Race: Asari
Sex: Mono
Age: 212 CE
Profile: Adept
DOB: 1973 CE
Homeworld: Trategos
Appearance: PhysicalHeight: 5’9”
Weight: 168 lbs.
Her skin is a shade lighter blue than most asari. The smooth complexion is broken up by white, long striped markings tracing her eyes and trailing down the outline of her face. They continue down her neck where they fade off around her trapezoid. The flow is similar to the winds of a Trategos storm, simple and intertwining flourish. Her grey eyes hold a hardened and examining aura to them each time she looks at you. As if questioning if you’re worth her trust.
Though her primary function was a doctor, her work with Texon required her to remain in shape. This has trimmed any unnecessary fat from her curves and bust diminishing the feminine appeal somewhat. One had to be ready to run or protect her associates at a moment’s notice should things turn badly.
Ryria has three distinct outfits she’s commonly seen in.
The first one is her medical uniform with the traditional reddish-orange and white pattern. It is perhaps the most comfortable one for her as it hugs her shape without being revealing. About her waist is a medical belt that houses all her tools for emergencies, from laser scalpels to packets of medi-gel.
On missions outside the Nexus, she wears her standard initiative armor set. It’s basic with no special flourishes compared to other more expensive armor, but it suits her needs well.
In a casual setting, her individual style is more conservative compared to most maidens her age. Often consisting of long to mid-sleeve shirts, tight-fitting pants, and boots.
With all but her armor, Ryria often wears a headscarf wrapped around her crest and lower face. It’s not a fashion statement but to hide the most notable scars maiming her lower left side and her crest. The only times she removes it is in private, around those she trusts or when doing a medical operation, which she’ll pull it down. Otherwise, it remains in place.
Those have seen underneath will note the disfiguring surface scars upon her left side and broken head crest. The first one's story happened on Niacal, but the crest... that's one she refuses to share.
Background:1973 CERyria T’Vessi was brought into the world during the coldest winter month in the Ignis Colony, Trategos. Individuals often are brought together thanks to the harshest conditions. This is exactly what happened when it came to Beyna T’Vessi and the security head of the colony, a turian called Desim Joragna.
For much of Ryria’s childhood, she was fortunate enough to have a happy one despite the frigid conditions, managed to survive her first few months. Living in a world created by winter gave her much different life than others in warmer planets. For one, she had never known a place not covered in snow or threatened by the dropping temperatures. This made most her actions borderline life or death whenever she ventured outside her colony’s complex. Forgetting one key survival lesson, she could easily become an asari ice block and die in less than a minute. Thankfully she, or other children, rarely ventured out into the cold.
1989 CEOn what passed for ‘summer’ months, several members of the colony went out to the equator and hunted bizarre krill-like creatures hidden under the ice. These trips were often the most dangerous because the churning water’s broken ice would become collected into the filtering, reinforced nets. The colonists often needed to clear the debris or risk starvation by not catching enough food.
It was after one of these routine trips that Ryria’s life would spiral into a deep, dark abyss.
She could remember when family friends arrived at their home unit. A fist knocked at the hull’s door causing her to open it, noticing their faces were laced with guilt. Her instinct became polluted by dread even before they delivered their horrible news. Beyna had been mauled by the machine she worked at. Now she tittered on the line between life and death. This news hit her father the worst of all. As predicted, despite the medical team’s efforts, Beyna died late into the night leaving behind a grieving family.
1989-1993 CEWith the hollowness slowly healing, Ryria noticed her father change. His affection toward her no longer existed as she watched him descend into a shadow of his former self. The years at this point blurred together.
It was hard to tell what was the last straw that drove her to leave, but at the age of twenty (appeared around 13 physically), she couldn’t stay any longer. In the end, there was nothing to discourage her. Packing up what little belongings she had and a few food rations, Ryria knew the CS Angelis was coming into dock soon. They often dropped off supplies, picked up the sea minerals then depart back out. It was a brief window out of her current living conditions.
The crew was small, a ragtag crew made of krogans, turians and a few asari. It didn’t take the crew long to find her after they left obit. She had become sloppy when pilfering something from the food stocks causing the onboard cook, a hard ass turian, to notice. By this time, the crew couldn’t turn back without forfeiting their payday. Something disagreeable as they hadn’t been paid for several months already.
