Shinorah Nightsbane
Contents
- Basic Information
- Combat
- History
- Recent Events
- Mhigan History
- Relationships
- Rumors
- Visuals
- OOC Notes
| 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, Elemental Magus, Cartographer |
| Height/Weight | 5 fulms, 11.5 ilms / 162 ponz |
| Orientation | Straight |
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Father, Andreas Nightsbane (very limited contact)
- Mother, Karinn Nightsbane (very limited contact)
- Older brother, Jossen Nightsbane (status unknown)
- Younger brother, Jeffron Nightsbane (status unknown)
- Younger sister, Mihane Nightsbane (deceased)
- Iris Delaroche, best friend and business partner
- Yumi Akimori, close friend
- Kail Gerrad, companion
- Angharrad Brythaemr, business partner
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. Her view of the world, and her general approach to understanding it, is very heavily basic on logic, rationality, and reason; any problem can be solved with enough resources, time and data, and any person's behavior can be predicted if you understand what motivates and drives them.
APPEARANCE & PERSONALITY
- 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.
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.
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.
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, though she is slowly trying to chip away at improving them. 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 Iris out for a while, until she came around to recognizing the truth in her dear friend's words...though it's one thing to recognize something in yourself, and another thing entirely to change it. 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 can be a fairly warm and charming person - to those patient enough to look past the the polite aloofness of 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 mezzo-sorprano - 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, sometimes even adopting an almost silly or whimsical manner. 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.
MISCELLANEOUS
Determination | She has a determination and strength of will that is almost unbreakable. Courage | While she's not a physically strong individual, she's exceptionally brave - to the point of sometimes being foolhardy. Loyalty | She is absolutely, unswervingly loyal to her friends and family, and refuses to ever leave any of them. Integrity | She has a very high moral code, and prides herself on being honest and true to her word at all times. 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 | She is very protective of others, especially those who are least able to protect themselves, such as children and the elderly or infirm. 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. |
Pride | She is proud to the point of arrogance, and finds it difficult to admit fault or acknowledge mistakes. She also can be very condescending when embarrassed. 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. Distrust | She has a difficult time trusting others or asking for help, even when its clear she sorely needs it. Stubbornness | The other side of her determination - both a virtue and a vice, depending on the context. Curiosity | Norah thinks first of what can be learned through studying things, rather than any risks or implications from doing so. There's no "But maybe we shouldn't" in her mind when it comes to magical spells and artifacts, even if they're connected to the darker arts. Alcohol | 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. Difficulty expressing herself | She has a very hard time talking about feelings, emotions, or other personal matters, bottling everything tightly within and rarely letting much out. This often manifests in her clenching her jaw, or sometimes her fists so tightly that she breaks and snaps things. |
Family | Freeing or reuniting with her family, who she loves deeply and misses greatly. At this point, she also includes many of her close friends and allies in a sort of extended family and always looks out for them. Justice | She is a fervent protector of those most in need, and spends almost all of her meager resources building and maintaining a shelter for those in dire situations. Revolution | Protection of any lands or societies next on the Empire's invasion list. She'll never forgive Garlemald for its invasion of Gyr Abania, and actively works to stop its expansion efforts anywhere she encounters Imperials. Knowledge | Rare is the day that goes by and doesn't have her studying something or another to learn more about the world around her. |
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. Favorite Food: | Coq au vin, a dish made with poultry, vegetables, and red wine, served over spaetzel. Favorite Wine: | A high quality red wine, usually on the fuller-bodied side. Favorite Colors: | Dark blues, greys, blacks, dark violets and plums. Favorite Places: | She seems drawn to the mountains of Western Coerthas, as they remind her strongly of Gyr Abania. Hobbies: | Cartography (both studying old maps and drawing new ones), sewing and embroidery, signing, dancing, and reading. |
COMBAT & WEAPONRY
Shinorah began studying the basics of magic and spellcasting theory at an early age in Ala Mhigo, though more from a conceptual basis than a true practitioner. She learned basic cantrips and rudimentary healing, but due to Gyr Abania being a heavily militaristic culture, most of her understanding of magic at this point was theoretical rather than practical. After a few years in the Thanalan desert, she managed to coax her way into a merchant's caravan and enter the city of Ul'dah illegally, making her way directly to the Thaumaturge's guild and offering her research and writing skills in exchange for the ability to study magic there. The guild's clerks agreed, and she began studying thaumaturgy at age eighteen. By the time she was in her mid-twenties, she had mastered most of the core spells and begin training as a black mage. Shortly after her thirtieth birthday, she completed the requirements for promotion to Archmage. Norah prefers fire magic of the various elemental forms, and it is her preferred offensive spell. She's reasonably adept at defensive aetheric wards as well, and often shields friends and allies with these in addition to providing her own considerable skills as a battle mage. Her moods are strongly linked to her spells, and if she's struggling to deal with strong emotions of any sort, one can often feel the surrounding area's temperature begin to fluctuate. When she is angry, anxious or frightened, this manifests as frost magic and the temperature in the area decreases, sometimes to the point of seeing one's breath. When she is excited or elated, the area around her will often heat up slightly; in neither case does it cause harm to those around her as much as something that provides a non-verbal cue. |
