Nanine 'Nani' Tilhart
"A patient man on his knees can rise. A proud man who fights against impossible odds only dies."Race: Breton
Sex: Female
Age: 25
Family Origins: Wayrest, Highrock
Birth Sign: The Mage
Appearance: Standing at 5ft 6in (1.6 M), Nanine's storm grey eyes are usually flicking about, memorizing and storing images to later recreate in her journal. Her features are what most would describe as noble, a small straight nose, pale lips, luxurious brown hair, and generally delicate features. This is only marred by the small scar on her eyebrow, a gentle reminder of a near death experience. Two blue pearl earrings mark her only jewelry, as well cared for as her hair.
In heavy armor her hair is usually kept in a tight braid, keeping it from flying loose.
When outside of her heavy armor, Nani prefers to wear fur lined leather, resisting Skyrim's all pervasive cold. Her hair is kept loose and flowing, as she enjoys showing it off. She prefers soft blues, and most of her cloth reflects that. These clothes show a hardened, muscular figure with little to no fat and no curves. While still womanly, years of hard training and combat have minimized any feminine features.
Equipment: -Steel Plate Armor
-Ebony Longsword (
The Eternal Vow): Her family's blade. Inscribed upon the blade is her family's words
Loyalty. Strength. Courage. The handle is wrapped with black, worn leather. A battered sheathe of similarly dark leather hides it from the world. Nanine doesn't want undue attention. If someone were to look at it magically, they would see layers upon layers of enchantments upon it. Decades, if not centuries worth of them. They are all designed for preservation, keeping the edge sharp, the blade strong, and keep it from breaking. It is incredibly durable, resisting intense punishment, but beyond preservation it's a normal blade.
-Steel Dagger (enchanted with Soul Trap)
-2 Magicka potions
-2 Greater Health potions
-Earrings enchanted with minor magicka
-A backpack containing all of her possessions, carefully organized.
Misc. Possessions:-An old book of stories from across the world, well worn and endlessly read. Nanine can recite them by heart.
-Two journals, one filled completely with drawings and story ideas, the other less than a quarter filled with them.
-One copy of
Enchanter's Primer-Two quills and two inkwells.
-A small sack filled with petty and lesser soul gems. Nanine uses them to practice.
-One cracked black soul gem. Useless, but Nanine finds it an effective threat when interrogating people who don't know soul gems or can't see the crack. She picked it up after raiding a necromancer fort while serving the Legion.
-A small sack of various dried fruits and meats, tied to her hip.
Family And AssociatesBrulius Tilhart: Father, deceased.
Lelle Tilhart: Mother, deceased.
Willnven Tilhart: Brother, deceased.
Favoured Skills:Highly ProficientDestruction-Surviving after the fall of Wayrest, and her time in the Imperial Legion as a Battle Mage, both in the Skyrim Civil War and the few years following, have sharpened her, already naturally impressive, skills and power with destructive spells too a deadly point. She is precise and purposeful with her spells. It is rare that Nani misses her target due to her own mistakes.
Conjuration-As with everything, Nani prefers to have an advantage in battle. She finds that there are many ways to give herself and her allies said advantage, from simply summoning another being to fight on her side, to horrifying the enemy through Daedric horrors or summoning shambling monsters to scare them, Nani can and will use all of these tactics to her advantage.
Moderately ProficientOne-handed: Blade-Due to her time in the Legion and the general need to survive, Nani is no stranger to combat and death. Be it with her family sword or her dagger, she can hold her own in a fight. While she is no blade master, she is well trained.
Heavy Armor-After years of training and using heavy armor, Nani has gotten used to moving in and wearing her armor for extended periods of time, though she much prefers to be out of it.
Somewhat ProficientEnchantment-Nani became a camp favorite with her fellow Legionnaires, able to increase their protection of their armor or the damage of their weapons, every night she could. She received a seemingly unending supply of Soul Gems, the Legion eager to keep their enchanters well supplied for the war effort, and as such is minorly experienced in enchanting, though she freely admits she needs much more practice (and often leaps at any opportunity to do so)
Spell List:
- Disintegrate: Nani can either cast this with one hand as a single bolt (similar to fire bolt) destroying anything metal on a single target, or she can cast this with both hands (similar to fireball) creating a blast that begins to destroy metal in a 15 foot radius. (This spell is essentially a less specific version of the various corrode armor and weapons spells from Oblivion, focusing on metal in general rather than just weapons and armor)
- Thunderbolt
- Icy Spear
- Summon Spider Daedra
- Summon Frost Atronarch
- Summon Daedroth
- Wall of Storms
History: The Tilhart family has been serving the Empire for generations. It is where they got their family blade, gifted to an ancient ancestor (by the then Emperor himself, the story claimed) for heroic deeds in one of the Empire's many wars, passed down from parent to child for generations, so that they too could wield it in the name of the Empire. So it was natural that Nanine's father, Brulius Tilhart, served in the Imperial Legion most his life, fighting the Empire's enemies across Tamriel. He was stationed in Hammerfell when the Great War began, suffering the multiple defeats at the hands of the Thalmor and barely surviving the infamous March of Thirst. In 4E 172 he was dealt crippling burn wounds to his arms. He survived, but would never wield a weapon again.
