Shara Seleni
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 Shara Neh'ri Seleni
| |
 "The Night Prowler" | |
| Gender | Female |
| Race | Miqo'te |
| Clan | Keeper of the Moon |
| Citizenship | Gridania |
| Nameday | 7th Sun of the 3rd Astral Moon |
| Guardian | Menphina, the Lover |
| Age | 19 |
| Relationship Status | Single |
| Occupation | Mercenary & Bounty Hunter |
A young and talented fighter roaming Eorzea in search of bounties. Her distant, wary and secretive attitude hides a sweet personality and a terrible, blood-trailed past.
Contents
Identity
'Each step I make into this New World, I make it with my former life in mind. Whatever awaits me in this land, I will never forget how and why I ended up here.'
Personal diary of Shara
| Full Name: | Shara Neh'ri Seleni [ʃ'æʀɑ:] [ne'hri:] [sel'ɛnɪ] (The last name is fake) |
| Diminutive: | Sha [ʃ'æ] |
| Real Last Name: | Redacted |
| Birth Location: | Redacted |
| Former Occupation: | Redacted |
Appearance & Physical Characteristics
'People are like illusions: they never are what they look like. The more we trust what we see, the more we get deceived.'
Personal diary of Shara
| Skin: | Pale white at sunlight / pale blue at moonlight |
| Hair: | Creamy white, light blond highlights |
| Eyes: | Emerald green |
| Height: | 152 cm / 5' |
| Weight: | 44 kg / 97 lbs |
| Build: | Petite, smoothly muscular and feminine |
| Distinguishing Marks: | 5 cm long scar on the left forearm |
| Black rose-shaped tattoo on the back | |
| Voice: | Soft, calm and decided, but with an obvious accent of youth |
Personality
'What really defines who we are? Is it what we have done in the past or what we want to do now to shape our future? If one's heart is open, but one's hands are blood-stained, is one ultimately good or evil?'
Personal diary of Shara
Usual Behavior
- Can be either warm and playful or cold like ice depending of the circumstances. Usually somewhere in the middle.
- Cordial and polite. Seldom loses her self-control.
- Generally avoids chit-chat and goes directly to the point in conversations.
Tastes
| Loves | Likes | Dislikes | Hates |
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Traits
| Qualities | Flaws |
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Quirks
- Always keeps her true feelings to herself as a mean of self-protection and strives to hide her weaknesses.
- Doesn’t trust others easily and very wary with everyone but trusted people - almost paranoid at times.
- Cannot stand failure to the point of refraining from attempting anything where success is not quite guaranteed.
Fears
- Intimidated by Roegadyns due to the huge height and build difference.
- Afraid of suffering from love and friendship feelings because of her past. Reluctant to bond with others.
Typical Quotes
- 'Of course I like money! I am a bounty hunter. I hunt shinies first, then I hunt fiends. The day gil grow on trees, I’ll be a full time gardener. Well, I still might beat on fiends from time to time just for fun…'
- 'Sorry. No pay, no way.'
- 'I can be a really nice person you know. Just don't make me hate you.'
Abilities
'I have learned so much things since I arrived in Eorzea. I often wonder how events would have turned out in my homeland if I had known at that time what I know today.'
Personal diary of Shara
- Proficient with most weapons but heavy two-handed ones.
- Specialized in close range fighting and sword wielding.
- Naturally talented for and good general knowledge of magic.
- Decent mastery in certain craft domains (goldsmithing, blacksmithing, leathercraft, alchemy).
- Strong sense of leadership.
- Keen observation and awareness capabilities.
- Somewhat talented in persuasion and intimidation.
Combat Related Info
'I have taken so many lives I can't count them anymore. What is really troublesome is that as the time passes, it becomes more and more natural to me.'
Personal diary of Shara
| Favored Attribute: | Dexterity |
| Elemental Affinities: | Ice, Wind |
| Favorite Weapons: | Baghnakhs, long swords, rapiers, daggers |
Fighting Style
- Shara's greatest strength in combat is her versatility. She has learned, and keeps learning, many different techniques and she usually always has a trick up her sleeves to handle a situation.