After mastering more arcane and thaumaturlurgical magics, Norah began studying celestial aetheric manipulation to keep her mind sharp and to further develop her casting and research skills. She already had a strong foundation in celestial bodies and movements from her time in the desert and extensive knowledge of mapmaking, which she applied to her understanding of the constellations and spellcraft used in Sharlayan Astromancy. While she is still continuing her training, her skills has progressed rapidly from both her previous research skills as well as her strict personal discipline with respect to all things magical. |
Norah has recently been spending more time in Limsa Lominsa, and used some of that to begin research at the Arcanist's guild located there. So far, she's largely restricted herself to conducting library research at the guild itself, though may be nearing the point of beginning to dabble in that type of spellcraft as well. |
Norah is an amateur fighter at best, adopting an extremely defensive and guarded style in any attempts to teach her swordplay. She learned a small bit of knifework and swordplay from a paladin named Valkoinen during her later years in Little Ala Mhigo, and he showed her the very basics of sword and shield fighting, as well as basic armed and unarmed defense. While she generally disdains physical fighting and prefers to rely on her minds and her spells for both offense and defense, she can swing a sword if the situation calls for it - at least enough to survive. That said, her style is very guarded and focuses heavily on defense, using either a two-handed sword or a sword and shield to maintain her safety and those around her, rather than making sweeping, dashing feints and parries as a true swordfighter would. |
BACKSTORY
Shinorah is the eldest daughter and second eldest child of the Nachtsieger 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 royal adviser 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. Growing up in a fairly upper-class home, she was schooled from an early age in the finer points of both politics and social graces herself, and has an extensive classical education in the liberal arts, including economics, literature, music, languages, and history. Though her family was well to do and of minor nobility, they were very close-knit and had strong bonds of genuine love and familial affection for each other. While some of their peers used governesses to care for their children, Norah's mother insisted on raising all of her children herself; her father was also a very prominent figure in her early life, always putting time aside to listen to his children when they had questions or stories to tell and taking an active role in their education.
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, basically asthma - something easily treated and barely an inconvenience in an urban environment with medicine and doctors, but can be fatal left untreated or in primitive 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.
Norah spent her early adult years moving from camp to camp, trying to pick up useful trade skills and learn to survive 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. Times were hard and her plight grew increasingly desperate, as her upper-class education left her with few to no practical skills for surviving in a trade-based economy in the middle of the Thanalan desert. She was bright and resourceful, but wits only allowed her to get by so long - and she came uncomfortably close to making some very difficult choices for her path when luck finally turned in her favor and she overheard a group of brigands plotting to rob a merchant caravan heading into the city of Ul'dah. Seizing the opportunity before her, Norah snuck out from that camp during the dead of night, taking up a position earlier on the caravan's route and making a bargain with the merchant - she warned him of the attack and could lay out an alternate route into the city, but only if he agreed to take her with and smuggle her through the Gates. The merchant, Brennan, agreed, and once inside Ul'dah she made her way to the Thaumaturge's Guild. There, her aptitude for both theoretical spellcraft as well as practical ability earned her a place on the guild's roster, and thus free passage in and out of the city. She changed her name from Nachtsieger to Nightsbane (the common translation of her Mhigan surname) when she registered at the Guild, due in part to the widespread discrimination against Highlanders in Ul'dah.
Still lacking a true home, Norah did settle for a time in Little Ala Mhigo once it was established. There, Norah was taken under wing by a blacksmith named Valkoinan and his wife Shandrilarr. They had lost their own daughter in the years after Mhigo fell, and saw in the headstrong woman reminders of their own beloved girl. For about five years, they and their son formed a sort of family unit in Little Ala Mhigo, Norah taking odd jobs to help support them as she could while she studied spellcraft on the side. Eventually her studies in Ul'dah required too much time for her to travel back and forth between Little Ala Mhigo and Ul'dah each week, so she stayed in the student dormitories at the Guild until she could begin affording a room of her own at the Quicksand Inn.
