Shinorah nightsbane

Lady Shinorah Magarethe Nightsbane
Gender	Female
Race	Hyur
Clan	Highlander
Citizenship	Gyr Abania
Age	30
Place of Birth	Ala Mhigo, Gyr Abania
Marital Status	Single
Occupation	Adventurer and Elemental magician. Also crafts and sells illustrations and maps.
Height/Weight	5 fulms, 11.5 ilms / 162 ponz
Orientation	Straight

"Of course I'm a threat. Why? Did you think for a moment I wasn't?"
- Emma Frost, Astonishing X-Men

I will not fail this time.
- Lulu, Final Fantasy X, At the Calm Lands and Cavern of the Stolen Fayth.

Family / Notable Relationships:

• - Father, Andreas Nightsbane (very limited contact)
• - Mother, Karinn Nightsbane (very limited contact)
• - Older brother, Jossen Nightsbane
• - Younger brother, Jeffron Nightsbane (no contact)
• - Younger sister, Mihane Nightsbane (deceased)
• - Iris Delaroche, close friend
• - Yumi Akimori, friend

Religion/Philosophy: Norah abandoned any faith in deities when Ala Mhigo collapsed to the empire and then her sister passed away. She'd previously followed the deity Nymeia, the Spinner, though paid lip service to Rhalgr as well. Faith had never been a strong suit for Norah, even living in Ala Mhigo - she is a logical and rational-minded individual, always seeking for explanations and facts rather than things she cannot observe and must accept on faith alone. However, in her anger at losing first her homeland (and by proxy, most of her family) and then being unable to save the one family member who accompanied her, she turned her back on any and all deities, choosing instead to believe only in science and the rational world. When she speaks, she'll usually refer to the Fates, rather than deities - basically what she conceives of as as random luck in the universe's pattern.

• Height: Just under six feet
• Build: Strong but slender, with reasonably defined muscles for a mage.
• Hair: Black, with midnight blue highlights. Most of the time, she pulls it back into a very neat ponytail that hangs halfway down her back.
• Eyes: Blue-green, and arguably her best and most striking feature
• Skin: Medium and usually fairly well tanned from her years on the road and the time she spends adventuring and researching terrain.
• Clothing: Varied. She tends to dress fairly modestly and without too much flash when she can - a long, simple skirt and blouse when in the city, or traveler's pants and leather boots. She's fairly shy about exposing too much skin, and favors neutral colors - whites and ivories, blacks, greys, and sometimes darker blues and purples.

Appearance & Personality

Appearance: - Shinorah is a pretty woman, though not especially beautiful - she has high cheekbones and striking eyes, but her jawline is too square and her nose a little bit too large to be a true beauty. She has long, dark brown hair, almost black except in very bright sunlight, which is typically dyed with brighter marine blue highlights and pulled back from her face in a neat ponytail. Her skin is fairly tanned and there are slight lines around her eyes, hinting at her age. She wears a fair bit of eyeshadow at times, outlining vivid aqua eyes, halfway between blue and green. Her right fingertips are often stained with dark ink.

Bluish Black, by Deviant Artist MilyKnight

Distinctive Markings: - There's a scar below her left scapula on her back, about an inch and a half long. On her right side, just below her collarbone in the front, is an unusual and intricate blue knotwork tattoo of some sort.

Personality: - Norah is polite almost to a fault, gracious and courteous as much as possible. She's very slow to anger, though once she does become angry it is very difficult for her to come down from it. Her emotions run very deeply, and anything beyond her usual polite and kind demeanor is very difficult to recognize except to those who know her very, very well. She still is very protective, especially of young women or the sick and injured, those instincts that helped her try and keep her sister safe for so long, but she sometimes lacks empathy - especially for those who complain about minor inconveniences. She has a significant amount of trust issues, and is actually quite a loner at this point. She's friendly and welcoming, but getting her to really talk, especially about herself, is difficult, and she gets especially uncomfortable talking about emotions.

Her best friend has often remarked that she's polite and kind, but also rarely forms attachments or lets anyone in beyond the civil and friendly walls to get to know the real woman behind them - that she actually uses manners as a shield between her and the rest of the world. Norah's response at the time was to shut Ell out for a while, until she came around to recognizing the truth in her dear friend's words. She's also very stubborn, but that stubbornness also manifests itself as absolute blind loyalty to those rare few she truly calls friends.

