•∙∘☽༓☾∘∙• "Born of steel and born of silk, and the contradictions of the two." Character Information Full Name: Nishtara Rionna Nickname: 'Rion' Race: Devata Slizzar Age: 133 Birthday: June 24, 177 Gender: Genderless, usually feminine-presenting or androgynous Pronouns: She/They Eye Color: Purple Core Concept Nishtara is a traveling Devata beginning a new chapter in her life as she begins to explore all the peoples and cultures of the world in a way that only a Slizzar can, but also trying to balance it with her old culture and the identity of her mother's people. She is above all a curious soul, seeking to make new friends and discover new things, but sometimes lacks compassion for the small and short-lived people of the world, especially those that react with fear and hostility to what they don't understand. Having been in contact with many religions and heard of many powerful beings, Nishtara is inclined to accept most religions as being equally valid for their people, even if her own interest in them is more intellectual than spiritual. Although she doesn't really hold to any religion herself, she does have a strong cultural attachment to the Ailor pagan faiths she was raised around, especially her mother's Caeren faith, and harbors a simmering resentment of Unionist encroachment. She has learned to keep this largely in check in order to live in harmony with others, but it has been known to come through even when it wouldn't make sense for her current shift. •∙∘☽༓☾∘∙• "Go and live the stories of the men and of the mice And I would not bind your feet for it is they that count the time For your eyes to find the poetry and your hands to paint the lines." Proficiencies Strength: 2 [x] Unarmed Improvised Weapon Constitution: 2 Resilience [x] Earthenware Craft [x] Wisdom: 4 Dimenthist Wisdom [x] Common Alchemy [x] Dexterity: 0 Magic: 2 [x] Nature Magic Cosmic Magic Charisma: 4 [x] North Linguistics Ancient Speech Abilities Devata Slizzar [x] Slizzar Immune, Altered Power, Slizzar Aging, Devata Shapeshifting, Social Progress, Mind Surging, Devata Bonding, Devata Song Ritualism - Generic Kit [x] Ritualistic Manifestation Ritualistic Scripture Ritualistic Crafting Languages Common (Free) Zoram (Learned through Slizzar visions) North Linguist Pack (Linguistics) [x] Ancient Speech Pack (Linguistics) [x] •∙∘☽༓☾∘∙• "They knew they’d fight together, though, they knew not who they’d fight." Appearance Information Everyday - Although her appearance can change according to her whim, Nishtara tends to keep a fairly consistent everyday form for ease of interaction with others. This shift takes the form of a flat-chested but curvy Ailor woman with long, wavy coral-red hair held beneath a gold and emerald circlet and light copper skin - slightly unusual coloration that matches the color of her natural scales - and bejeweled Nelfin ears. About half of her body is covered in dark olive-black scales, circling around her face, neck, and limbs, which shimmer with a dull sheen. A multitude of yellow-green spots are speckled across her scales and often take the form of twinkling stars using Cosmic magic. Natural - In their natural form, Nishtara appears as a large olive-black Slizzar with patches of copper, brown, and red splashed across their stomach in rough diamonds. Each black scale has a yellow-green spot in the center, which become twinkling stars when their Cosmic magic is active. Their eyes are a solid bright purple with a slitted pupil and they have a mane of copper and coral-colored tendrils on their head, each about the thickness of a finger and gently moving independently. Shifts - While Nishtara has multiple shapes she takes when exploring other cultures, there are a few that she seems to favor, including a Caeren woman with auburn hair, an Erondias male with dark green skin and black hair, and an antlered Maquixtl with dusty brown hair. Life Story Childhood - Rionna was born beneath a full moon in the summer of 177 to a Clannadh-Alban woman called Mairead Declan, just moments before her younger twin Geala. There were some whispers surrounding their birth, as they arrived just a bit too soon after their father's brief visit between trading trips and that handsome stranger had been spending a lot of time around Mairead several months back, but both girls were happy, healthy, and the spitting image of their mother, so the rumors eventually began to settle. Adolescence - Rionna and Geala had a pretty normal childhood and adolescence, working in the fields with their mother and learning all about their history, religion, and culture from the village elders, who promised safety and security in tradition even as unrest stirred in lands beyond their village. True to her name, Rionna took a particular shine to the spirits of sky, even spending a short time learning rituals from the Lair-Inniel. This continued until the girls approached their eighteenth birthday, being troubled by strange dreams of snake-like people, and they agreed to travel together out to the moors, where they could meditate beneath the sky and stars in search of answers and guidance. Upon waking the next morning to find Rionna transformed into a large black and copper Slizzar and Geala's eyes shining bright purple, they came to understand what it was their dreams were trying to tell them and, after another couple days of comparing notes and learning to use their abilities, they returned to their village with a secret shared only by the other. Young Adulthood - The sisters remained inseparable even into adulthood, sticking close to one another and using their abilities to protect each other from suspicion, but this became increasingly difficult as Geala reached the limit of her age control, appearing no more than thirty even as they approached forty. This brought about some mutterings among the superstitious villagers, saying that too much favor brought ill-luck, along with renewed whispers of the strange circumstances surrounding their birth. When their village was pillaged and burned during the Caeren Clearances, this fear burst into anger as the women were declared harbingers of destruction and driven away from the survivors, forcing them again to rely primarily on each other as they traveled alone. Adulthood - They eventually found a group of surviving Creidamh Spiorad and Cellik Old Gods faithful traveling to Northern lands to escape the destruction and Unionist encroachment and settled in with them, taking the opportunity to 'reset' their identities and buy themselves some more time, though still traveling from place to place as necessary to protect themselves. During this time, they continuously kept an eye out for others like them, still not fully understanding their abilities or identities as Slizzar, though it would take a few decades of searching the cold north to find one. Delighted to no longer be alone, Rionna and Geala threw themselves into their training with their mentor, taking the Zoram names Nishtara and Chandra, and began to branch out in their exploration of themselves and the world until Chandra reached the end of her lifespan. Regalia - Nishtara mourned the loss of her sister and constant companion for a while, but eventually decided to continue her exploration in her honor, learning cosmic magic that would allow her to project the stories of her adventures into the stars for Chandra to share with her. She traveled far and wide for the next few decades, sometimes alone and sometimes with other Slizzar, until she received word that her old tutor was residing in Regalia, a city of many cultures and strange happenings. Intrigued, she began to make her way toward the city in search of more stories to share with the stars.
•∙∘☽༓☾∘∙• "Well, Adventure, she’s a strange bird -- she’s brazen and she’s shy She’ll swoop down unsuspecting, but she’ll fly off if you try To catch her for her feathers, she’ll just show herself in scales But close your eyes, she’ll brush your cheek with wings of fairy tales"
