M'hatya Petih

M’hatya Petih
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Gender	Female
Race	Miqo’te
Clan	Seeker
Citizenship	Ul’dah
Tribe	Marmot
Age	23
Occupation	Investigator/Guard/Occasional Criminal with a Heart of Gold
Server	Balmung

Character

Appearance

Fit and trim but slightly shorter than the average Miqo’te, M’hatya bears the firm but lithe muscles of combat and travel. Her body is well tanned from years of sun exposure. Scars crisscross her arms and legs. Short, deep red hair covers her head, extending along her long, cat-like ears. Her hands are calloused from spear practice. Bright blue eyes shine whenever she feels a challenge.

Behavior

M'hatya has the quiet poise of a hunter and the curiosity of an explorer. The far corners of bars and their relative isolation are good company to her, as are the knowledge contained in books or various sorts. When engaged in conversation, she can seem awkward but polite. Time has improved her manners; the habits of the other races, it seems, have rubbed off on her. She endeavors to be tactful and understanding, but she can be petulant if she feels she's treated unfairly.

Combat

General

M’hatya’s style is a visual lesson in speed and precision. Ideally, she’ll lie in wait for her prey, attempting an ambush where she can remove the target from this mortal coil with a well-placed strike of her spear. Since combat is rarely ideal, she’s also practiced in a highly aggressive form of lance-play, catering little to defense and relying on intimidation and agility to throw her opponent off balance for her true strike: a blindingly quick thrust toward an opening, stabbing vitals past any defense they can muster.

More recently, M'hatya has taken to training with numerous other weapons, including the sword, axe, bow, and daggers. Only the last has she taken any real shine to due to their utility and her most recent ordeals. Her natural predilections toward silence caused her to gravitate naturally toward the skills dagger-play promised. Thus, she's never seen without a pair on her waist to compliment her spear.

Despite her natural talents, M'hatya will always give preference to helping or protecting a comrade. If she sees someone hurt, she'll go out of her way make sure they have time to recover, or even cast a healing or protection spell herself.

Tendencies

Likes

• Practicing her spear forms and stances
• Self-sufficiency
• Swimming
• Reading
• Gridanian styles
• Working toward a common goal with with like-minded people
• Dancing

Dislikes

• Alcohol or anything else that causes her to lose her wits (drugs, otherworldly influence, a lover, etc)
• Speaking of her tribe
• Needless confrontation
• Unfair treatment of others
• Those Miqo'te dancers in Ul'dah

Hobbies/Talents

• Reading
• Writing (though few would have seen her do so)
• People watching
• Hunting

Relationships

Family

• M’petih Tia – estranged father: M’Petih Nunh commanded the Marmot tribe Hatya was born into. He was challenged for leadership by M’Rokin and nearly killed, despite the former’s honorable surrender. Controversy surrounded the event, but no one came forward with any evidence and the matter was dropped. Even after his brutal beating, he was among the tribe’s—and thus M’Rokin’s—most loyal servants, even when the trouble between his daughter and the new Nunh began.

Friends

• Shiloh Caraway

Old Friends, Long Since Unseen

• Y’akari Tia: a foul-mouthed Jaguar tribesman who for some reason took a liking to M'hatya. He and Kiera took her in when they realized she was staying at an inn in Ul'dah between escort jobs. The two Miqo'te would trade barbs on occasion, but any who see it witness their genial attitude toward each other... until one day. M'hatya shakes her head and refuses to speak of that day. Ever. Supposedly, Y'akari left to go elsewhere with another.
• Kiera West: M'hatya's landlord and roommate, Kiera offered her a room after only being around her a couple times. She seems quiet to M'hatya, but even with as little as they see each other, she sees Kiera as something akin to a tribeswoman or sister.
• H'allabi Bamu: A Seeker she'd felt she'd barely known during their time together. Before she was sent away, M'hatya had helped her in a way that caused her to be sent away. Since M'hatya's return, she's missed H'allabi for her welcoming attitude toward her.

Enemies

• M’Rokin Nunh – tribal leader: the head of M’hatya’s tribe when she left. After a series of circumstances M’hatya usually refuses to talk about, he exiled her on threat of death.