Unable to get rid of her, they decided to put her to work. During her time on the ship, she absorbed what skills and tricks she could. Extra hands, even small ones, were helpful. From how to navigate the vents to clean them to adjusting parts within the innards of the ship, there was little free time. Over time she began to connect to the crew one by one. However, to say everyone enjoyed her was an understatement.
Most her time was spent with Maeve Arkin, an asari. A natural biotic and also the ship’s doctor, she was a pump, motherly type that didn’t know when to mind her own business sometimes. With a little prying, Ryria naturally revealed her situation back home stirring the maternal instinct in the older asari. Maeve took Ryria under her wing where child learned some of her basic biotic skills after years of neglect. Gradually a spark of desire to heal budded in Ryria’s heart showing she had compassion and supportive nature when she let her ice mask down.
When they arrived on Illium, the Angelis’ crew was uncertain what to do with her. Due to the planet’s lax regulation laws, there was little confidence that the local authorities, or what pretty much stood for them, would be reliable enough to return her home. After much poking and prodding, their pilot and captain, Therus Vyictus, was finally convinced to postpone future deliveries in favor of bringing the child to the nearest proper authorities.
One man’s protests fell on deaf ears. Seth Drayos. It was a name Ryria would come to hate.
As the Angelis crew began to ready themselves for their departure once more, five Vorcha entered the ship’s docking area. Without warning, they opened fire. Ryria watched as the chaos broke out before her. Quickly Maeve shot up a biotic shield to protect herself, Ryria, Seth and Therus against the bullets. Frightened and panicked, Ryria’s mind could only think of one thing to do: run. That’s exactly what she did.
Seth chose now to show his true colors when his arm whipped out and collided with Therus’ nose. Stunning the pilot/captain, he fired upon Maeve’s exposed back instantly killing her. Ryria never saw the asari’s figure collapse. All she remembered was the pain searing across her back and into her shoulder causing her legs to crumble underneath her. Gradually her world went dark as Seth’s words echoed in her ears.
“About time you came, I couldn’t delay their departure any longer…”
Hours later, Ryria woke up in a medical bed with numerous machines monitoring her condition. Weakly her head flipped to the side to find herself facing a concern Turian, who worked as private security. He gently questioned her about the dock’s incident. After the interrogation, she was asked who they could contact to retrieve her. She answered,
“No one.”1993-2017 CEShe was placed under the asari government’s care, quickly transferred from Illium to Thessia until her parents could be found. After several weeks of no news, she officially became the government’s ward. Placed into building a unit with other orphaned asari children, things were not all bad. She was provided proper education, food, and clothes. However, attachment still remained an issue as she watched her friends adopted over the years. Her mask became more refined, developed to shield her from the brevity of pain with each departure.
It was usual for all asari to serve a mandatory six years in huntress and advance biotic training. She wasn’t excused from this. Before she reached her maiden stage, Ryria began her enlistment. She didn’t intend to stay any longer than required, feeling her talents were better in healing others. If anything positive happened, it would help her edge into the medical field while doing the huntress training.
During this hellish period, she discovered her greatest weakness and strengths in multiple areas. The most annoying fact was she learned she did best at supporting others. Having trust issues, this was the biggest challenge because she didn’t expect to remain in the military. She had little motivation to connect with her fellow cadets, mistakes often resulted in failure and created stress in her team. It seemed like ages before she improved her trust issues to allow better cooperation skills when it came to others. It still showed in slight ticks or twitches when comfort levels reached higher than she could handle, but she managed it.
2017-2039 CE When she hit thirty-eight, she had finished her mandatory military requirements then entered her maiden-stage. As expected, Ryria began working at a Thessia clinic. There she learned medical studies were an unending experience with new discoveries being made thanks to progression.
For a while, she felt content and happy. That sensation didn’t last as thoughts began to accumulate. She could bring her medical skills to places that wasn't fortunate enough to have them and lacked the means. When twenty-two years had passed, her heart began to fester with discontent at her lifestyle.
It didn’t help that it felt like nearly asari her age had taken every opportunity to leave the planet and followed their upbringing to help others. Most asari were taught this at a young age, especially upon Thessia.