- She usually fights toe-to-toe with her opponents, relying on her exceptional swiftness and agility rather than brute force. She also counts on her knowledge of magic, especially enhancing and healing spells, to overcome difficult fights.
Usual Weaponry and Equipment
- Shara always carries at least a hand-to-hand weapon (baghnakhs or knuckles) and a blade (either a long sword or a rapier) with her, so she can take advantage of each weapon type properties when necessary. She always keeps a dagger handy as an emergency weapon.
- She also keeps with her a few throwing weapons, such as chakrams or throwing knives, as well as bombs and a small set of miscellaneous potions she brews herself.
- She sometimes brings a bow with her when going in mission accompanied, but never when she is alone, as she is convinced that it makes her more vulnerable.
- On the occasions where she relies primarily on magic, she prefers using a combination of enhancing and enfeebling spells rather than a chain of direct attack spells.
- She very rarely wears anything else but cloth or leather to keep her fighting and dodging techniques at their full potential. For the same reason she never uses a shield.
Social Circle
'I realized a long time ago that no matter how many people are around me, I am still alone. Most of those people are nothing but ghosts, who will simply disappear from my life at some point. I wish I could finally find someone I could blindly trust. I am tired of being alone.'
Personal diary of Shara
Family
| Mother: | Salieh (deceased) |
| Father: | Ere'wan (deceased) |
| Sister: | Mih'na (deceased) |
Relationships
- Ariel and Shara are long time friends and allies. They fought many battles and survived many dangers together, of those that build unbreakable friendships.
- Despite their very different characters and frequent arguments, they share deep mutual respect and trust.
- The light-hearted and jovial nature of Octavio contrasting with his mysterious attitude is an enigma for Shara. They met recently, but they already share quite some adventures.
Affiliations
- Leader of ShimmerSong.
Rumors
'I don't care about what people think of me at all. Actually, the wronger they are about me, the safer I feel.'
Personal diary of Shara
Note: truthfulness of rumors is not guaranteed.
Easily Overheard
- She is surprisingly often seen in town for a Keeper of the Moon.
- She always orders milk when drinking in a tavern or at a meeting.
- She could kill her own mother for the right price.
- She has completed so much guildleves some people directly contact her to get things done instead of publishing one.
Hardly Overheard
- She had a fight in the Quicksand in Ul'dah, seriously wounded her opponent and ended up in custody for the night.
- She isn't born in Eorzea.
- She had an affair with an uldian aristocrat and squeezed quite a bit of money out of him before throwing him out.
- She never shows any mercy with bounty targets and never gives up until they drop dead.
Rarely Overheard
- She has horrible nightmares when sleeping and often wakes up crying.
- She has shady businesses with underground organizations and pirates in Limsa Lominsa.
- She is a fugitive and is wanted dead or alive by certain influent people and groups.
Early History
I
Into the Light
- - No way! I can’t believe you’re doing this to me!
- - Stop acting like a child! I’m doing this for your own good!
- Shara coldly looked at her mother and disdainfully sighed.
- - Lies! It’s for your own good, your own personal little satisfaction, as it’s always been with you! I am no toy and I won’t forget my desires for the sake of your pride!
- Furious, she turned back and quickly left the room.
- - Come back! Shara, come back! We’re not done yet!
- The only answer she heard was the sound of the front door violently shutting closed.
- Numerous stars were visible that night, as there was not a single cloud to hide their light. From a corner of the sky, the harmonious crescent of the moon was observing the little Miqo’te rushing through the tight streets of the city.
- Someone else was observing her, too. Silently, a shadow was moving from one roof to another with incredible speed and agility, following the teenager from above. As Shara was turning around a corner street, she noticed something glowing on the floor, near the door of a house she knew very well. As she was closing by, the shadow quickly got into position right above her. As she was kneeling to satisfy her curiosity, the shadow swiftly jumped down from the roof, right over her.
