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Rhu of the Tempered Steel
Basic
Name: Rhu of the Tempered Steel
Gender: Female
Race: Myrian
Age: 25
Flaws: Irascible, aggressive, ruthless, single-minded, vengeful, judgemental
Dislikes: Authority, frivolousness, cold weather, being confined
Birthday: 58, Winter, 489AV.
Birthplace: Taloba
Profession: Potter [Pending]
Current Location: Syliras
Merits: Protective, stubborn, dedicated, inquisitive, integrous, brave
Likes: Animals, children, learning, fighting, exercise
Gender: Female
Race: Myrian
Age: 25
Flaws: Irascible, aggressive, ruthless, single-minded, vengeful, judgemental
Dislikes: Authority, frivolousness, cold weather, being confined
Birthday: 58, Winter, 489AV.
Birthplace: Taloba
Profession: Potter [Pending]
Current Location: Syliras
Merits: Protective, stubborn, dedicated, inquisitive, integrous, brave
Likes: Animals, children, learning, fighting, exercise
Appearance
Rhu is tall, a little over 6'3 in height, although even if she were smaller her muscle would still make her figure intimidating. Her hair is dark brown and naturally curls in tight ringlets, although currently cropped short, close to her head. Rhu's skin is a warm brown, and is heavily scarred, most noticeably on her palm, as the majority of the others are hidden by her clothes, which tend to be practical and easy to move in. Rhu has no patience for people who favour aesthetics over functionality. Among her scars there is a jagged line of three claws over under her rib cage - the gnosis mark of Myri, which she received after coming of age. Being Myrian, while Rhu possesses no tattoos, she does has several piercings - currently nothing more than tiny holes in her flesh as she has neither the time nor inclination to buy rings. These barely-noticeable marks can be found in a variety of places on her body, including her nose, ears and naval.
Concept
Rhu's primary trait is her protectiveness, which surfaces the moment someone she cares about - or a child; she has enough younger siblings to despise the idea of a child being harmed - is threatened and her complete disregard for her enemies' lives means she will do whatever is necessary to ensure her charge's safety. Like most of her kin she has no qualms about violence; indeed it is the only way she knows - and she's pragmatic enough to kill anyone who gets in her way. Or might get in her way in the future. Despite this, Rhu does not love violence, per se. She might lash out in a fit of rage, or attack someone she judges to be a threat, but violence for the sake of violence is not something she would consider when in a rational mind. Rhu has a strong sense of right and wrong, and sticks to her principles, and is entirely willing (perhaps slightly too much so) to came to blows over it. Her morals are such that she might brutally kill or hurt someone if she deems it necessary one moment, and put her own life in danger to come to the defence of a complete stranger the next.
When Rhu sets her mind on something she has a single-minded ruthless dedication to see it through. While she would happily slit a man's throat to bring her closer to her goal, if she makes someone a promise she considers herself honour bound to keep it. Likewise, she despises anyone who breaks their word, but not as much as she detests those who use word games and double meanings to 'technically' keep it. It is the spirit of a promise, she believes, rather than the exact wording, that matters. Rhu's patience is deep for those she cares about, but her anger runs just as strong when those she actively dislikes annoy her. She gets frustrated easily, and takes her anger out on whatever - mostly inanimate - object is closest at hand. She has a tendency to assume she knows best and hates being told what to do, even when she probably should listen and obey. While Rhu does have a softer side, it is easily eclipsed by her anger and stubbornness, especially when she's already in a bad mood; while she may well regret her actions after the fact, she rarely thinks things through enough to stop herself carrying them out in the first place. Apologies do not come easy to her, but the stilted, awkwardly-phrased attempts are as close as she comes to admitting when she has been wrong. Quite in contrary to her tendency to fight first, ask questions later, Rhu has a deep love of puzzles and mystery. She's curious by nature, and when she sets her teeth into a puzzle or question she has, is incapable of letting it go until it's solved to her satisfaction.
While not exactly arrogant, Rhu is certainly judgemental, and while she doesn't consider herself better than everyone else, she does looks down on those who are small, or weak, or don't know how to fight (and therefore judges herself harshly when she fails to be the best in these areas). For her, physical strength is the most important, and she always makes instant assumptions based on a person's size and muscle mass as to how much of a threat they are. She is also immensely scornful (and quite a bit jealous) of people who dress in a way that isn't practical.
When Rhu sets her mind on something she has a single-minded ruthless dedication to see it through. While she would happily slit a man's throat to bring her closer to her goal, if she makes someone a promise she considers herself honour bound to keep it. Likewise, she despises anyone who breaks their word, but not as much as she detests those who use word games and double meanings to 'technically' keep it. It is the spirit of a promise, she believes, rather than the exact wording, that matters. Rhu's patience is deep for those she cares about, but her anger runs just as strong when those she actively dislikes annoy her. She gets frustrated easily, and takes her anger out on whatever - mostly inanimate - object is closest at hand. She has a tendency to assume she knows best and hates being told what to do, even when she probably should listen and obey. While Rhu does have a softer side, it is easily eclipsed by her anger and stubbornness, especially when she's already in a bad mood; while she may well regret her actions after the fact, she rarely thinks things through enough to stop herself carrying them out in the first place. Apologies do not come easy to her, but the stilted, awkwardly-phrased attempts are as close as she comes to admitting when she has been wrong. Quite in contrary to her tendency to fight first, ask questions later, Rhu has a deep love of puzzles and mystery. She's curious by nature, and when she sets her teeth into a puzzle or question she has, is incapable of letting it go until it's solved to her satisfaction.