Once you get to know Norah, she's actually a fairly warm and charming person - to those patient enough to look past the "Queen of the Slums", as she's been derisively known in and around Ul'dah. She has a warm laugh and a ready smile for her friends, and a habit of acting like an older sister or a maternal figure to many. When she's feeling especially cheerful or in a good mood, she often hums or even sings a bit, in a rich, clear alto - most often while she's cooking or making something, but also when tending to her beloved chocobo Quee'kweh, working in the garden, or otherwise in an especially happy mood. If she's really comfortable - or just trying to diffuse tense situations between other friends - she'll crack jokes and even do impressions, often making herself the butt of the jokes. It takes quite a lot to get her this at ease though, the sort of person she might have regularly been if she'd grown up in a more stable environment. Too often though, something will come up that reminds her of unpleasant things, and the wall of manners and politeness slams down all too quickly again.

Personal History:

Shinorah is the eldest daughter and second eldest child of the Nightsbane family, a prominent military and political family in Ala Mhigo. Her father served in the military many years, and upon retirement turned to a career in politics, serving as an advisor and a diplomat. Her mother also served as well, though left the military once her children were born and split her time between raising them and advising the government on social and diplomatic affairs.

When Ala Mhigo fell to the Empire, most of Norah's family stayed behind - officially and as far as anyone outside of the immediate family knows, the Nightsbanes pledged service to the conquering Empire, becoming traitors in many Mhigans eyes. The real truth of the matter (for OOC use only, as you would have to know Norah INCREDIBLY well for her to ever breathe a word of this) is that her entire family is heavily involved in the Mhigan resistance, and the only reason her family stayed behind was to run spy networks and supply lines from the inside of the city, using their political connections and knowledge of the surrounding lands to work towards undermining the Empire. Her father judged that he would have better access and more leeway if he formally affiliated with Garlemald, thus the family openly "betrayed" Ala Mhigo when the city fell. Their true work is a closely guarded secret, as it would mean the death of the entire family if anyone knew. Both brothers are also heavily involved in the resistance, her older brother taking a position in the Garlemald Army but using it to help send messages to like-minded individuals in conquered lands and target senior key figures in the Garlean Army for assassination, and her younger brother helping to run a black-market supply line and information network to keep vital supplies and arms channeling into the city.

Norah and her younger sister were sent away along with some other family friends when Ala Mhigo fell, to get the girls to safety at least while the others stayed behind in the underground resistance. A group of about twenty or so people set off together, composed of two other families, long-time allies and friends to the Nightsbanes who also fought in the civil war, along with their children. They made it to the Shroud safely enough, but there, things became difficult. The underbrush grew thick and heavy, making passage impossible, and the canopy seemed so heavy that even the adults couldn't get their bearings. It's like the forest itself did not want them there, and slowly but surely, the group became separated. They took measures, left marks on trees and tried using signals, but nothing worked - and eventually by the time they made it to the edge of the Shroud, it was only Norah and Mihane left of their group, the others all having gone missing or becoming lost in the dense and dark forest.

Life on the road was hard for Mihane, and unfortunately within six months of leaving, shortly after the girls emerged on the Uldahn side of the Shroud, a group of borderline bandits robbed the two girls of most of their possession and all of Mihane's medication to sell on the black market. Though Mihane was a skilled healer, her condition made casting spells difficult when she had one of her breathing attacks, and the dry heat and the dust of the Uldanian desert only worsened the frequently and severity of her attacks. Eventually, the dust and hardship of life on the run proved too much, and she had an attack from which she could not recover, suffocating as she couldn't get enough air into her lungs. ((OOC note, asthma - something easily treated and barely an inconvenience in an urban environment with medicine and doctors, but can be fatal left untreated and in bad conditions.) Norah railed against the gods for this final loss, the enormity of losing everyone she loved within a year crashing upon her and hardening her heart both to strangers and the gods.

Once on her own, Norah became a master of survival, learning basic skills in just about anything and everything she could - swordplay, defense, gathering skills such as fishing, collecting edible plants and herbs, weaving, leatherworking, and rudimentary smithing. She'd by this point learned to neither trust nor rely on anyone - because people can leave you, either through death or war, so she pretty much taught herself to do anything she could for herself. It's left her a Jack (well, Jill) of all trades, though a master only of the arcane arts.

At this point in her life, she's spent as long on the road or in refugee camps as she did in Ala Mhigo - fifteen years as a citizen, fifteen as a refugee. She's had her fair share of tough knocks and scrapes, but each one has taught her more self-discipline and survival - skills she prides herself on. She keeps a careful journal that she uses to express herself, all those thoughts and dreams and emotions she has trouble expressing to people, and also tends to enjoy drawing or embroidery to calm her thoughts after a long day's work. In private when nobody is watching, she also often sings, dances, or both - another outlet to allow some of those bottled up emotions to express themselves - but does not perform in public nor let others see this. The closest one might find to getting her to sing is that she'll sometimes quietly sing or hum to herself when doing something enjoyable - cooking, gardening, caring for Quee'kweh, or embroidery.