Rumors

Common Rumors

• “That girl, she’s quiet. Don’t say much, and always looks like she’s hearing more than she’s letting on.” – patron of the Quicksand
• “She’s an adequate guard, I suppose. Brutal in a fight, but just so quiet. I’m not sure she’d be great on watch; she may not let us know what’s going on.” – a merchant just outside Ul’dah
• “She came to my aid once. I was near dead when she fought off this pieste, snarling the entire time. After the thing was run through, she knelt down and bound my wounds, even casting some sort of healing spell. It didn’t do much, but stopped the bleeding and let me hobble along for a while.” – another sellsword in Ul’dah

Moderate Rumors

• “She moved in with a couple of pit fighter’s recently. Seems a bit odd; she’s always so standoffish.” – regular at the Quicksand
• “She used to hire out of the guild here in Gridania. Even had some pull with a few of those Twin Adder officers, I hear.” – adventurer in Gridania
• "Girl moves around a lot. I've seen her move into the Adventurer's Guild, only to leave a week later." – Ul'dahn adventurer.

Rare Rumors

((None yet. Still a work in progress.))

PC Rumors

((None yet. Feel free to help me fill this section.))

History/Timeline

M’hatya spent her formative years among the rocky outcroppings of eastern Thanalan with the Marmot tribe. Like most of her tribe, she was pressed to learn the arts of hunting and war and was found to be a fierce combatant, even as young as she was. She was found wanting with the bow, cudgel, and most magicks (something her tribe took more seriously than most). When her turn came to attempt the spear, she found drawn to its weight and comforting and its potential enlivening. She decided from a young age to dedicate her time as a warrior to the spear.

The young Miqo’te girl practiced constantly, learning the forms and stances, understanding what it was to wield a spear. A weapon with more than one purpose in M’hatya’s view, she ached to master it, a dream yet to be realized. Her hunts were her classrooms where the tip of her spear carved her desire in the flesh of animals meant for food of her tribe. She was single-minded in her pursuit until an accident forced her to realize there was more to life than a tool for death. A tribesman was injured, a Tia who had brought her out to hunt, and the wounds were grievous. The young huntress, still quite young, tried to carry him back home, but she was too small, he too heavy. He died that day, and though her tribe found her faultless in the tragedy, the young girl could never forgive herself. Her father, still the Nunh of the tribe, took her into his home that night and sat her down. “Hatya,” he said, “you know it is not your fault, but still you blame yourself. You wished to help him, but you could not. From tonight on, we will prevent this from happening and none who fall under your care will die if they can be saved.” He personally began teaching her the rudiments of healing, and M’hatya made the transition from one of her tribe’s huntresses to one of their warriors and guardians.

Years later, M'hatya's training continued. She struggled with healing and protection spells up until the day she left her tribe, but her expertise with her spear continued to flourish. Her father had been challenged and he stepped down after a particularly brutal duel, even if he had to be carried from the battleground. The new Nunh, a Seeker M'hatya had little respect for, ascended and began making decisions she found questionable. The final straw came when one of his decisions caused the death of several of their already population-starved tribe. She publicly questioned the Nunh's leadership abilities, but due to her gender, was denied the right to challenge. She left that night after telling her father of her decision, to which he responded “would be for the best.”

Wanting nothing to do with Thanalan, she left for Gridania and lent her services to help with their defense after the Calamity. None back then could pry her story from her lips, and few even tried; the terrible events that transpired left little desire to talk of the past. She left after a five years and returned to Thanalan to settle in Ul'dah, where she was almost immediately taken in by a pair of locals, much to her surprise.

...Or at least, that's what she tells those who weasel the story from her lips.

Recent History

M'hatya was sent away for six months by an unknown master and has since returned to Ul'dah, her hair longer and a weary look in her eyes. Bearing both a spear on her back and daggers at her waist, she walked into Ul'dah through the Gate of Nald and walked right into the Quicksand, where she ordered a bottle of wine. Her gaze was one of caution, as if unsure if trusting whoever she was speaking to was wise. She has since visited the bar on occasion to watch the people as they mill about, flirt, rush around, and otherwise make merry, but she remains her characteristically silent self.