- - Aaaah!
- Shara fell on her back from surprise. The shadow was standing in front of her, victorious. At the light of the moon, she was able to see the malicious grin the shadow was sporting. That one took her hood off.
- - You scared me to death!
- - Well, if I were a thug, you’d indeed be dead by now.
- Another Miqo’te was standing in front of her. Tall, seemingly even more feline than most of her kind, with long brown hair. She took the hand of Shara and helped her getting back on her feet.
- - You’re so predictable, sweetie, she said as the younger Miqo’te was cleaning the back of her pants from the dirt of the ground. She bowed down and picked the glowing little thing up.
- - See? You could have lost your life for a… coin.
- Shara pouted.
- - It isn’t fun, Mih’na. I’m not in the mood for your stupid jokes tonight. Since when have you been following me to begin with?
- - Oh come on, don’t be so picky. You know I like to handle serious things the funny way.
- - What do you mean?
- Mih’na put a key off her pocket and inserted it in the keyhole of the door beside her.
- - Come in, sis. We need to talk.
- The tone her sister was using was evidently very serious. She was not kidding at all. The young Miqo’te silently followed her inside the house, through the entrance corridor up to the living room at the end of this one. She squinted for a second, half-blinded by the bright and lively light of the aetheric lamp hanging from the ceiling. The room was cosy and well decorated, with, towards its center, three armchairs arranged around a little round table.
- - You had a fight with mom again, right? Mih’na said as she was taking her cape off.
- - She submitted an application to the Medical Academy in my name. She knows I don’t want to go there!
- - Yes, I know. She did it on my advice.
- - What!? How could y…
- - Shut up and calm down, please!
- Shara obeyed. For her sister to be so imperative and so serious, there was a really serious matter.
- - Have a seat and listen to me, she said while showing with her arm the little table and the armchairs in front of them.
- Shara headed for the closest of the armchairs and sat down, while her sister slowly paced around the room for a minute, both of them remaining silent. Mih’na finally spoke:
- - Mom’s cover is blown. They’ve known since this morning.
- - So…
- - So that’s why she wanted you to get out of her vicinity as soon as possible. And that’s why I was following you. To…
- While speaking, Mih’na came near her sister then freed a dagger up from her belt and put it on the table, in front of Shara.
- - … Protect you.
- She gazed her sister right into the eyes. Shara could tell from the way she was looking at her that behind the veil of apparent confidence of Mih’na, she was afraid. The young Miqo’te suddenly felt horribly bad.
- Her elder stroke the hilt of the dagger with the tip of her left index.
- - ’tis for you. Keep it with you at all times. Until you are inside the Academy, you’re not safe anywhere.
- - But…
- Mih’na raised her right hand. For the second time, Shara shut up.
- - Look, Sha.
- She sat down herself.
- - I know what you want. But there’s no other choice. Now that they know ‘bout mom, it’s only a matter of time until they follow the track up to me. They can strike anywhere, anytime. If you happen to be around when they do…
- She stopped talking for a second, and then took the hand of her sister.
- - There’s no future in the path we’ve been following all that time. Dad died doing it. And it will be our turn soon, because we wanted to avenge him. We can’t allow you to share this fate too.
- - Don’t say such things… It will be alright…
- Shara gripped Mih’na’s hand. Mih’na showed a sad smile in return.
- - Mom’s right. You’re gifted with magic. You’ll make a great healer. And they won’t be able to reach you in the Academy. It’s your exit ticket, darling. You’ll get nothing from trying to fight them. Nothing but death. And we want you to live.
- The teenager gripped her sister’s hand even more. Tears began to slip on her cheeks. Mih’na stood up, came at Shara’s side and hugged her.
- - I love you, lil’ sis.
