That, and after recently replaying OoT, there's a NPC in Castle Town who says the Gerudo sometimes come to town to look for boyfriends, and they have the carpenters they took hostage, and besides, they're a theif clan, they certianly aren't stealing from each other. Hell Nabooru's whole reason for rejecting ganondorf was he was attacking women and children.
Edit: Ninja'd
Yeah, that was in the history even before I edited. The very next paragraph of the man thing, in fact, when she saw Gerudos bring Hylian men to the fortress 8P We were talking of when she was a child and hadn't yet ventured outside/seen people bring men in. She does know what they are in present day fff.
@Double Edited the mention of Ganondorf in now! I can edit again if needed, or even remove that part if ya want. I just figured that for someone who hasn't even seen men of her own race, seeing a Hylian man would have been even a bigger shocker and made her even more curious of them/what else is out there and thus sparking her curiosity towards the outside world. But just seeing a different race for the first time works as well, if you think it works better.
@Jester Acharis I know the char isn't done yet, but I see no reason why Nadijah shouldn't have always known what a man is. Ganondorf was himself a Gerudo, supposedly only one that would be born every hundred years or so. And he even ruled the Gerudo as a King before he left for Hyrule.
Ah, yeah, she knows what they are, more like... she hasn't ever actually seen one, so she hasn't really thought of what they are like/mean/why she should care. The Ganondorf thing is a good point, though, I sort of assumed he'd already left by the time she was born, but that's actually not the case, I think. I'll reword it, no prob!
In any case, I'll see about getting this started sometime tonight. So in essence I'm giving Jester a few more hours to finish up. That doesn't mean I'm going to shut him out if he doesn't finish, it just means he won't be able to start with everyone else.
Working on it, sorry for the delay |D It's 11 PM rn, but I'm gonna finish before bed.
I did want to ask though, how long ago was the Oasis founded again? Either I totally missed that part, or it wasn't specified. Asking because I wanna figure out how long it would have been since she first saw non-Gerudos in the desert en masse. I was thinking of going with a "distrustful + rudely curious of strangers" angle (as in she will literally get in your face to see wtf you are), but if that doesn't make sense timeline-wise I can change it or come up with an excuse as to why she wouldn't have been around Oasis much until recently.
I'm still around, yo. I actually posted yesterday to let you guys know that I won't be able to finish on Saturday due to some unexpected stuff I had to take care of, but apparently the Guild ate the post, because I don't see it now...? Anyway, gonna finish her today, just gotta go grab something to eat first.
Wow, had a busy week. Here's a WIP, will work on it a bit later and finish on Saturday the latest!
EDIT: Done
Name: Nadijah Age: 22 Gender: Female Race: Gerudo
Appearance:
She has darker skin than the image depicts however, and the fur-lined pieces of clothing are actually light armor. In addition, she often wears a cloak or the like for more cover, even if she keeps it open from the front. I'll see if I can find (or draw) a better image later, but for now this should suffice.
Personality: Nadijah is first and foremost a warrior of her tribe, dutybound to protecting her land and people come what may. From a very early age, she's been taught how a proper warrior should fight and act; aggressively but craftily, and she follows those teachings to a T -- most of the time. See, while she would very much like to be like Nabooru and some of the more seasoned Gerudo warriors, she is still relatively young, and that does mean that sometimes, she lets her emotions cloud her judgement.
She's a very curious individual for one, prone to trying to find out new things and sometimes getting carried away by an almost child-like excitement in the face of new things. However, at the same time, she's also rather crude and blunt, never having learnt the importance of manners. As such, if something interests her, she doesn't hesitate to go and touch it, even grabbing it from someone's hand if need be. Similarly, when faced with a foreign race, she isn't afraid to get into people's faces or poke and prod at them to try and figure out how they work.
Rude and intrusive questions aren't uncommon, and neither is her sticking her nose into places it doesn't belong. And she doesn't take kindly if someone tries to stop her or points it out to her. She doesn't want to admit to being so fascinated by these strangers that she openly distrusts; she just is, the same way she would be fascinated to see a new kind of an animal or a plant. Part of her is very excited to finally get to travel outside the Gerudo Valley with an actual purpose as well, seeing it as a great opportunity to see and experience new things - after she's killed Ganondorf.