To end the restlessness festering in her core and sensation of failing, Ryria sought out options. It was here she found a privately funded project called Texon that focused primarily on environment conservation and aid relief to isolated or in harsh area colonies. It had been backed by several good-willed individuals to provide a good image outlook on it. They were requesting interested parties with a variety of skills ranging from security to manual labor force, including medical.
A notification was placed about it being a high-risk experience and Texon preferring applications with experience in firearms, but it didn’t deter her. The other option was to tolerate her emotions and do nothing. That was something she couldn’t stand.
2039-2047 CE Following eight years of filling out forms, waiting and additional training, she was shipped off on her first mission. Niacal, an oxygen flooded garden planet. Ryria was nervous about the whole ordeal. Rebreathers were an essential fact of life thanks to the oxygen toxicity in the air, a death she nearly experienced with her first brush with a Krauyk. Small and with enough jaw pressure to break equipment, Ryria will tell you size doesn’t determine how dangerous a creature can be.
Even with the experience jarring her, Ryria’s love of nature and wildlife began here. It was unlike her homeworld Trategos or Thessia. An almost primal appeal that drew an unexpected emotion she secretly enjoyed pounding through her core. The idea of discovering this unfamiliar world. Her journal began to take souvenirs of animals, including self-taught drawings.
Though the compound had a medical room, she quickly learned few ever truly made it there in time. This fact forced Ryria to alter her usual methods to save lives. Using her age-old skills from her training as a huntress, she enabled herself to focus primarily on being a field medic with additional medical knowledge. This increased her patient’s chances in this lethal world.
At the start, her primary focus was healing, but as the years went on she found other ways to contribute.
She began to join expeditions into the local jungle, discovering the security tasked to the compound was lacking such talent. It also allowed her to experience the challenges the scientists had to deal with first hand. After scouting an area, a fellow sniper and herself would climb the tallest tree in the area then watch the scenery for any unwanted beasts.
There were a few close encounters but the casualty rate was kept low. It also gave any wounded a fighting chance as she stabilized them on site, then quickly moved them out. A rhythm was built daily between protecting it from the wildlife (usually tranquilizers) to treating the wounded in expeditions.
2073-2184 CERyria remained on Niacal’s facilities for twenty-five years before being reassigned, returning at least five more times in the future. Working with Texon forced her to be ready to move at a moment’s notice so she usually kept her bag packed, stuffed under her bed.
After her first mission was under her belt, she was assigned to a new team. They made an emergency detour to a station orbiting around Tevura. It had a serious infestation of rabid Varrens. It was bad enough the scientists, mostly Salarian, had been forced to lock themselves in a lab for protection. Hunting fishdogs in a metal-made structure was nothing like the jungles of Niacal. First off, they had to ensure they didn’t do more damage than the unwanted guests, especially to the labs. So gun use was limited to life or death only.
Traps were the name of the game, but the team had to ensure the quarry fell into them. Not just avoided them. This left poor Ryria as ‘bait’. Her biotics would be able to prevent the vicious creatures from getting too close while she dodged through the trigger without getting caught in the trap. Nothing was more motivating than having five to eight hungry varren biting at your ass.
After her team and she brought them down to manageable levels, the team leader turned to the scientists for answers. They seemed reluctant to give full details and honestly, she didn’t care enough to stick around to learn about it. Snitching a fishdog scale, she added another entrance in her journal.
Another ‘fun’ memory was when a relief ship named the Zephire broke down in the Hades Gamma section, crashing into Xamarri’s surface. Like with many missions, the teams always changed based on the situation or volunteers available. Again she wasn’t familiar with this group when they entered the Hades Gamma cluster toward the luna-like planet.
The transmission cut out hours before they arrived. Despite the grim sign, the team was sent down to the surface. They found the starship just as the pilot and his crew were lined up along the side. Several unknown individuals were unloading the vaccines, food, water, and other supplies before placing them into another vehicle. Knowing they had to act quickly before these pirates shed any innocent blood, Ryria brought out her sniper rifle. She didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger as her first shot plowed through her target’s, a Turian, skull. It stunned his companions enough for her teammates to rush from cover and surround them.
This was her first sentient kill, but it wouldn’t be her last. A brief gun/biotics fight later, all seven pirates were scattered, killed or wounded. Ryria, more on impulse than want, treated those in critical condition before shifting to the freed crew.