II
Fade to Black
- The newspaper fell from the bed. Shara paid no attention to it while she was turning around between the sheets. She stared blankly at the wall in front of her. It was white, but the ambient lighting of the clouded night was making it look like a sad grey. Everything was silent. Everyone was probably deeply asleep. Everyone but her. How could she? Even closing her eyes was impossible. Each time she tried, unbearable images invaded her mind. Memories of a past which seemed to happen so long ago, yet it was so close. Products of her imagination trying to figure out how it had happened, what could happen soon and what she heartily wanted to happen. Images of blood and violence, of revenge and death. She was burning from inside, with so much anger that it was hurting. A lot. So much that the physical pain would have maked her cry, let alone the feelings of despair and immense sadness that were not leaving her. But her eyes didn’t have tears left anymore. They had been emptied of them for a long time.
- She turned the other way around, once more. The ceiling was grey as well. Empty. Like her. A light wave of wind infiltrated from outside by the slightly opened window, passing though her hair. She noticed its sweet coldness stroking the top of her skull. She let her hand lay near the floor, were the paper was, touching it. The parchment was a bit torn, as if it had somehow got wet and then dried afterwards. She let her fingertips slowly slip along its surface.
- There was an article among others on the first page. The title was provoking, as always. It was written: A young Miqo’te and her mother savagely assassinated.
- One could read the following lines below the title:
- The body of a Miqo’te has been discovered yesterday in her house near the market place with the throat cut and several traces of stabs on the torso. The disorder left all over the room where she was lying suggests that the victim violently defended herself from her aggressor. When authorities went to her mother’s to deliver her the bad news, they found out she had been put to her death in the exact same way. No further comments have been made regarding the whereabouts of these assassinations but everything could let one think that they are connected and resulting from a vengeance or settlement of some form.
- Even stranger is that we found in our archives that the husband was also assassinated fourteen years ago, again in the same way. The second and younger daughter of the family, who was supposed to live with her mother, is reported missing. Authorities stated that they would of course do everything in their power to find out what happened to the young Miqo’te.
- Shara got up from her bed and walked towards the table of her little room, near the door. Behind it, the Medical Academy, her prison. On this side of the door, her own little personal hell. She took the glass lying on the table and poured a bit of water in it from the pitcher beside. Her throat was so dry. As she was about to drink, she saw a shadow moving on the wall in front of her.
- She immediately turned back only to see a Hyur in a black outfit rushing from the window, now wide open, towards her. He was wearing a long dagger in his right hand, with which he attacked her right away, aiming at her throat. She stepped back and bumped at the table behind her. Loosing balance, she instinctively raised her left arm as a shield. The blade deeply cut his flesh. She groaned with pain. With the energy of despair, she hit the man with the glass in her right hand right at the head. It shattered, lightly wounding him in the process. He staggered. Fighting for her life, she stood her ground and violently pushed him back. As the man was falling and she was regaining a tiny part of reasoning, her brains enlightened. He was one of them. She was the target, now. She was the last one who knew, the last one who could potentially stop them. And this man was probably the one who killed her mother and her sister.
- The Hyur sniggered, swiftly getting back on his feet.
- - You girls sure are hard to kill. It must be a family trait.
- He looked at her with an amused grin.
- - Others were trained agents, but you… I wasn’t expecting that. Come on, show me what you’ve got, he taunted her, putting himself on guard.
- She was not trained at all. Not that she didn’t want. But her family had never allowed for that. They wanted her so much to do something else than fighting. ‘Mih’na’s dagger’, she thought. It was still lying somewhere on the table. She put her right hand behind her, blindly looking to locate the weapon. Blood was flowing from the wound on her left arm. It was hurting so much that she wouldn’t be able to use it.
- - So? You comin’ or not? You scared?
- She couldn’t find it. Her heart was beating so loudly that it was deafening. The Hyur sighed.
- - Well, I’ve wasted enough time with you, he coldly said.