When she was around 24, she met a fellow former noble-turned-adventurer named Iris Delaroche out on a job near Crescent Cove. They became fast friends, both identifying with each other's backgrounds and losses of family at the hands of the Garlean Empire - Norah of her parents and siblings, Iris of her daughter's. They both also shared a desire to improve the plights of those who couldn't, and pooled their very meager resources to buy a ramshackle and decrepit abandoned building. This, they turned through hard work, their own labor, and sheer determination into a sort of safe house for anyone truly in need - runaways, escaped slaves, abused and beaten women and children, or anyone else who seemed to have fallen through society's cracks and appeared in danger of winding up on the streets without any options. Some stayed only for a few nights and moved on, others for longer periods - some even eventually staying on to help Iris and Norah run the place, providing cooking, helping with cleaning and upkeep, or providing security as needed. Yumi Akimori was one of the young women they found in an alley one day, badly beaten and in rough shape - they took her back and managed to fix her up, and she became a loyal and devoted friend to both women. Due to her studies in the Thaumaturge's Guild and other demands on her time, Norah no longer spends as much time directly involved in the halfway house's affairs on site, but she contributes the lion's share of any of her salary and wealth to its continued upkeep and operation. The shelter itself is currently administered by a no-nonsense Roegadyn Sea Wolf named Angharrad Brythaemer, a navigator and boatswain who gave up her life on the seas to take over the shelter in Norah and Iris's absence.
At this point in her life, Shinorah has 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.
Norah recently set up a workspace out in La Noscea, in an abandoned building attached to an old lighthouse. The site has been refurbished with a fully functioning stove, multiple shelves, a number of tables and work benches, and she's been steadily stocking the shelves with any number of compounds, reagents and glassware for experimentation. The bookshelves are filled with any number of an odd assortment of books - there are a number on aetheric studies, elemental arcanometry, and a few on astronomy. Many others are on subjects such as alchemy, poisons and antidotes, a couple on various types of bladed weapons, a few on anatomy and biology, and one on various types of ships. A few people seem to know what she is working on, and periodically others may come and go from the workshop, but otherwise the door is kept tightly locked and warded when Norah herself is not in residence. When she is in residence, periodically strange noises and explosions can be heard if one is especially close by, but the long expanse of seaward-facing cliffs to the lighthouse's northern shore, the steady sea breezes, and the sound of the surf pounding on the rocks seem to muffle the worst of the noises or acrid smells from any neighbors or wandering persons.
RECENT EVENTS AND BEHAVIORS
Shinorah joined an adventuring company called "Aeon" in August, and spends much of her time at their house Cliffperch. After a month or so assisting in odd jobs and keeping a room at the Quicksand, Norah finally settled into the house at Cliffperch herself, claiming room 13 as her own and hanging a neat placard on the door. She's saved up whatever resources she has left after paying for the operations of the Crescent Cove house, and has managed to furnish her room with an assortment of second-hand furniture or pieces she made herself. It's nothing remotely as elegant as what she herself was raised in, but it has a cozy and warm charm nevertheless. At present, both Iris and Yumi stay with her, the three of them coming and going at various points throughout the day. Some evenings if one listens, you'll hear laughter and talking well into the wee hours of the night. It's rare to hear her voice from her room in the mornings though, perhaps because she tends to be a very early riser and is often well on her way shortly after dawn break.
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. Unlike most, she loves roaming about in the cold, mountainous regions and will do so for hours or even days at a time. She finds the cold air invigorating, and the snow-covered peaks remind her of her former home in Gyr Abania. 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.
She's spotted more and more in the coastal city-state of Limsa Lominsa over the last couple weeks, sometimes on her own and sometimes in the company of a corsair dressed mostly in greys and blacks. Often, she'll be found in the Arcanist's Guild library if she's there on her own, though she sometimes wanders the streets aimlessly, almost like trying to learn them. She generally avoids the market area and the docks level, keeping to the upper levels near the Culinarian's guild or by the Arcanist's Guild. If she's with the pirate-looking fellow, odds are they'll just be walking around or spending time leaning against the ropes out on the walkway by the lighthouse, looking out at the sea and the horizon and talking quietly. When she's alone, she's typically either got her nose buried in a book at one of the local restaurants with a glass of wine or ale beside her, or rummaging through the archives at the Arcanist's Guild.