Basic Info

Virtues ■ Determination ■ Courage ■ Loyalty to those she calls friends ■ A strong sense of honor and integrity ■ Intellect - she's exceptionally bright and a quick study, picking up most skills rapidly. ■ She also speaks a number of languages, both from her upbringing in a diplomatic family as well as her own travels ■ Protectiveness, especially for women and children or the infirm ■ She's very good at keeping secrets, and is an excellent listener ■ She's good at inspiring others, encouraging them to find the best qualities in themselves or to become a better person ■ Diplomacy - between her early upbringing and some of her own life lessons, she's gotten very good at negotiations and avoiding conflict through dialogue or distraction. She's also learned a number of various cultural mannerisms and how to put people at ease through entertaining and hospitality, again a combination of her upbringing in a diplomatic household and ways to earn allies and people to watch over you in the camps.

Vices ■ Pride, sometimes bordering on arrogance ■ Vanity (see also, pride - she hates being under-dressed or caught off-guard, and carries herself like a lady even if she's dressed in rags.) ■ She has a difficult time trusting others or asking for help ■ Determination, when it transitions to stubbornness ■ Sometimes she drinks a bit too much, especially when rattled or struggling to suppress emotions. If she's having wine or ale, things are probably fine - if she's going for the whiskey, look out.

Motivations ■ Alignment: Lawful Good. She adheres to a strict code of moral conduct, though like in D&D it's being true to *her* sense of moral conduct and virtues, not necessarily city laws. ■ Protection of the weak ■ Protection of any lands or societies next on the Empire's invasion list ■ Freeing or reuniting with her family, who she loves deeply and misses greatly ■ Favorite Food: Coq au vin ■ Favorite Drink: A high quality red wine ■ Favorite Color: Navy blue, greys, blacks, dark violets and plums.

Miscellaneous

Recent Events After a month or so, Norah has settled into the house at Cliffperch, claiming room 13 as her own and hanging a neat placard on the door. Her rooms remain relatively sparse, as it took all the money she'd saved up to afford the room's purchase, but nevertheless it's the first place she has been able to call home in fifteen years. She's kept regular company with her companions in Aeon at Cliffperch, and is also often seen traveling throughout Coerthas astride Quee'kweh, both of them bundled in furs. She seems to be more at ease as of late than she has been in some time, perhaps a combination of finally putting down roots and starting to feel like less of a nomad, along with starting to make a few friends in her travels.

Sexuality: Heterosexual, though major trust issues. While I probably won't work out the full details ICly (because frankly, I'd rather not), the bottom line is after spending 15 years living in refugee camps, I'm figuring Bad Things have probably either happened to her, or come close enough to happening to her, that casual flings would be impossible at this point. It's not something she'd ever want to talk about anyway ICly, so - /handwave, don't look too closely other than to realize the first few years were probably somewhat unpleasant for her. That said, she also remembers her parents and their marriage, as well as close family friends, very fondly and somewhere deep down inside clings to some vague notion of a true partner she could trust and rely on and spend whatever life she manages to build with. But after all those years on her own, she doesn't know how to get there...

RUMORS Slowly filling this in. Please feel free to add your own rumors under PC Rumors, as you like! Thank you. ◢ Common Rumors (Easily overheard) ■ "The mage? Seems nice enough, always tips well." ■ "Ah right, the Queen of the Slums. All prim and proper, even when she's dressed in rags. Who the feck she thinks she is, puttin' on those airs like that?" ■ "She and a band of women ran a shelter of sorts out in Horizon for a while - said it was to help the ones what couldn't help themselves. Some of the sailors called them all kinds of names, but most of the townsfolk seemed to think right highly of them. Veritas, think they called themselves? Norah there, she was the one who set it all up." ■ "She's always here in the library, looking through old books and things. White magic, black magic, red, blue - doesn't seem to matter, it's like she wants to learn it all." ■ "Miss Norah? Oh, she's a sweetheart. Comes in here regularly and sits in that chair on the corner, over yonder. Always orders a bottle of del Sol red and either reads or plays with her card deck. Folks even go over to her to have her read their fortunes, sometimes...she read one for me once, and darn if it wasn't spot on!" ■ "Bitch told me my wife ought to leave me, said I don't treat her no good. What the feck's she know about it? Shoulda slugged here one right there, show her her place....but I dunno, something in her eyes went all cold and I decided to walk it off instead. Next time, though..." ◢ Moderate Rumors (Moderately difficult to overhear) ■ "They say her family turned colors when Ala Mhigo fell, and were among the first to swear loyalty to Garlemald." ■ "Heard her brother Jossen's on the lamb now. Word is he's been tied to too many suspicious deaths in the Garlean Army, and they were getting ready to hang him for treason." ■ "There's something a little unsettling about that one....all polite manners and grace, but there's a fire burning in her eyes at times that makes my hair stand on end." ■ "That one? Huh. Woman's got to learn there's some magic folks shouldn't be meddlin' in....stare too long at the Void, and sooner or later the Void's gonna stare back." ◢ Rare Rumors (Very difficult or rarely overheard) ■ "The Nightsbanes? This is a hard rumor to come by, but a few people whisper that her family's all with the Resistance, running intelligence operations and smuggling in weapons. Pretty high up, from what I hear." ■ "Rhalgr, did you hear about what happened to that man out in the desert? Hells, she was barely sixteen then, was a long time ago. Didn't even know a girl that age could channel aether like that...I don't know what he did to her, there are rumors of course, but....I was there and I saw it. She looked like a Demon from the Seventh hell, fire swirling around her as she burned him alive with her magicks. It's not just that I don't want to be on her bad side, I want to be as far away from her as I can!" ◢ PC Rumors (Rumors from the character's of other players) ■ "Tea Lady Norah? She's a whole world of smart. She could teach a book a thing or two. Did I mention she makes good tea?" - Khuja'sae Fashonti

