Post by elvishbanana on Jun 27, 2011 19:48:37 GMT -5
Name: Arasinya Ranastaldo, (Ah-rah-seen-yah Rahn-ah-stall-doh) nickname Reena
Age: 117, birthday is April 23rd
Race: Elf
Occupation: Weaver, seamstress, healer
Allegiance: Ilirea and the Order of Riders (Note- she is NOT interested in becoming a Rider- she just came to offer her services as a healer and weaver).
Physical Description: Reena has a young, plain face that is somehow all the more beautiful for it’s simplicity. She looks young for an elf, though she is fully grown, and could pass for an unusually pretty human girl if she wanted to. Her hair is straight, wheat-colored in the winter and a shade closer to sand in the summer. It is very wispy and usually falls around her face, giving her a windswept, airy look. Reena’s eyes are an eerie shade of icy blue, closer to white than blue. They give her face a mysterious, ghostly cast, but they are strangely appealing. Reena’s mouth is plump and pale, her nose straight, and her chin coming to a somewhat determined point. Her cheekbones are barely pronounced, but her face is nonetheless pretty. Reena’s build is slim and rather bony, and she weighs in at about 106 lbs. She is 5'1" tall, but has just as much grace as someone with an extra foot added on. Her fingers are long and slim, her feet are small, and her elbows are bony. She has knobby knees, a small chest, and her right shoulder is covered in a strange spiral birthmark.
Reena’s speaking voice is calm and soothing, which comes in handy when she heals. Her singing voice, however, is much more potent. Reena rarely sings for an audience, but likes to hum while she weaves. Her voice is similar to a bird’s, soft and lilting. Reena also has a very slight Irish accent that she picked up from Bear.
As a healer and craftswoman, Reena rarely fights, but had the importance of being able to defend herself drilled into her by her foster father, Bear. Reena has no patience for bows or swords, but does own a belt-knife and a dagger. If she has to fight, Reena uses a five-foot-tall whitewood quarterstaff, made from living wood. It is infused with magic that renders it nearly unbreakable, and inlaid with vine carvings.
Reena, as a skilled weaver and seamstress, always has pretty or practical clothes. Her everyday outfit is an off-white shirt and a slate-blue vest, with a long skirt the same color. Her shoes are well-worn leather boots, and Reena owns a heavy dark-blue-gray cloak with a large hood. For special occasions, Reena wears a very light blue dress roughly the same shade as her eyes with long sleeves, a wide neckline that leaves both shoulders bare, and reaches down to her feet. Over this she wears a sheer white shawl that is slightly iridescent. Jewelry-wise, Reena owns a few trinkets. She does not have pierced ears, but has a love of necklaces and bracelets. Bear’s hundredth-birthday gift to Reena was a slim bracelet, netted with a hundred beads that glow in darkness. Reena wears any number of necklaces, but the one thing constantly around her neck is an amulet, the function of which neither she nor Bear knew. The amulet is a black circle, too dense to be wood but not heavy enough to be stone or metal. A spiral matching the one on her shoulder is inside the circle. Reena hangs this on a long white leather cord and keeps it tucked under her shirt.
Personality: A quiet girl, Reena prefers to watch than take part in events. She dislikes being the center of attention almost as much as she dislikes crowds. This shy, modest girl has a fondness for wild animals, particularly deer and songbirds, but both dislikes and is allergic to dogs and cats. She is terrified of horses. Reena rarely opens up fully to anyone but Bear, and trusts with difficulty. She responds well to lighthearted, easy people, especially jokers. Reena loves her loom and her fabrics, as well as loving the forest. She takes long walks often, and knows how to look after herself in the wild, as well as having an extensive knowledge of plants. Reena is driven both by a desire to find her birth parents and Bear and a wish to avenge herself on her kidnappers- the ones that mistreated her. All in all, Reena is much more comfortable with animals and plants than people. She dislikes fighting or conflict, and though she will not say much to a person’s face, she makes up her mind early. Politics make sense to Reena, though she tries to stay out of them as much as she can. Reena can read people moderately well, but her real skill is in analyzing actions and events for political motives. When it comes to romance, Reena is very inexperienced. She doesn’t know much about what goes on between women and men, and she doesn’t understand the concept of love, either. Although she doesn’t know much, for the right person Reena might be willing to learn. But her first instinct when faced with flirting or innuendo is to run away or hide. Reena enjoys spicy food, rain, weaving, singing, and exploring the woods. She is levelheaded in crisis situations, having an especially calm personality during healing. (She doesn’t mind healing others, but can’t stand the sight of her own blood). She dislikes meat, dogs, fighting, pushy customers, dirty humans, and being the center of attention. She fears her own blood, horses, and the death of Bear. She has no idea what to make of children or dwarves. She also has a strange connection to bears, though she has seen few. Reena's mistrustful nature and discomfort around people give her an air of haughtiness and pride, which is aided and abetted by her fiery temper. Reena gets angry very easily, though she doesn't say anything- her eyes are the giveaway.