It seemed they had driven the relief ship into Xamarri with intentions to pilfer the supplies, then sell them on the black-market. When the ship was repaired, they escorted it through the Hades Gamma toward its destination. Authorities were informed about the incident and members were interrogated until police were satisfied.
Looking back on her work with Texon, Ryria realized a terrible truth. Even with all the people she had met, she never really connected with any of the members of her team. They changed so rapidly, often mission to mission, that no one tried to reach out. The closest she ever got was with her first and longest mission back on Niacal. By the time she returned the second time, those on the compound had died or moved on.
It left a unsettling pain even when she had been taught to expect it.
2184-5 CERyria’s knowledge about the Andromeda Initiative came from Texon. A representative had sought her among a few candidates, looking for volunteers among Texon’s ranks who would fit certain criteria. First, they had to be fully capable. Second, they had to be willing to leave their old lives behind and insane enough to risk their lives in some harebrained scheme that might not work.
She fit all the conditions presented, driven by the knowledge if this expedition was successful then the new system would need capable individuals like herself. A fresh start and way to pave a new trail for others. It made her think back to her experience with Niacal, driving a spark of adrenaline followed by the excitement in her soul. Wanting that experience again, she signed on as a doctor.
A few months later she found herself in the orientation with other civilians who fit the mold. Little did she know what a disaster this voyage would become or the dire situation that awaited her.
2819 CE: 9 months ago - present Waking from hypersleep was always a sickening sensation, Ryria’s awareness was distorted and crumbled due to a lengthy slumber. Righting her once more, senses collected things happening about her. The smell of smoke, sounds of screams, and blurry images of ship crew darted about the background. It was the Nexus’ first encounter with the Scourge. The memory seared into her mind while she was thawed in order to attend the wounded.
Not all individuals could be saved, leaving many of the revived medical staff to decide life or death for those in critical condition. Some of the guilt over those decisions still haunt her.
Over the next several months, she worked to monitor the condition of those passengers still within hypersleep, assisting in waking necessary staff, and other tasks in her job description. A few pods were heavily damaged that the patient had to be revived to save them or was already dead. One heavy loss was a member of the APEX team, the medic. Her face was bashed inward from metal debris as it cracked the outside instantly killing her. The sight was disturbing to view. Carefully and respectfully, Ryria catalog the woman to be dead then placed the body away for jettison.
Days blended into each other without much of an ability to keep proper time. Within the shadows, a mutiny stirred. People were gradually being placed back into hypersleep when rations were running dangerously low. However, she had learned it was sometimes best to keep silent in harsh times. Her views didn’t lean to one side or the other. Many would argue it was because she wasn’t about to go back into hypersleep immediately.
The tension in the air was thick enough to cut by the time the conflict happened. As predicted, bloodshed broke out on the ship. Swept up in it, her combative skills came to the light when a fellow colleague turned on her. The betrayer had been ordered to return to hypersleep tomorrow. It seemed the human woman figured if Ryria died, it would be blamed on the conflict and eliminating the competition would change the situation.
This angered the asari deeply.
Clocking someone on the head was so much more effective at times than a sedative. It also felt damn good. Her hand subtly glowed blue causing a large jar to lift from the local table, then slammed full force into the woman’s head. Not wasting any energy, Ryria’s foot kicked away the gun causing it to slid away. Still dazed, the fellow doctor didn’t see the asari lift her into the air before throwing the human into the nearest wall repeatedly. After the second impact, the human was dropped like a ragdoll into an operating table. Ryria remained distrustful as she strapped her attacker in.
Finishing up, she turned to calmly collect her medical gear. Then she vanished into the war enveloping the Nexus in order to assist the wounded, more specifically the security force. This situation needed to be controlled or thousands of lives would perish.
This added more nightmares to her ever-growing experiences.
Present time has left her with much to think about. Grim expectations replaced by tentative hope upon finding Prodromos and their dire situation improving. For now… she has individuals to wake up from hypersleep and possible update on recent events too. Hopefully, they can live through this.
Personality: First and Outward ImpressionCold.
Business-like.
Emotionless.
Ryria’s not known for her bedside mannerisms when she is set on saving someone, her near meticulous behavior prevents wasted energy and enables a steady hand. Especially when it comes to saving another’s life. A rigid control over herself, from body language to words, Ryria sometimes comes off as being closed off to others. Few realize the personality they see… is simply a mask she uses to protect herself.