- He rushed towards her. At the same second, Shara’s hand touched the hilt of her sister’s dagger. About time. She grabbed it and immediately launched a stab at the assassin, who was about to attack. Surprised, he couldn’t completely evade the hit and the blade grazed his stomach, leaving a scarlet line on it. His eyes crossed hers. He grunted. As he was raising his arm high, the blade of his dagger suddenly was engulfed in flames. Shara jumped aside, barely evading the blow, which hit the table. The flames became a huge ball of fire, which exploded, literally bashing the table to pieces. Shara was ejected on the wall to her left and her head violently hit the stone. Stunned, she fell to the ground. The next second, he was on her. She felt his breath on her neck. Another second and it would be over.
- ‘Not yet!’, she thought. Once again, the Hyur raised his arm, readying himself for the final blow. With all the energy she had left, Shara stood up as much as she could. Then she saw his neck, so close. Grunting, she bit him right where the carotid was. The long canines inherited from the feline part of her lineage pierced the vein with ease. The assassin cried out loud, letting go his dagger from pain, which hit the floor with a metallic sound. The Miqo’te clutched her grip. A flood of blood engulfed in her mouth and began to flow on her face, her throat. Without letting her grip on his neck go, she pushed him back with her valid arm and violently pulled her head back, ripping his flesh up and leaving a large wound open on his neck.
- Blood spurted all over the place. The assassin blankly stared at her with a strange look. She spitted her bloody spoil, disgusted. The Hyur fell on his side, agonizing.
- The door bashed open. Two Hyurs and an Elezen were on the step and cried in surprise as they discovered the scene. Shara recognized her room neighbors from the Academy. She fainted, lying in a pool of blood.
III
Moving between Shadows
- The repeating sound of the rain falling on the floor and the roofs of neighboring houses was deeply annoying the young Miqo’te. As the rain was getting stronger from minute to minute, she quickened her step, moaning. Of all weather caprices, one that she really couldn’t bear was rain. How she hated feeling all that water penetrate her clothes, flow along her body. A loud crack resonated in the night. Thunder. The rain was getting more and more intense at an alarming speed.
- She instinctively adjusted the hood of her cowl and began looking for somewhere to protect herself from getting drenched to the bone. The street was desert. At the far end of it, she noticed a tavern sign made half-visible in the darkness by light coming from the window just below it.
- After an instant of hesitation, she quickly crossed the distance between her and the sign, located the door near it and entered the building.
- The room was quite animated at this hour of the night, and nearly every table was occupied. She quickly glanced around while readjusting her hood. No one seemed to care about her. The smell of roasted meat coming from the nearest table tickled her nostrils. She hadn’t eaten for a day. She headed quietly for a free table and took a seat. Not even a minute after, a waiter came near her.
- - What will you go for, miss? He said with a neutral voice.
- - Those pieces of roasted mutton you’re serving smell delicious… Oh, and I’ll go for some milk, too, she said, taking great care not revealing her face to the Elezen.
- - Milk? He answered with a pinprick of daze.
- - Yes, milk.
- The waiter agreed and walked away, leaving her alone. She caught a glimpse again on the people around her. As soon as the rain would stop she would be on her way. As she was lost in thought, a voice suddenly took her back to reality.
- - May I sit?
- - No you c…
- The intruder took place in front of her before she could finish. She ducked her head even more.
- - Ah, come on, I don’t remember you being so rude last time we met, Shara.
- She put her hand on the hilt of her sister’s dagger, gritting her teeth.
- - You sure have strange ways of welcoming old friends… Won’t you greet me properly?
- - Anyone worth greeting I know of isn’t of this world anymore, she calmly said while raising her head and looking at the man.
- He was a short black-haired Hyur, with little brown eyes and a quite long and pointy nose making him look like a weasel. He took a fake sad expression.
- - Now, this is rude. Don’t you recognize me? It’s me, Mykal!
- - Oh I do. That’s actually why I’m expecting to fight for my life in the next few minutes. That doesn’t make one wanting to happily say hello to one’s murderer, does it?
- The waiter came back with Shara’s meal, interrupting them. They remained gazing into each other’s eyes while he was putting down his burden.