Sent back to Wayrest, High Rock, he was tended by a mage who would eventually become his wife, bearing his first child, Willnven Tilhart, in 4E 173. Through his son, Brulius Tilhart saw an opportunity to serve his Empire again. To fight against the hated Elves and their manipulative masters. He pushed his son hard to be the warrior he had been in his youth. To be even
better than he had been. To wield their family blade, that had been in the Tilharts for generations, in the name of the Empire. The Empire was everything to Brulius Tilhart. It was central to his training. He emphasized loyalty to the Empire, Strength to serve it, and Courage to face whatever Oblivion damned place it sent you too.
He repeated the family words of the Tilharts like a mantra, pounding them and their meaning into Wilnven's head.
"Loyalty when faced when Uncertainty.
Strength when faced with Weakness.
Courage when faced with Fear."When Nanine was born ten years later, after many failed attempts by her parents to conceive a second child (her mother having fertility issues), she was subjected to this same treatment. Now he had two warriors to give to the Empire for the second Great War, and he didn't know if he would ever have another. From the second she could understand and learn, she was being taught the art of combat by her father. Her brother, resenting their father for what he was putting them through, tried his best to protect her, but there was little he could do. They were pushed to their limits, day in and day out, with their mother gently tending their aches and bruises. She would follow that with teaching them magic and its many ways. How to control it, its various classes, so on so forth. She may have disagreed with the exact methods Brulius was doing, but she agreed with their necessity. Nanine excelled at this, her eidetic memory helping her gather and retain information at a high rate. At the end of the day, Nanine's mother would read stories to the children, smiling as Nanine's eyes would alight at the tales of heroism and courage.
When Nanine turned five, her world was shattered and irrevocably changed. Corsairs invaded Wayrest, and their home was one of the first to have its doors kicked down. Her parents knew what was coming, and knew that they wouldn't make it. Her father gave Willnven the family blade, picking up a steel sword to buy them time. Her mother gave them the precious few books on magic they had, carefully tucking the story book in among them, and then went with Brulius to make a final stand. Nanine was carried out of a burning city by her brother, as her parents were cut down by the Corsairs.
The flames stretching into the night sky as Wayrest burned will haunt her for the rest of her life.
For the next thirteen years, Willnven raised, guided, and protected Nanine. He worked hard to undo the hatred and disrespectful arrogance their father had instilled in her. Fortunately, she was only five and those traits had yet to settle in. Whenever she would make a disrespectful remark about an Elf she saw, he would smack her and force her to apologize. Whenever she would make a disparaging statement about how someone else was living their lives (a favorite was to call someone a coward because they did not want to serve the Empire, fight, or any number of reasons.) he would make her go help them for free, learning why they lived the way they did.
That's what Nanine remembers most about her brother, and it is the primary the emotion she attaches to him. That same burning passion their father had, but focused on helping people and the Empire, rather than establishing Imperial dominance. He was a caring man who did his best to try and promote unity amongst everyone he met. He taught her that it was only individual people and organizations who were evil, never races. Respect others until they prove unworthy of your respect. Never fight fire with fire. Control yourself and you control the situations you're in. Always conduct yourself with honor and loyalty. These were the lessons Willnven taught Nanine, and she has taken them too heart.
He dedicated his life to caring for Nanine and getting them to their father's goals, planning for their service to the legion. He had no time, nor any apparent interest, in anything else.
Willnven attached them to a caravan early on, stationed in Daggerfall, and working for the merchant that owned that caravan became their main source of income and training. Willnven and Nanine stayed in Daggerfall and helped with the merchant's main office, using the connections there in to get Nanine magical and combative teachers, themselves books on various subjects deemed necessary or interesting, or just general house warming things for their small rooms off the side of the building. Nani's memory helped her with remembering and balancing stockpiles and books, and Willnven's martial skills worked well as protection for the merchant building. As Nanine grew older, Willnven and her transferred to being active Caravan guards for a pay raise, and the benefit of Nanine getting actual experience in armor and with combat.