Not considered rude or sarcastic, her practicality motivates everything she does. This usually makes most ridiculous activities frowned upon by her. However, a little nudging can sometimes yield unexpected results giving individuals a peek behind the icy exterior. The thawing is the beginning of earning trust which grows in time spent in her company.
Inside and Past the Shell Ryria has an inverted personality under her stoic and frosty outside. Past the cold and seemingly confident exterior, her friends can see a slightly different individual peering back at them. Her insecurities and compassion show first in a softening of her voice from the crisp, firm air presented. It holds an open, nearly inviting tone. Then gradually she will share her own thoughts without fear of judgment.
Even with the mask on, she isn’t immune to feeling pain when it comes to ridicule, insult or guilt. Though Ryria will admit the icy detachment helps to buffer the pain. Sadly she won’t allow the emotion to be easily seen in her expression because doing so, she believes it gives the aggressor more power over her. Most satisfaction. Something she refuses to allow.
With the mask, she appears not to care what others think of her, but that’s far from the truth. She does but enough to alter herself to become fully accepted by everyone. To strangers, she rarely volunteers her opinions unless it's asked for or if it prevents serious harm to her patient’s health. Friends and close associates, she feels completely confident in sharing her thoughts and concerns openly. Even giving in to their requests despite her better judgment.
FlawsRyria has no tolerance for those who threaten her, directly or indirectly. Those who fall to such filthy ideas will find themselves at the end of a biotic push against the wall and slowly suffocated until they pass out. Possibly additional bumps if they insist on fighting her.
Her trust is a delicate thing. When broken, it takes great effort on the individual’s part to recover even a small amount of it. Most never regain it fully within their lifetime. The positive thing, this wall between them will not prevent her from doing her job or working with the individual. They merely receive the full force of her mask.
Depending on others is very difficult for Ryria. She has grown up very independent and if she can do things herself, she most often will impulsively. This makes teamwork a challenge for her most the time, but she can follow orders and work with others. Her struggles in this show through subtle twitches and reining in her impulses. As trust is gained, followed by attachment… this struggle fades. However, in exchange, this makes her more vulnerable to the words and thoughts of others.
LikesRyria, oddly, has a sweet tooth. Fruit with a sweet taste was a rare thing back on Tartegos where meat was the primary diet, sided by whatever was able to be grown in the hothouses under the frozen wasteland. This often makes her slightly more subjected to… semi-reasonable requests when promised such a treat.
Most people hate the cold, but she loves it. Going far enough to keep the places she spends most her time in colder than most would consider comfortable. Many patients, especially turians, tend to bring sweatshirts to keep warm. However, she seems unfazed by it.
FearWhile she usually enjoys and is fascinated by most animals, there is one exception… the Niacal’s Krauyk. A small, twin headed serpentine lizard with enough jaw strength to crush a rebreather and throat in a short time, ultimately suffocating its victim. They were commonly known for taking down larger prey with frightening ease. This creature has burrowed a sense of fear into Ryria since her encounter with it.
HobbiesIn her spare time, she enjoys reading exploration and fiction novels. She could spend hours lost in their imaginative worlds woven by the author’s words. It also provides some safety compared to her current profession as well as a brief escape from their grim future.
Ryria keeps both a physical and virtual journal which illustrates her life from Trategos to present. Within the physical one are a collection of wild feathers, scales, fur samples to various illustrations sided by her own thoughts. Like a novel, there was up and downs throughout her life. The early art is rather shitty but appears to have gotten better over time. Often this is safely locked in her quarters and out of sight.
Reason for being awoken from Cryo (Specific jobs, skills, and Initiative Application): Ryria was woken up shortly after the Nexus encountered the Scourge, mainly to treat the critically wounded. She later monitored the individuals still locked in hypersleep and identify the dead. This responsibility followed into the crew’s mutiny against their leaders.
Equipment:Viper
Talon
Pull
Throw
Singularity
Backlash
Barrier
Font Colour: #A5F2F3 | Ice blue
OOC Notes:While she could've qualified for the APEX team, Ryria didn’t originally sign up for it. With one medic dead and limited personnel options, this
will change ICly.
Member
dragonpiece
Lucid Dreaming
Alby47
Apollosarcher
Damycles
Landaus Five-One
BlackRoseSiren
Ti
Almalthia
Alfhedil