While not exactly arrogant, Rhu is certainly judgemental, and while she doesn't consider herself better than everyone else, she does looks down on those who are small, or weak, or don't know how to fight (and therefore judges herself harshly when she fails to be the best in these areas). For her, physical strength is the most important, and she always makes instant assumptions based on a person's size and muscle mass as to how much of a threat they are. She is also immensely scornful (and quite a bit jealous) of people who dress in a way that isn't practical.
History
Rhu grew up in Taloba as part of the Tempered Steel clan. A warrior from the Tempered Steel clan and a craftesman from the Broken Spear were an unlikely match, and one that drew some ire from members of both clans, but when Rhu's mother set her mind on something very little could stop her - and much to the silent approval of the rest of Rhu's clan, her father demonstrated equal, if surprising, persistence. Her father was a craftsman, and his patient gentleness was so different to her mother's passionate fury that Rhu sometimes wondered what exactly she had seen in him. According to the stories she had heard, however, the ritual combat at their marriage had been surprisingly close - according to Rhu's aunt, her father had practised with her for months before the fight, so as not to shame his wife to be.
Rhu was the first of four children, all girls. The family got on well for one so large, and Rhu's protective nature meant that the moment one of her younger siblings got into a fight, they had a tall, furious girl by their side. Fights were common, too. Between Rhu and the younger middle child's temper, the youngest's physical weakness making her an easier target, and having a father from a rival clan, it was a rare season when the four didn't return home sporting bruises and blood (not all theirs) from outside their lessons.
In her late adolescence, Rhu, while on a hunting trip with one of her sisters, was ambushed by slavers. The two fought ferociously, killing three of their attackers and injuring another three before being brought down. When Rhu woke a few days later, she was collared and shackled. Her sister were nowhere to be seen.
There were several other slaves too, but they all spoke enough of a variety of languages that real communication, for Rhu at least, was impossible. The only one she got on with was the one that had an equal difficulty with speaking. It took several days before she realized that the bear cub curled miserably in the corner of the room was a person, and while she didn't understand how it worked, when the child shifted into her human form and crawled, naked and shivering, into Rhu's lap, she hugged the little girl back and swore under her breath she would rip out the throat of the first slaver who tried to hurt her.
And she did. After that, Rhu was chained constantly, her wrists bleeding under too-tight manacles, but the girl - Rhu called her Hala as the girl never spoke to give a name - stayed by her side and the thick fur of her coat kept Rhu warm on the coldest nights.
Eventually they arrived in Ravok, and the slaves were sold off one by one. Rhu kept Hala close during the auction, and the idea of a Myrian woman and her pet bear amused a customer enough that he bought the pair for the gladiator pits, the idea being that the two would die quickly, but that a pair so exotic would attract a good audience nonetheless. It turned out that the man was wrong about their chances of survival, but right about the entertainment factor; watching a bear cower and snarl behind a ferocious, surprisingly tall adolescent brought in the crowds. After months of this, Hala was sold again, to a quiet bespectacled man (a man whose face seared its way into Rhu's memory the moment their eyes met) who spoke of experiments and paid an ludicrous fee for the young kelvic.
Rhu promised Hala that she would find and rescue her, and after escaping nearly five months later, she has not forgotten her promise. She found a group heading to Syliras under armed protection, and joined them.
Rhu was the first of four children, all girls. The family got on well for one so large, and Rhu's protective nature meant that the moment one of her younger siblings got into a fight, they had a tall, furious girl by their side. Fights were common, too. Between Rhu and the younger middle child's temper, the youngest's physical weakness making her an easier target, and having a father from a rival clan, it was a rare season when the four didn't return home sporting bruises and blood (not all theirs) from outside their lessons.
In her late adolescence, Rhu, while on a hunting trip with one of her sisters, was ambushed by slavers. The two fought ferociously, killing three of their attackers and injuring another three before being brought down. When Rhu woke a few days later, she was collared and shackled. Her sister were nowhere to be seen.
There were several other slaves too, but they all spoke enough of a variety of languages that real communication, for Rhu at least, was impossible. The only one she got on with was the one that had an equal difficulty with speaking. It took several days before she realized that the bear cub curled miserably in the corner of the room was a person, and while she didn't understand how it worked, when the child shifted into her human form and crawled, naked and shivering, into Rhu's lap, she hugged the little girl back and swore under her breath she would rip out the throat of the first slaver who tried to hurt her.
And she did. After that, Rhu was chained constantly, her wrists bleeding under too-tight manacles, but the girl - Rhu called her Hala as the girl never spoke to give a name - stayed by her side and the thick fur of her coat kept Rhu warm on the coldest nights.
Eventually they arrived in Ravok, and the slaves were sold off one by one. Rhu kept Hala close during the auction, and the idea of a Myrian woman and her pet bear amused a customer enough that he bought the pair for the gladiator pits, the idea being that the two would die quickly, but that a pair so exotic would attract a good audience nonetheless. It turned out that the man was wrong about their chances of survival, but right about the entertainment factor; watching a bear cower and snarl behind a ferocious, surprisingly tall adolescent brought in the crowds. After months of this, Hala was sold again, to a quiet bespectacled man (a man whose face seared its way into Rhu's memory the moment their eyes met) who spoke of experiments and paid an ludicrous fee for the young kelvic.
Rhu promised Hala that she would find and rescue her, and after escaping nearly five months later, she has not forgotten her promise. She found a group heading to Syliras under armed protection, and joined them.