- - Hey, please get me a beer, would you? Mykal said to him.
- - Certainly, sir, he replied before walking away again.
- Shara didn’t divert her attention from the Hyur, ignoring the delicious aroma coming from the plate which was making her stomach scream.
- - You should eat you know. I know I would if I were you.
- The Miqo’te didn’t reply anything, simply staring at him. Mykal sighed.
- - Ah, look, I’ve been following you for hours now. Had I wanted you to die, you would have since long you know. Now relax and stop looking at me as if I was some kind of fiend, it makes me feel horrendously uneasy, he said with a strangely light and singsong voice. I’m here to make a deal with you.
- Shara raised an ear in daze. The waiter came back again with the beer Mykal ordered.
- - What kind of deal? Shara said when they were alone again.
- - There is a little something I need done, and you fit perfectly for the job. Do that for me, and you have my word that you won’t be chased anymore. Ever.
- - I am their last target alive. Why would they stop now?
- - They will if they think you’re dead. I’ll simply tell that I got you, and you’ll be far, very far from here. Far enough so they don’t hear about you whatever you do.
- - Impossible. They have eyes and ears everywhere. I learned it the hard way.
- - Wrong. There’s a place they don’t mess with, because there’s an even bigger fish there that would eat them alive if they did. But those ones don’t care about you. So you’ll be safe.
- - Wonderful, she said ironically. And what is this little paradise?
- Mykal raised his mug and took a sip of beer. He then put the mug down again, looking at Shara with a strange little smile before finally speaking.
- - Eorzea.
- - What? The New World? Indeed, it couldn’t be farther from here…
- - I can get you on a ship heading there and make sure no one knows. You’ll just have to embark, be discreet and once on the other side of the ocean… You’ll be free.
- Shara took a look around while thinking about what she had just heard. No one was paying attention to them. It was nothing but an ordinary tavern, with ordinary customers. Or so it seemed.
- - Why should I trust you? She replied, looking at the Hyur again.
- - As I said, if I wanted to kill you I would have done it already, and it is honestly of little interest to me. I also would be sad to have to do it, you know. I used to make you jump on my knees, after all. This is no trap, you have my word.
- - Your word lost any value to me the day you betrayed us and sold my father to them.
- - I had no choice. It was his life or mine. It’s next to impossible to escape them as you said. I chose to join them instead of being snuffed out like a rat. Today, I can choose, and I’ll be glad if I can help my late friend’s daughter.
- - Do you really think you’ll stop being the bastard you are for that?
- - I’m not looking for your pardon. Hate me, wish my death if you want, I don’t care at all. I’m offering you this deal because I am able and want to do it. But this is your last chance, Shara. I have to warn you. Turn down my offer and you will die tonight, by my hand. Because then I’ll have no more choice.
- Mykal was not sporting the jovial expression he used to anymore. He was gazing right into her eyes, very, very seriously.
- Shara finally started to eat. Mykal stayed silent, simply drinking.
- - What do I have to do? Shara said after a long moment passed.
IV
Deeper into the Night
The information in this section is currently a sensitive secret, knowledge of which could alter the behavior of players. It has been redacted and will be added as it is revealed during play.
Recent History
Red Scar
The Liar and the Crook
Coming soon...
Other Notes
Character Concept
- The personality and history of Shara is based on the opposition of good and evil and the idea of an ill-fated character gnawed by her past attempting to recover from deep psychological wounds, ultimately looking for salvation.
- Although it isn't directly shown through her, she is largely inspired by gothic themes.
Character Themes
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Twilightning - Return To Innocence |
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Sirenia - The Path To Decay |
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Audiomachine - Terminus |
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Groove Addicts - To Be Free |
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City Of The Fallen - Forgiven |
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Epic Score - This Is Our Land |
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Nightwish - Wish I Had An Angel |
Credits:
Gothic Black Rose Tattoo by Runeflame. Published under Creative Commons License. Source