It might be needless to say, but Nadijah is rather easily irritable, and most definitely hot-headed when it comes to certain topics. Her first answer to many things is violence if she can at all get away with it, and she has a lot to learn when it comes to friendship or the like. All she knows is how to be combat partners.
Background: Having been born and raised within the confines of the Gerudo Valley and the desert that surrounded it, Nadijah wasn't particularly touched by the woes of the world outside. For the longest time her biggest problems centered around training herself to become the best warrior she could be and figuring out how to navigate through the desert before dehydration or a heatstroke could claim her. Having always been somewhat of a hot-head and possessing quite a large amount of ambition, Nadijah enjoyed both endeavors immensely and spent most of her childhood fully absorbed in her duties. She didn't play with the other kids even when they were given the opportunity to; rather, she preferred to spend her free time stabbing at everything that moved in the desert in an attempt to better her aim and strength. If you asked her, it was more fun, anyway.
Like most Gerudo, Nadijah had no idea who her father was and whether he was even alive anymore - and she didn't particularly think to ever want to find out; she never saw men around, so she didn't really think about them. She knew their king was one - the only one she'd seen - but that was it. In a similar vein, she never did think about the possibility of other races existing beyond the desert, particularly when most of her time was spent in the training grounds, near the temple and the many desert posts, all places where strangers rarely dared set foot to. If the harsh weather conditions didn't stop them, then the fear of the Gerudo women did.
Of course, her ignorance of the outside world couldn't last. Against the odds, there were a few outsiders who did make it to either the desert or the fortress, whether they were looking for an adventure or seeking the company of the Gerudo, got lost or were being brought there by some of the adults of the tribe for a very particular purpose. The reasons hardly mattered. What mattered was that eventually, Nadijah was exposed to creatures very unlike her; creatures with far paler features and different physique, creatures that, according to the elder Gerudos she asked from, were called Hylians. Hylian men, even. They were the exact opposite of her. So the world had creatures like this, too...
Now, Nadijah was always a curious child. And while her preferred method of finding stuff out was to stab first and check what remained later, she couldn't exactly do that this time around (not for a lack of trying, though). So, instead, she started to ask things: who are they, where are they coming from, why do they exist? It was then that she learnt of a Hylian man called "Link" as well, said to be a hero of some sort. She was told, although only in passing, that there actually were lands beyond the desert - but that she should never venture there, particularly not when she was still but a kid in their eyes. It was too dangerous. They didn't need a thing from the outsiders.
Nadijah was conflicted. Part of her truly wanted to learn more about the world beyond the valley, yet she also felt incredibly duty-bound to her tribe and could never imagine abandoning them. As such, she stayed, but made sure to try and stalk every single stranger that entered the desert for as long as she could. Meanwhile, the Seven Year War came and went, with the valley staying mostly unaffected by its rage. The Kakariko Massacre was but a passing rumour, brought to the Gerudo by some of the men they brought in, but it wasn't anything they felt sympathetic for. It wasn't their business. No, it was only when the word of the Hero's demise reached the ears of the Gerudo that they, too, started to feel danger approaching.
And it soon turned out that the danger held a name; Ganondorf. Their former king, now turned to evil.
They lost Nabooru to evil as well. Their strong, beloved leader had fallen under the control of the enemy - an enemy that also used to be their leader - and yet the tribe had little time to spend mourning; they were soon met with an army to fight - and they did. Boy, they did. Nadijah was there in the front lines, hacking and slashing away at the foreign intruders that dared try and disturb their peace. Having always looked up to Nabooru, she was furious over seeing her leading the enemies, hellbent on exacting her revenge on every single soldier that dared cross her path. It was a bloody battle, but the Gerudo emerged victorious. Nadijah was badly injured in the battle, forced to be bedridden for months and receivings cars she still dons to this day.