RELATIONS ♥ Romantic Interest ♥ Platonic Love ● Good Standing ● Iris Delaroche - Iris is an Elezen women that Norah has known for years, and frequently adventures with. Iris shares Norah's determination but also sense of humor, along with a strong sense of curiosity about the world around them. They banded together in a rough port town in Thanalan after fighting off some unwanted advances, forming a small group called Veritas to help protect and provide shelter to runaways, refugees, escaped slaves and any others of society's forgotten and in need. To pay for this, they take whatever side jobs they can, provided they're not inherently unethical. ● Yumi Akimori - Yumi is a sweet, though painfully shy miquo'te ninja that Iris and Norah rescued from a bunch of drunken louts in Horizon. She's become a fast friend and loyal companion to the other women since, though she still struggles in crowds and gets very nervous and anxious in social settings. ●Brynhilde Wulf - Bryn and Norah knew each other from the wars in Ala Mhigo and the Resistance there, and Norah took it as quite the shock to run across her again in Ul'dah. She represents a strong link to home for Norah. They both share a strong fondness for red wine and a determination to protect the weak. Norah feels a kindred spirit in Bryn, though they don't often see each other in person. ● Arcian Martell - In the time she has been with Aeon at Cliffpech, Norah has become fairly good friends with Arcian, and appreciates her directness. When Norah struggled with some recent changes she'd faced, Arcian (or Arci, as Norah calls her) was steadfast in weathering Norah's reactions and remained with her to try and help her adjust to her new situation. Norah has been absolutely, unswervingly loyal to Arcian ever since, though Arci herself may not know it. ● Reima Awen - Norah is oddly protective of Reima, though they do not know each other very closely yet. If asked, Norah may mention that Reima reminds her a great deal of her sister. She'll regularly comment that Reima's too naive for her own good....yet she seems to go to great lengths to preserve that innocence, too. ● Leon Greymoon - Norah came across Leon from their shared service in the Order of the Stormguard, and he since introduced her to his friends in Aeon. She considers him a friend, though they have very different approaches to the world around them. She seems to enjoy teasing him, and shares a friendly banter with the miquo'te. ● Khuja'sae Fashonti - Kaetzchen (kitten), as Norah refers to Khuja'sae, has become another friend of Norah's. She finds the young bard sweet and charming, and extends a fond protectiveness over him similar to that which she once showed her younger brother. She also seems to tease Khuja a fair bit as well, especially about girls - but the teasing is always moderated by a genuine concern, and she quickly stops and switches to gentle humor if it seems the sensitive miquo'te is becoming too upset. ● I'shkandar Tia - I'shkandar Tia, or Ace as he's known, is a relative newcomer to Cliffperch. Norah finds his whimsy refreshing and a welcome change of pace from the harsh life of refugee camps, and seems to appreciate having a fellow black mage around to bounce ideas and spellcraft theories. Since seeing her at Cliffperch with her hair down instead of its usual ponytail, he's been acting oddly around her, sneaking glances and seeming to see shadows, almost like he thinks she's someone else... ♥ Kail Gerrad - Norah seems to be spending a lot of time in the smuggler's company lately, but if anyone asks, she'll just glare angrily at them and either refuse to answer, or make some snarky comment about him that involves brothels, aldgoats, or sometimes both. The lady doth seem to protest an awful lot...