T'zara Rhesh
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General:
T'zara Rhesh is a young adult female Seeker of the Sun Miqo'te from the Dravanian sect of the Condor Tribe. She has succeeded in her rite of passage to adulthood, and as such, has taken the duty of traveling from her home in the frigid mountains on the border of Sharlavan and Dravania to the 'civilized' countries of the south to extend her warrior training. She hopes to bring back new knowledge of fighting techniques, armor, and weaponry to help her Tribe survive in the brutal North country.
Appearance:
T'zara stands tall, just shy of five fulms, four ilms. Like most of the Dravanian Condor Tribe, her skin is a warm, dark tan, and complimented with black hair cut into a razored bob just about jaw-length. The tips of her hair are colored a bright red, which offset her icy, pale-blue eyes. She does not like revealing clothing. She prefers to keep her body covered, as flouncing around in next-to-nothing is a trait of immature or failed warriors of her Tribe. Upon completion of her Coming of Age trial, T'zara wears the red 'x' warpaint across her face, that signifies her role as front-line fighter for her Tribe. She wears this mark with pride, and tends to consider those lacking their warpaint to be unseasoned, or undesirable sub-par individuals.
Behavior:
T'zara often comes across as arrogant, or stuck up, in the cities of the South-lands. She does not participate in the constant courtship and mating rituals of the city Miqo'te, and she often looks down on them for their lack of pride, self-control, and honor. She prefers to keep company with those she deems worthy; warriors and magicians of the 'honorable' races, consisting mostly of Hyurs, an Elezen or two, a few Lalafell, and the occasional Roegadyn, though the giants' loud tendencies sometimes prove too much for the mostly-introverted Seeker. To her Tribe and her friends, she is a fierce friend, and a loyal companion. To strangers in need, she is compassionate, but never is she anybody's fool.
The Condor Tribe of Dravania: a Brief History
Centuries ago, when the Miqo'te Tribes were making their way across the frozen sea, the Condor Tribe was a single large unit. As they made their way through the rugged terrain of Sharlavan into Coerthas,they were besieged by the Dragons, and scattered. Most ran south, into the northern-most forests of the Black Shroud, but a pocket of the Condors remained, hidden amongst the rocks and snow of Dravania and Sharlavan. Trapped by the Dragons and the unforgiving weather of Coerthas, they had to survive as best they could until help came. It never did.
Thus the Dravanian Condor Tribe was forced to evolve, if they were to survive at all in their harsh new world.
Some time later, as tensions began to escalate between the Ishgardians and the Dragons, the Condor Tribe saw an opportunity for advancement. After the battles, members of the Tribe would venture out on the fields, scavenging armor, weapons, and scales from fallen drakes to fashion into weapons and gear for their own purposes. They studied the dead beasts, and began to learn about them. Not long after the rise of the first Dragoon, the first warriors of the Condor Tribe struck out to hunt the very creatures that had been plaguing them for so long.
It became a rite of passage to participate in the hunt. Young warriors would band together under the guidance of a seasoned hunter, and operate as a unit to take down a dragon. Success in such an event meant the participants were regarded as adults of the Tribe from that point on, and marked according to their station in the attack. Front-line warriors bore the crimson marks of claws, tribal markings around the eyes, an 'x', or a series of lines and dots along the cheeks and over the eyes, while those gifted in the ancient magical arts were marked with tribal barring along the forehead and cheeks, a solid band across the eyes, a half-mask or a full mask over the face of the same crimson warpaint. Within the Tribe, the paint traditionally incorporated blood from the target creature and doubled as a scent-masking agent for future hunts.
Individuals lacking the warpaint, or those preferring cosmetics or vanity tattoos instead are considered immature, or are failed warriors who have since opted to become part of the common breeding stock. Females in the latter state are few, as Nunhs prefer strong women of good stock to continue the Condor lineage. Likewise, males seek to earn their warpaint, else they stand no chance at claiming a female, and forfeit their rights to ever challenge for title of Nunh.
Within the Condor Tribe of Dravania, there is one other coveted position: Tribe Elder. Again, only those who have earned their warpaint may ever be considered for this noble position. There may be as many as five Elders at any given time, though due to harsh circumstance, oftentimes only one or two survive to fill their station. Along with the warpaint, any hopefuls seeking to become Tribe Elder must also exhibit honor, duty to their Tribe, garner and give respect to those who earn it, and they must undertake a journey to bring back knowledge to help the Tribe. Elders are typically chosen from wizened tias and female warriors past their kit bearing-age. Occasionally, someone from a younger generation is considered for the position, but to take on the Elder status early means surrendering rights to the Nunh for females, and giving up the right to challenge for Nunh for tias. Elders act as a counsel for civil issues, they guide and teach young Condors as well as oversee the Coming of Age rituals leading up to and after a dragon hunt, they advise the Nunh, and consider opportunities for improving the Tribe's overall condition and well-being.
Along with the tell-tale dark skin and hair, light eyes, and facial warpaint, other common characteristics that set Dravanian Condor Tribe members apart from other Miqo'te are their thickly-furred tails and slightly-larger build, traits that have developed over time as a survival mechanism for the harsh northern terrain. To speak with a Dravanian Condor reveals another distinguishing factor; they all speak with a moderate to heavily accented voice, similar to common Russian. Depending on their exposure to South-land dialects, this accent may be slightly faded, and their usage of 'common' terms better than those who have little to no experience listening to the speech of the city-states.