Of course, the turmoil caused by the evil king didn't end there. After the word that Gerudo valley managed to withstand the attempted invasion spread, many survivors from other parts of Hyrule sought sanctuary there. And so, the Oasis was built while Nadijah was still resting from the war prior. And once she was back on her feet, she was once again conflicted. Suddenly, the Oasis - that was part of her people's land - was overrun by strangers, people who she couldn't trust. How could she know that they weren't seeking to take over her lands, or indeed, spy for the evil king? Ganondorf had changed when he'd left the Gerudo community. What if the outside world had done it to him? No, she couldn't trust anyone but her own.
As such, despite her curiosity, Nadijah refused to set foot in the Oasis for the longest time out of stubbornness, somehow feeling that her presence would mean she was on the side of those who called the place their home. Mingling with those strangers wouldn't do her any good. She needed to train on her own instead.
That was, until one night on patrol in the desert, a glow caught her eye. Interest piqued, she followed the glow across the sands, determined to find out what it was - only to find herself staring down at a shard of some sort right at the edge of the Oasis. Slowly, she bent to touch it -- and immediately, she felt a rush of something wash over her. It was vigor and it was warmth, and she couldn't help but gasp at the intensity of it.
Nadijah believed in spirits and the Goddesses, and seeing as how she'd found the shard so close to the Oasis... she believed it simply had to be a sign. Follow your instincts, let your curiosity lead you. Learn. Fight. Be brave. Maybe, just maybe it would be okay to go and see what the Oasis was about... just once. Or twice. But that didn't mean she trusted the people inside, though!
And so, she entered the Oasis.
Skills:
Stealth / assassination: While the Gerudo aren't as ninja-like as the Sheikah, they are quite adept at moving silently and striking their enemy from behind as well, provided that it's more effective than direct combat. She's also a very good shot with an arrow, be it from horseback or otherwise.
Combat experience / adaptability: Nadijah has been fighting in some form ever since she was young, and so despite her young age, she has experience with quite a few different weapons, tactics and combat styles that she can utilize depending on the situation, making her a very adaptable and unpredictable fighter.
Speed: Nadijah is fast, in movement, in a swordfight and in firing an arrow. She has excellent footwork, and can dodge hits easier than many. She has to, too, considering her lack of armour (more on that later).
Magic: Nadijah can enhance her blade or arrows with fire, providing them with an extra layer of effectiveness in combat. However this magic is not tied only to her magical stamina, but also to her mood. If she's content, she's simply unable to produce said flames - she has to be angry or at the very least irritated for them to work.
Gear:
A scimitar A knife for emergencies, hidden underneath her cloak Bow and arrows
Weaknesses:
Lack of armor: Nadijah, like most Gerudo, place importance on mobility over heavy armor, and while that gives her an added boost to her speed and flexibility, it also means that she's simply not as well protected as some others.
Inability to withstand cold: Just what it says on the tin. She hasn't experienced it, she doesn't know how to deal with it.
Overwhelming curiosity: She's curious, it's true, and sometimes this manifests itself as certain recklessness when she wanders off to examine something new and curious that caught her attention. And while poking her nose into places that are none of her business is admittedly good sometimes (hey, it gets her information, if nothing else!) it can also prove to be even dangerous at times. She's aware of this and does try to reel herself back, however.
Hotheadedness: While Nadijah is an experienced warrior and can separate her feelings from her duty most of the time, there are still instances when her temper can take over and cloud her judgement, particularly if her tribe, home or friends (were she make any) are concerned. What this means in practice is that sometimes, she's liable to just charge ahead without thinking when she's boiling.
Teamwork: Nadijah is an amazing team player, really! ... Provided that she gets to work with her fellow Gerudos. Everyone else? Not so much. She is willing to try if need be, though.
I've got a few different ideas involving quite a few of those races, but considering Sheikah and Gerudo are probably going to be super popular as usual, I should probably veer towards the less popular ones to avoid too many duplicates. Speaking of which, are we going to have any caps on any of the races, or is it up to the players to make sure there's variety in that regard?
Also, I don't see Hylians or Humans on the race list? EDIT: Ninja'd by Ace.
Either way, definitely still in, just gotta settle on an idea.
Just saw the interest check (late, I know), but it looks like you guys're still open, so I just might throw in a CS soon. Gotta read everything and see if I can settle on a character idea first.
