Born to a fiery ship captain and a brave wayfarer, Qajira has been a child of the seas for as long as she can remember. The majority of her life was spent sailing from port to port aboard her mother's ship, the Alvachir. Her exposure to peoples of various races and beliefs is quite wide despite her age. However, she still bears a firm attachment to her own culture.
As she continued to learn and grow, Qajira found that she had an affinity for her tribe's talent of using their own scales in their crafting. She also enjoys studying the intricacies of aether and its numerous applications. Qajira's greatest talent is that she's a self-taught cooking aficionado... a mantle she took on to make up for her mother's lack of culinary skill!
Early Childhood (1564-1569 AE)
After many tries, Captain Qarasarnai Orben of the Alvachir (Crimson Thunderbolt) finally gave birth on a warm and sunny afternoon in 1564. Her husband, Urgamal Mierqid, proclaimed that he could see the very same fire burning brightly in his newborn daughter’s eyes that burned in her mother’s. They chose the name Qajira, which means “to burn”, containing the word for “seek” and “love”.
While passing through a familiar port town to restock, Qarasarnai and Urgamal meet an Orben family whose baby daughter is sick with fever. The couple offer up the best medicine they have on hand to their fellow tribesmen -- an herbal blend received from the Hoshikawa family, who are made up of well-known traveling Raen merchants. The girl recovers, though her vocal cords are damaged in the process. Thankful for the generosity, the family accepts Qarasarnai’s offer to join her crew. Qajira ends up becoming fast friends with their daughter, Cota.
Prior to Qajira’s fifth nameday, her mother’s ship was accosted by pirates one night. Not wanting to take chances by engaging in battle with unfavorable weather conditions, Qarasarnai chose to flee. Unfortunately, the Alvachir found itself caught against a pile of rocks close to shore. Urgamal and a handful of crew members managed to clear a path for the ship. Buying his wife time, he ordered everyone back onto the ship before heading off on his own in a small sailboat to draw attention away from his family and crew. After gaining considerable distance… an explosion was seen and heard. Deep down, even before that moment, Qajira knew she’d probably never see her father again.
A Rivalry Like No Other (1569 AE - 1 UE)
Qarasarnai made no time for sorrow, as far as anyone knew. Instead, she grew very irritable and curt, though she remained loving towards her daughter and her friends. Towards the end of the year, however, she found something new to take her anger out on -- the Highlander captain of the Dancing Breeze. What began as a misunderstanding over resources eventually turned into a full-fledged battle... that Qarasarnai proudly won. She spared the lives of Captain Azaria and her crew on the condition that they would serve her for two years.
Despite worries, Azaria’s crew was rather pleasant. There was even a kind Midlander boy from her ship named Xavier who Qajira grew extremely fond of, despite Cota’s initial apprehension. Surprisingly (or perhaps not-so-surprisingly by that point), when it was time for Azaria and her crew to part ways from the Alvachir, they opted to stay... primarily due to Qarasarnai having apparently fallen in love with her former rival. Azaria returned these feelings in kind. In the years to come, Qajira happily began to regard the woman as her second mother.
Cota's Departure (2-4 UE)
Qajira was ten years old when Cota left for Eorzea with her parents. While she was terribly upset over the prospect of being separated from her childhood friend, her mothers did their best to explain that Eorzea would present everyone with new opportunities, as well as provide an exciting new land to explore. Much to everyone’s dismay, no contact was ever received from them after that. When Qajira turned twelve, Qarasarnai presumed that Cota and her family had either perished in Eorzea or on the way there. Qajira refused to accept this and vowed to confirm the news for herself in the future.
Ruin At Sea (6-7 UE)
Shortly after Qajira turned fourteen, the Garlean Empire made an example out of Doman rebel forces by destroying their city. Qarasarnai surmised that it’d only be a matter of time before the Garleans swept in and locked down all of Othard, so everyone aboard the Alvachir spent the next year gathering supplies and money before attempting the lengthy journey to Eorzea.
Disaster struck once they set out, sadly. The Alvachir encountered an unbelievable storm unlike anything Qarasarnai had ever seen before. They were quickly overwhelmed as various ship sections were torn apart by the violent waves, sinking the vessel. In a desperate struggle to save the girl he loved, Xavier freed Qajira from the wreckage and secured a lifeboat for her. However, Qajira claims the boy drowned before he could make the swim to reach her.
Moving Forward (7-9 UE)
Her first year in Eorzea was spent mostly alone. Qajira had gone from having just about everything to absolutely nothing, and for a while, this depressed her. She managed to feed herself in the beginning by working various odd jobs or selling materials she’d come across, but she was homeless for months.
Finally, after tireless searching, Qajira came across Rosalyn Blackfeather -- a mysterious trapper and explorer hailing from Ala Mhigo. The woman offered her a job after being exposed to her cooking, recognizing the girl’s talent. Ever since, Qajira’s life and mood have improved. She now has a roof over her head (also provided by Miss Blackfeather), money in her pocket, and plenty of free time to pursue her personal interests -- exploring, studying various forms of aether, and learning all sorts of new recipes and culinary techniques!
Beneath something of an intimidating exterior lies a quiet and reflective soul, whose inherent gentleness is betrayed by a fiery temperament. Shaziya takes responsibility to the extreme, placing duty to her people and upholding tradition above all else. This combination of traits often leads to Shaziya shouldering most of the blame unto herself whenever a scenario takes a turn for the worst. Not one for cramped spaces or dense cities, her heart is truly at peace whilst roaming free out in the wilds. What she fails to express in words and actions is easily communicated through story, dance, and illustration.
Likes
Hunting.
Storytelling.
Beast Tribes.
Terrible Jokes.
Nature, animals, and sunlight.
Dislikes
Frogs.
Garleans.
Wastefulness.
Large, noisy cities.
Disrespect of nature, culture, and/or the dead.
Fears
Disappointing loved ones.
Helplessness.
Inadequacy.
Trivia
Favorite Foods: Curried goat, coconut milk, black beans.
Favorite Drinks: Iced coffee/tea and hot cocoa.
Favorite Colors: Red, Green, Black, Gold
Shaziya sports dusky skin, dirty blonde hair, and pale eyes -- all of which are typical features of the founding Xaela of her tribe. She has moderately sized "pincer" horns and a very thick, elongated tail. She often wears her hair braided and/or tied back in some manner out of personal preference.
Clothing:
The majority of Shaziya's wardrobe leans towards lightweight and comfortable, but this doesn't mean she shies away from making a fashion statement. Many of her outfits follow a tribal Othardian or Thavnairian aesthetic, making use of her tribe's masterful goldsmithing for adornments.
Scars/Markings/Tattoos:
All members of the Argali tribe share a mark that denotes their affiliation. Shaziya's mark resides within one of the arcane rune tattoos located on her arms, of which there are four in total. These extend from her shoulders down to just above her wrists. It is unknown if they are merely decorative or serve a functional purpose. There is also an extensive scrawl laid out across her back that depicts either a scene or figure from an Argali legend.
Here are some easy reasons your character could approach and/or contact mine. (These are just examples, not limitations!)
■ Fellow Othardian/Xaela/Au Ra.
■ They follow a tribal and/or nomadic lifestyle.
■ They possess significant tattoos and/or scarring.
■ They hunt treasure or recover artifacts for a living.
■ They are a bard, storyteller, or some other type of artist.
■ They engage in one of the following: botany, goldsmithing, fur trading, leatherworking.
The songs used set a mood. Lyrics may or may not reflect the views of my character. The following links will take you to Youtube.