History: Arasinya Ranastaldo was born in Ellesmera to overjoyed parents she never knew. When she was very small, only a few months old, she was taken from her parents by political enemies, who fled the elven city with the child. She was ill-treated among them, and was at death’s door when one of the group took pity on her and stole her again. His name was Beriothien. The elf grew to love Arasinya, and renamed her Reena, for her serene, calm nature. Reena and Beriothien lived in a small house by the sea, which Beriothien had “carved” from a tree with his magic. Reena grew to love him as a father, and dubbed him Bear. Reena’s talent for cloth was something Bear saw from the moment he put a needle and thread into her hands, and although he could teach her little about the craft, Reena grew in talent and skill rapidly. Bear taught Reena by himself, showing her everything he had learned while he was a student. Reena’s magical talent wasn’t as great as her skills with cloth, but she showed some promise as a healer. She uses herbs and roots in both dyeing fabric and healing. For Reena’s hundredth birthday, Bear took her to Ellesmera, not caring that he would be caught and imprisoned or executed for kidnapping her in the first place. Reena, who had never known that Bear wasn’t really her father, was heartbroken and confused when soldiers took him away. She never knew what happened to him, but stayed in Ellesmera so she could be near where he was. Reena was told the story of her birth by one of the soldiers who had taken Bear prisoner, and though she didn’t stop loving Bear, she wished she could have known her real parents. For seventeen years, Reena lived on the very outskirts of Ellesmera, rarely venturing out to talk to anyone, and selling her fabric and creations when disguised. When a customer finally followed her home and exposed her talent to the rest of the elven city, Reena moved into the city’s heart with other craftsmen and women. She didn't like it much, and traveled with a caravan to Ilirea, where she hoped to offer her services as a healer, in return for information about her parents and/or kidnappers. Reena kept her ears peeled for news of Beriothien, but little has reached her thus far. (He is still alive, though a prisoner)
Roleplaying Sample: This sample takes place shortly after Reena and Bear’s arrival to Ellesmera. They are still living on the beach.
Reena’s fingers flew across her loom, colors and patterns almost magically appearing under her hands. As she worked, Reena sang, mimicking the calls of the songbirds who lived in their tree. No words passed her lips, but a single long syllable, with a melody as shifting as the clouds. The morning sun lit her workspace, bringing color to the many carefully folded piles of cloth and neat bundles of yarn and thread. The smell of the sea wafted in through the window on a gentle breeze, and Reena’s light eyes shone. As she neared the end of her thread, Reena finished her song and stopped working for a moment, taking a drink from the goblet of juice next to the cushion she sat on. She sifted through a basket of threads, searching for the color she was using. A cough from the doorway jolted her out of her trance. Reena put the goblet down and turned, smiling at the man in the doorway. He was large and brown and fearsome-looking, but Reena knew the truth. She got up and bounded across the room, giving the man a hug. He chuckled. “Hello, Reena.”
“Hello, Bear,” she said, looking up at him. She let him go, crossing the room again to pour him a glass of juice. The large man sat at their table, unbuckling his sword belt and placing it next to him. Reena put a full plate by his side and sat opposite him. Bear drank deeply. Then he put the glass down and wiped his mouth. He nodded to her loom. “I like it. Do you need more purple?”
She shrugged. ”I know where I can find more. I should go looking for more orange, too. And black.”
Bear nodded. He reached across the table and touched her hand. ”Reena, things are not good. They say the Riders are seeking to expand their territory- Du Weldenvarden is not pleased. Ellesméra is becoming more and more of a dangerous place. We may have to postpone the trip.”
Reena’s heart sank, though she didn’t show it. She had been looking forward to the trip to the elven city for months. ”That’s fine- we should wait until things quiet down.”
Bear shook his head. “I’m more worried about trouble on the road. And even if we went to Ellesméra anyway, well, there is trouble in the city I would prefer not to run into.”
“What trouble?” asked Reena. Bear didn’t answer. ”Bear, what trouble?” she asked again.
“Reena, before you were born, I… things were different. Let’s not talk about it now, all right? How about a walk? And then I’ll tell you a story.”
There was only one story she wanted to hear at the moment, and it involved Bear. But she let it pass. Bear was stubborn. So she nodded. Bear smiled. “Did I tell you, the boys from the village inland have been asking about you?” he said as she got up and went back to looking for a spool of violet thread. ”No,” she answered. ”Why should they? I don’t even know them.”
“No,” said Bear lightly, “but they wish to remedy that, I think.”
Reena shook her head. ”I do not understand. They follow me around every time we go to market, showing off and trying to look brave. Why should I care?”
Bear laughed. “Oh, little doe, I will enjoy seeing the boys in Ellesméra follow you around.”
Reena sighed. ”You don’t make any sense, Bear.”
“I know,” he said, smiling at her, “but one day it will make sense to you- and I shall laugh to see your expression when it does.”
Reena held up a spool. ”Is this the same color, do you think?”
Bear laughed again. “You already have your mind made up, little doe. No matter what I say, you will go with what you think.”
Reena blushed. ”You know I always value your opinion, Bear.”
“But rarely do you follow it!” he said, beaming. “Come. Let’s take a walk. I feel like wading today.”
Bear got up and belted his sword on again, as always. And as always, Reena followed him.