Over the last week or so, she's not been looking her best - her hair is still neatly brushed and pulled into its usual ponytail, but she has noticeable dark circles under her eyes and her clothes seem a bit less polished than one would generally see. She's been wearing more travel clothes as well, a long olive-green overcoat with worn leather walking boots and a split walking/riding skirt, rather than her more customary mage's robes or lace blouse and skirt. She definitely seems quieter, and while she still has a ready smile for friends and strangers alike, it's not quite as warm nor does it quite reach her eyes as much as it had before. If you catch her off-guard, from behind or otherwise surprise her, she seems much more jumpy than normal and may appear more rattled and skittish than usual. She'll quickly brush inquiries off and insist it's nothing though, with a smile and a polite wave of her hand.
MHIGAN AND ABANIAN HISTORY
This tab is a placeholder, long term goal is to populate it with information specific to Highlander lore, Ala Mhigo, and Gyr Abania as a whole (to include maps if I can!) Hoping to use it as a central repository on such things both for my own RP knowledge, as well as friends who are either RPing Highlanders or interacting with them. :) (Figure it's a lot easier than constantly trawling through tumblr, reddit, and Google searches every time it comes up.)
RELATIONSHIPS
| ♥ Romantic Interest – ♥ Family – ✤ Close Friend – ♦ Friend – ● Colleague/Good Standing – |
FAMILY
(These are predominantly NPC backstory-related relationships. However, should anyone express interest in creating a family member or playing one of the above, please just let me know!)
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OTHER FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES
People who Norah has formed some sort of opinion on, based on multiple interactions. They may or may not reflect the full character, as these are her impressions – and just like any other opinion, are prone to observer bias, assumptions, etc.
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RUMORS
- "The mage? Seems nice enough, always tips well."- Server in Horizon
- "Ah right, the Queen of the Slums. All prim and proper, even when she's dressed in rags. Who the heck she thinks she is, puttin' on those airs like that?" - Washerwoman in Pearl Lane
- "She and a band of women ran a shelter of sorts out in Crescent Cove for a while - said it was to help the ones what couldn't help themselves. Some of the rougher dock sorts 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." - Bartender in Crescent Cove
- "Heard she's taken up wit' some ne'er do well pirate sort. Shoulda figured, prolly just after his money, or him hers or what-not....things like that don't e'er happen if money ain't involved." - Merchant on the Sapphire Avenue Exchange
- "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." - Librarian in Ul'dah
- "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!" - Waitress at the Quicksand
- "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..." - Dockhand at Crescent Cove
- "They say her family turned colors when Ala Mhigo fell, and were among the first to swear loyalty to Garlemald." - Wood Wailer in Gridania
- "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." - Mhigan refugee, Little Ala Mhigo
- "Think she may have found herself in some sort of trouble - doesn't look like much of a fighter herself, but she's been in here snapping up every book on poisons and antidotes we had. Wonder who she ran afoul of, poor thing..." - Receptionist at Alchemist's Guild
- "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." - Member of Conjurer's Guild
- "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." - Instructor at Thaumaturge's Guild
- "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." - Trainer at the Sisters of the Edelweiss
- "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!" - Mhigan refugee, Little Ala Mhigo
- "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
- "World needs more like Shin, but thats the rub ent it? There'll only ever be one Norah out there." - Kail Gerrad
- "Norah is a good friend, while it takes a lot of work to get through her careful attitude, when you get there you will find a kind soul, and a loyal ally. She is a part of my family, so if you see anyone hurt her, give their family my condolences for me." - Leon Greymoon
ARTWORK
OOC NOTES
Sources for character inspiration:
In terms of inspirations for Norah's personality and interactions with the world around her, I like to draw on both real world knowledge and experience, along with other characters from other fictional sources.
