellesia after her fame became known, and the two lived together once more in a flat in the Darniva Commonrooms. That was when she met my father. My mother was involved with one of those uncommon but not rare relationships between two avoras. My father, Ryserd, was a hunter living in the neighbouring flat. The two fell deeply in love in a way only Inarta can. Theirs was such a bittersweet combination of love and hate that it was, at times, hard to tell which direction the passion leaned towards. Morva soon gave birth to twin boys, which thrilled Ryserd. They were named Jokel and Skur. The first was strong and healthy, showing a deep interest in hunting at an early age. Often he would try to hold my father's bow. The latter was headstrong and reckless, often competing with other boys to win the attentions of the Wind Eagles. The two were five years old when I was born. Although I was not part of a set of twins, my parents were still enamoured with me. Their relationship had lasted long in comparison to most Inarta couples, though they had been fighting more fiercely and more often, and raising a child temporarily reunited them. It would not last, however. They struggled to find time to raise me between working hours, and though my father gave me tips on archery and hunting and my mother taught me about glasswork, it was my grandmother who was my role model. She was my anchor in the stormy seas of my parent's destructive relationship, and her strong identity and cultural ties influenced me at an early age. I learned to speak a few words of the beautiful Vani language and carried on the talent for storytelling. As a child, I would change the tales to fit tunes of my own fancy and sing them. It was my way of escape to soothe the sounds of my parent's arguments, the kind of eloquent anger that only love can create. After I entered school, my parents decided that there was nothing keeping them together, and Morva and Ryserd parted ways. It was a hard thing for them to do, though they knew their relationship was too chaotic to continue. It was a miracle it had lasted so long in a city of brief love affairs. Sometimes, when I visited my mother and grandmother in their flat, I would see Morva gazing at a wall or object with an unfocused and pensive look in her subtle eyes. I knew she was thinking of my father. She missed him enough for it to hurt, but not enough to want him back. I still saw my parents, occasionally. My grandmother had instilled such an unusual sense of family in us all that we strayed slightly from the norms of Inarta culture. During my education, some of my weekly duties, which are called bendi, took me into the realm of hunting or glasswork. My father could instruct me in archery and how to hit an animal with an arrow in a certain place of the body. When my bendi took me to the Glass Reverie, my mother would step forward and instruct me on her art. There was no objections, for any adult could step forward to guide the children in their rotations. When I was fifteen I earned an apprenticeship in glasswork, like my mother, which I know made her proud. I didn't have her natural talent, however, and was therefore in a slightly different line of work. I would cut glass for stained glass windows, which was a simple task. I also had an intuition for colours. Often I would be chosen to judge the colour schemes and plan the way light would be designed to pass through or reflect off of the glass, which also involved texture choice. I had my own small but vital place in Wind Reach's community. Also at the age of fifteen came the incident that sent little thunderstorms crashing through my family's lives, despite the fact we had drifted apart. After a night of heavily drinking, my brother Skur became involved in a fight with his best friend that took his life. It was not an uncommon death in Wind Reach, a storm so generic that we come to expect it rather than death of natural causes. Still, the passion of grief for Inartas is as powerful as love or hate. My brother Jokel was the most impacted, for twins can become very close in our city, and for a year or more he turned to alcohol and anger as a way to lessen the pain, despite it being the cause of his brother's death. He is now recovering and reverting to his old self, though the grips of alcoholism still plague him. I haven't seen him or my father in months, though I occasionally run into my mother in the Glass Reverie or visit my grandmother to exchange stories. Still, I know that after three years we are putting the past behind us. True Inartas bury their sorrow sooner then we do, though it still resonates with them. Being a race that feels emotion so deeply, we can't truly ignore our feelings. We wear them on our sleeves. Still, life has returned to normal. I work daily with my glass, though I don't think I will rise higher than my position as glass-cutter and colour-coordinator, and I don't mind. In my heart, I suppose I'm restless. I yearn to experience the land of Avanthal that my grandmother lived in, and lean about their language and culture. Part of me wants to take wing like a majestic Wind Eagle and travel the lands, collecting and sharing tales and learning languages and singing as I go. Perhaps one day I will. But, for now, I am content with my life and proud of my identity and heritage. APPEARANCE & CLOTHING I stand at the average height for Inarta women, 5'2", and weigh about 104 lbs. I have inherited a few traits from my mother's line as well as from my Inarta blood. My body is not stocky, per-say, but I do have broad shoulders and hips. Most women in Wind Reach have wide hips which make giving birth to two or more children at once an easy feat. From my grandmother I have received some of the subtle grace of a Vantha body, mainly in my curves and slender waist, though from both sides of my family I have a body resistant to extreme temperatures such as snow and heat. My skin is a healthy peach colour that is just a shade tanner than most Inarta, and my face and shoulders are lightly freckled. I have my mother's wavy hair but my father's colouring, a light cinnamon touched with rich strawberry blonde. My eyes are a common but rather bright green. At times, they seem to deepen into a teal, such as when I feel a powerful emotion. My mother also swears that they seem more hazel when I am lost in thought. I think it may be a diluted feature of my grandmother's ever-changing eye colour, though of course it rarely happens for me, since my Vantha blood is weaker. I have a fair-looking face, though it does not have the same subtle beauty that my grandmother's had as a young woman. My eyes are round and heavy-lidded. I have an average-sized nose that slopes gently from the bridge to the tip, making the tip slightly tilted and not exactly perpendicular to my face. My upper lip has a curving bow-shape and is about an even thickness as my lower lip. My mouth is a bit wide but its shape makes it appear evenly proportioned. I have high cheekbones and a prominent chin. As for clothing, I usually dress in the custom Inarta outfits. Indoors, I wear a loose-fitting pair of bryda, which are flowing pants with a beaded waistline sewn by my mother. She also decorated my vinati with glass beads, which is a shirt worn by women that exposes their midriff. Mine has straps like a tank top. I had a pair of sturdy, short boots for walking on the stone floors of Wind Reach. For outdoor wear, I have a heavy hooded overcoat called a katinu made from mountain sheep hide turned inside out, making it soft and downy on the inside. From my grandmother, I have both a silk scarf for indoor wear and a simple but cozy wool one for outdoor wear. My hair is typically elaborately decorated. I have a thin braid on the right side of my face with a single feather from my kestrel, Tornfalk, tied to the end. Small lengths of cloth ribbon are woven into my braid and the rest of my hair. I also wear, usually outdoors, a head wrap with strands of glass beads, a gift from my mother. Some strands of my hair are also threaded with the beads. I have a few piercings. My right ear has one and my left has three, two in the lobe and another in the cartilage. My normal lobe piercings hold earrings with feathers hanging from them, and the remaining holes hold a single beaded earring that loops from my cartilage to my lobe. I also have a navel piercing with the decoration of a single glass bead.