Name:Rashida ‘Shidya’ Ustenko
Age: 109
Race: Witch
Faction: Rebel
Appearance: Shidya is a severe looking woman with a high forehead and square jaw. Her face doesn’t lend itself to expression well, making her a hard woman to read. She keeps her hair tied back in a tight knot, often covered with a scarf, and face scrubbed clean of any makeup or dirt. The appearance of cleanliness is considerably lessened by her hands; fingers permanently stained black to the second knuckle. Even with her ridged posture, she only just reaches five feet in height. Her style has changed little through the years, odd in the western world with her long skirts and tucked blouses, but largely plain and unassuming. Many find it difficult to pinpoint her age, with the height of one still growing, the wardrobe of a grandmother, and a sternness hard to find outside the USSR.
Personality: Shidya is as dour as she looks, and lacks a as much in humor as she does patience. While she primarily wants to end the Council’s rules for the good of all living beings, she isn’t specific as to what that good is. She wouldn’t opposed to having the Dark Council rule over humans, or even subjugate them; humans have proven too often they cannot be trusted to act without guidance. It is the Council’s permissiveness of human actions, regardless how they effect both kinds of beings, that Shedya is against.
She is extremely traditional and values loyalty and honesty, especially where family is concerned. A great deal of her knowledge was passed down from even more conservative lineage, and a number of Shidya's practices could be viewed as eccentric or superstitious in west.
Background: In the beginning of the 20th century, there were five Ustenko children, all living happily in Kiev, Ukraine. Rashida was the youngest, all earliest memories are composed of her siblings surrounding her Baba-Misha who told horrifying stories of both the past and future. She warned Shidya’s family to leave the Ukraine, but even then she was too old and her mind too weak to be taken seriously. So she left alone, not to see another of her family for another eighty years.
The initial fighting in Kiev didn’t worry the family much. There was stress, but magic warded raids from their home, and kept them safe. There wasn’t much even magic could do for children when the famines struck. The following years took Rashida’s sister and one brother away; the following war took the two remaining. In the peace that followed, Shidya lost her human father to more natural causes.
It was hard living, and Shidya’s mother never fully recovered from the loss of four of her children and the weight of her husband, human as he had been, weakened her resolve. She began to age rapidly, and it fell to Shidya to care for her. Her days were spent between working jobs, changing every decade or so as not to draw much attention. Largley she worked in various mundane government position, call centers, secretary and reception work. But for 12 years she slowly climbed ranks in the chemistry department at the University of Kiev. Even while her health declined, Shidya's mother passed on what knowledge she had on runes and magic, though she was so lost in paranoia by then half could have been simple superstition for all Shidya knew.
While in her time it had gone threw many names and border changes, Rashida didn’t leave her homeland until the fall of the Berlin wall in 1991. Four years after her mother's death. She went in search of the only family that remained, Baba-Misha, whose mental instability had progressed, but survived in America. They lived together quietly, largely ignored by the Dark Council and doing nothing to provoke it. Shidya received her green-card after it became obvious that Misha would be unable to care for herself, and began work at the University of Maryland.
Initially, Shidya did not join the rebel group. She agreed with their purpose, but the only other person from Darkworld she was close to was her Baba, who was in no condition to go to war. It wasn’t until nearly 3 years after the war began that Misha had another vison, and warned Shidya that there would be war in their homeland again that she began to act. She sent word to the Dark Council who did nothing to intervene. In 2010, both Reshida and her mother left for Meridian to join the rebels.
Skills/Equipment:Rashida is specialized in warding and ritualized runic magic. This leaves her rather ill-equipped for an unexpected fight, but lessens her need for one in the first place. Her spells are all powerful, and often undetectable to those they effect, but take time and materials to create.
Wards: Possibly the most basic form of rune magic, Shidya learned basic deterrent symbols as a child; a large contributing factor to her survival as a child. She has since learned a wide variations, wards that can lock and unlock, or have various other effects on trespassers.
- Rune of Paralysis
- Rune of Repulsion
- Rune of Deterrence
- Rune of Teleportation
Charms/Enchantment: Runes and physical trinkets that can be given to a person, forcing honesty, or warning for poisons. Their uses are wide, but un-discriminate, and a good deal weaker than fully enchanted items.
- Honesty Charm
- Awareness Charm
- Soothing Charm
Rituals: The most unique power in Shidya’s arsenal, is the teachings from her Baba-Misha. It is also the most skeptically viewed form of magic, due to its effects on the user and temperamental outcomes. But with time and materials, Shidya can trace anyone in the world by only knowing their true name. The power is furthered the stronger link she has to a person (hair, blood, or prized possession). She has tried to look into the future only once, and nearly went mad from it.
- Location Rituals
- Hypnosis/Mid-altering Rituals
- Prophetic Rituals
Equipment:Ink: Shidya prefers to use ink to write her runes, with a brush if one is available, a stick, or sometimes even with her own hands.
Books: She almost always keeps two books form her vast collection on hand, containing less-frequently used runes for reference when she's in a pinch.
Awareness Charm: A charm worn around the neck that grants Shidya a greater perception of her surroundings, it gives her feelings of unease whenever there is danger is near, though it is hard to differentiate between the charm and her own paranoia.
Sulfuric Acid: A sample of a highly concentrated sulfuric acid solution, used for a variety of purposes including strengthening her own wards against interference from enchanted steel, and breaking others. Can be either damaging or enhancing to steel weapons, depending on the concentration used.
Healing Kit: Mostly a long wrap of bandages, covered with runes of healing and a antiseptic.
Knife: A short, non-enchanted knife. More of a tool than weapon in her untrained hands.
Ring of Repulsion: A ring worn on the middle finger of her left hand that casts a repelling force outwards to whatever direction the rune in facing.
1 Sphere of Mystery
Other Information: While her English is near perfect in both vocabulary and grammar, she retains a strong accent, and any magic casting she needs is always done in either Latin, Ukrainian, or Russian.
Few people know her full name, as she typically uses her childhood quick-name of Shidya instead.
She is very close with her grandmother, or Baba-Misha; an ancient woman even by witch standards who is widely seen as a mad-woman. Shidya however has complete faith in her, and when she can understand the old woman’s prophecies, takes them to heart.