Much of her background post-Ala Mhigo, especially the first five years of her life as a wealthy upper-class girl without a lot of martial skills stuck in refugee camps are based on tragic real-world cases such as those that occurred in the collapse of the former Yugoslavia and what some of the refugees in that area faced during the civil/international wars that spread throughout the Balkans. While her experiences in various camps are not modeled off a single camp or a single episode, they are heavily inspired by real refugee stories, including the sorts of unpleasant things that likely would befall a young teenager in her situation - even in a modern, reasonably developed and civilized region of the world. Tragically, the real world situations are *much* worse than I would ever subject either my character, or others who RP with her, to - for example, there was a large scandal in the region with UN Peacekeepers running prostitution rings with refugee women. The Yugoslav wars and ensuing refugee situation works additionally well since due northwest are Austria and Germany, which in my own personal head cannon is pretty much how I view Gyr Abania anyway (though in earlier periods of history, not in their present incarnations). This seems a good template to base much of her experiences both as a young girl and the terrain where she grew up, the collapse of the state through initial revolution and then external invasion, and the types of plights and issues she would have faced as a sixteen to eighteen year old refugee until some sort of stability was established. (I'm sure there are historic examples that will work better, but due to my day job working with modern day humanitarian situations, I draw my inspiration from cases I'm familiar with, what can I say?)
Her early life in Ala Mhigo, along with her family, are based on accounts of 19th Century Prussia and upper class families during the time period. She would have learned a classic liberal arts education, including extensive history, geography, and economics, and given that Germany was a bit more progressive than some other countries at the time, been able to even study more "masculine" pursuits should she wish, such as chemistry, astronomy, and anatomy. I use much of her conduct and conceptions of "nobility" from this time period as well, playing her as upper class but far more human and boisterous than an Ishgardian. In my head cannon, she's 100% Bavarian - her family is proud, sometimes a little loud (especially if drinking), and devoted to each other. They also probably brag a little more than they should and look a little down on everyone else, too. I also strongly suspect at weddings, regional festivals, or family reunions after prodigious amounts of drinking and feats of strength, this happens - because, Bavarian, that's why!
As far as character influences on her personality, behavior, interactions with others, dress, and other things, I rely on both my own imagination for the character and what drives and motivates her, along with some inspiration from popular media culture - movies, books, etc.
There are definite influences from Princess Leia Organa in Star Wars (original movie content only, don't know enough of the EU to draw on any of that)- someone who is a little bitchy and uppity at times, but is also a true revolutionary who's willing to risk life, limb, family, home, and everything else for a greater good. Much of Norah's interactions with others, her periodic snootiness and sarcasm, condescension of those without causes, and her opposition to the Garlean Empire and desire for a free Gyr Abania come from this. Of all of the influences on Shinorah, I think this is by far the most dominant - in her banter with others, in her protectiveness, her at times condescension (due to noble upbringing), and her driving idealism behind almost everything she does.
She also has a fair bit of Evelyn Carnahan, the librarian from the Mummy movies. Her insatiable curiosity on the world around her as well as her predilection for landing herself into trouble because she first thought of what could be learned and not of the dangers inherent in the knowledge come from this. She's very curious and devoted to studying all forms of magic, and this sometimes interferes with either her sense of self-preservation and placing boundaries on types of magic that shouldn't be studied. (Note - she's not evil by any stretch, any more than Evie - both good people, just sometimes too inquisitive for their own good.)
Another influence on Norah, especially in terms of her use of magic as well as her protectiveness of those around her, is Lulu from Final Fantasy X. Much like Lulu in the games, Norah is very emotionally reserved and guarded around people, especially those she does not know well. She also relies heavily on logic and reason rather than religion to understand the world around her. This also heavily influences her clothing style and choices in game - dark colors and a vague witchiness to her, but again not so much evil (and like Lulu, actually a very good person at heart), just a little unsettling.
The final influence for her personality - and also a large part of how I envision her mannerisms, dress, and costuming - is the character Emma Bishop, from the sadly short-lived comic series Ruse. (The series was written by Mark Waid back when he was with CrossGen, but CG went out of business. Marvel did a 4-run print of the series a couple years ago with Waid which was still solid, but the original is IMO better.) She has both a prim-and-proper lady-like quality, but is also still very human and brings a lot of humanity to those around her, rather than just a stuck-up stuffed shirt.
Music-wise, I've settled on Amy Lee for her voice, the lead singer for Evanescence. I'd debated a number of others to imagine how she takls/sings, but trying to find the right fit of melodic and beautiful, yet also haunting and a little eerie unsettling with flashes of anger and resentment - this is pretty much spot on. So much anger and lashing out, but also so much beauty, like a really pissed off angel that's just done taking crap and has decided to take matters into her own hands.
EXTENDED FAMILY INSPIRATIONS
Andreas, her father, is a long-term military man who for most of his life was unswervingly loyal to his kin and country. The family is of a very minor house (think of the level of the Reeds or the Westerlings in ASOIAF/GoT if it helps) - they were upper class, but very, very minor in the grand scheme of things, which is the only reason they were able to survive King Theodoric's purges of the nobility; he just hadn't gotten around to them and others at that level yet before he himself was overthrown. Andreas is a shrewd tactician and a strong warrior, but also honorable and someone who tries to do the right thing. He can sometimes seem a little judgmental or aloof, but had a genuine affection for his family and children and always made time for them. His personality, demeanor, and fighting skills would very much be in line with Eddard (Ned) Stark, in terms of popular culture and media references. He is warm to those who know him very well, otherwise quietly responsible and diligent to the outside world. (Their father is where both Jossen and Norah come by their personalities.)
Norah's mother, Karinn, would be a bit more like Zoe from Firefly - she's no longer a front-line fighter herself as she left the military once pregnant with their first child, Norah's older brother Jossen. She may have chosen to become a mother first and a politician second, but make no mistake - she's neither a wilting violet nor anyone's "kept woman", and anyone who dared suggest otherwise would likely meet the business end of her pistols. She may have ended her military career a bit prematurely, but she is a fully realized partner of her husband, a strong role model and protector of her family, and has a definite sense of agency and independence in her own right rather than "wife of Andreas". In political circles, she has to "pretend" to be the good, quiet wife supporting her husband and she absolutely loathes it, not because she does not support him but because she rebels at the idea of being the "plus one". On the other hand, in their new life involved with the Resistance covertly, she plays her "helplessness" and "dumb female" schtick up to the hilt, feigning dumb and often flirting with Garlean officials in order to gather as much information as she can to spread throughout their network, while secretly fantasizing about shooting each and every one of them square between the eyes. (Yes, she's definitely more feisty than her husband and with more of a temper, and where both Mihane and Jeffron inherited their personalities.)
Jossen is being played by a friend, so I don't want to fill out too much here as she develops his personality. My original conception for him is something like Cap in Captain America: First Avenger (not so much subsequent movies). In the original, while he's obviously a very good guy and someone who tries to always do the right thing, stand up to bullies, etc - there's a genuine warmth and humanity to the character that doesn't always come through in stereotypical "Lawful Stupid" paladin portrayals. This guy is a more approachable version of his father - still honorable and duty-bound, but friendlier and the sort of Officer who would stand by his troops, lead by example rather than asking them to do things in his place, and completely buy them drinks and rub elbows in the enlisted mess-hall at the end of the day.
Jeffron is the younger brother and the third child of the Nightsbanes. He's fun, brilliant, cocky and a little too quick to look for adventures and scrapes - Norah always says his charm outweighs his common sense. My current source of inspiration for him is Napoleon Solo, as played by Henry Cavill in Guy Ritchie's remake of the Man from UNCLE....way too good looking, charming and debonaire when it suits him, knowledgeable in the finer things in life but pretty savvy with the rougher sides too. He's a definite adrenaline junkie and a terrible womanizer, though this doesn't mean he's not very, very competent at his endeavors - he just does his utmost to make sure most people never realize that (unless they're also involved in arms trafficking and smuggling, of course). It's hard to say how he might have ended up had Mhigo not fallen, it's entirely possible he would have wound up as the spoiled playboy fop he pretends to be....except it did, and its collapse forced him to grow up in a hurry and to make decisions about what was really important in life. He stayed behind with his family initially, adopting the "playboy" persona, but secretly trained in combat with both of his parents and began taking over the smuggling operations of the family. He's learned anything and everything he can about any and all weapons he can, and can use most of them with deadly accuracy - daggers, pistols, swords, brass knuckles, and anything else he can get his hands on (including a particular episode involving a Garlean patrol, a cat, a mechanized suit of armor, 5 gallons of brandy and a torch. Don't ask....) At present, he moves back and forth across the Garlean wall and across Eorzea with ease, usually in one of his many cover identities.
Mihane was the family's Great Beauty and the baby of the family, and her loss is a pain that unites them all in grief. She was growing into a rare and true beauty, with golden hair and blue eyes like her mother, and talented at nearly everything she tried. She sang like an angel, was quick with guns and daggers as she learned them, and had a personality and charm bigger than the room. She was the sort who not only inevitably found mischief, but between her charm and her beauty, could talk herself out of any consequences. Unfortunately, she had a minor medical condition in an urban environment that led to her dying at the age of thirteen in the Thanalan desert. (This is not comics death, she's dead....Norah was there with her when she breathed her last, though was unable to bury the body very well.)
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