Her brother insisted they learn as much about the Thalmor and how they operate as possible, preparing themselves for the enemy they would eventually face. In line with that, he pushed her and himself to study the military history of Tamriel and the Empire. "Getting a grasp on general tactics and strategies used throughout the ages will prepare you for any enemy the Empire might face." He would declare, setting yet another book in front of her as he opened his own. On her own free time, to distract herself from the dredge of reading about yet another Thalmor manipulation and plot, or another campaign started because people hate the Orcs, she would read about the Daedric princes and all their servants. The Daedra were endlessly fascinating to her, and she read everything she could about them. How they interacted with mortals, how their servants were, and how to summon and control their servants.
It wasn't a great life, but Nanine was happy. It was during this time she took up drawing and painting, looking for a brief escape and relief from the training. The caravan guards were ever eager to be the free test subjects of her artwork, as were some of the other aids in the merchants.
It was always Willnven's plan to join the Legion with his sister, as soon as she was of age. He didn't agree with many things his father taught, but he did agree that the Empire would need them. A second Great War would come, and the Tilharts would be there to fight for the Empire. They were on there way to sign up with the Legion when Nanine turned 18, taking one last job to pay for the journey.
It was supposed to be a final simple caravan escort through the Stormhaven region. Rumours were that the Pirate-Lord was trying to keep a tight grip on his subjects, making the area safe and opening Wayrest to trade again. Nanine, Willnven, and the other caravan guards figured they could take the few bandits that would dare defy the Pirate-Lord.
They were wrong.
Halfway through their escort, the caravan came under attack. Nanine never saw how many bandits attacked, only knew that it was far, far more than they anticipated. For what seemed like hours, but was in reality only minutes, she and her brother fought against the murderous dogs that had come for them and their charges. Nanine tripped on a corpse and fell, steel sword falling from her hands, hands going up to defend herself in desperation. She nearly died, a sword scraping the top of her eyebrow, but Willnven was there. Like he always did, he protected her at any cost.
The cost this time was his life. As he deflected the blade aimed for her head, he left himself open. A sword was shoved through the gap in his armor, puncturing up into his armpit, while another stabbed into his side. He collapsed, as Nanine scrambled back to her feet and grasped
The Eternal Vow, slaughtering the bandits in front of them, summoning Daedric monsters to butcher the rest.
When the dust settled and she was the only survivor left, Nanine went to her brother. She cradled Willnven as he bled out in her hands, whispering that she had to continue, had to stick to the plan, had to serve the Legion. She wept, promising that she would, and he died. She buried him under a tree, whispering a prayer to any god that would listen, picked up the family blade, and left. She never looked back, leaving the bodies of all the rest to rot.
With nothing left to do Nanine fell back on tradition. She joined the Imperial Legion. She didn't join because it was her brother's plan, despite her promises. She did it because she had nothing left. The world was cold and dark, with the strong crushing the weak. Darkness and evil ran rampant and free, and there as nothing anyone could do about it. The Legion was all she had left to cling to, and she clung to it tightly. It took her a month to get to the nearest barracks and recruitment station of the Legion in High Rock, following the road and direction of the local villages she came across.
The Legion trained her for a few months before sending her along to the Skyrim Civil War, to end the rebellion in the name of the Empire.
By the time she arrived, the war was coming to a close in Skryim, as the Legion was continuing to make gains against Ulfric and his Stormcloaks. Being a mage of considerable power and no stranger to combat, Nanine was immediately sent into the front lines. In spite of everything, She enjoyed it, losing herself in the fight for Skyrim, in the sense of camaraderie and loyalty her fellow legionnaires shared, in their knowledge that they were apart of something bigger than themselves, and that they were helping restore order. They gave her a sense of comfort and purpose.
They helped her heal. It made the world seem less despairing and cold, like there was something good left to be done. That one person could actually make a difference in the world, and you didn't have to be evil to be strong. It gave her back her hope.
She fought all across Skyrim during the last few months of the war, raining lightning and justice down upon the Empire's foes. One week she would be in Markarth, defending the town from the Stormcloaks. The next she'd be seizing a fort in the wilderness, claiming it for the Empire. She learned how to heal someone to the best of her ability, without magic or surgery, on the battlefield and off of it. She never wanted to be helpless and watching someone die in her arms again.
After the war was over, Windhelm seized and the rebellion crushed, she remained in the Legion for another three years, cleaning up the mess that was Skyrim. Forts were reclaimed from bandits, rogue magic users, and Stormcloak holdouts. Caves were cleared of Falmer, Practitioners of the Black Arts, Vampires, and even more bandits. Eventually, Nanine felt that she was doing no more good in Skryim, or in the Legion, and that her purpose there fulfilled. She had moved on from her family's death, and grown into her own person. She saw the world with hope and happiness again. And while she would never again reach the dreamy levels of her youth, she at least would never let herself sink into that pit of despair again. She left the army, becoming an adventurer and bodyguard for hire.
Personality:Nanine is fiercely protective of her sword
The Eternal Vow, to the point of irrationality. She doesn't trust anyone else with it, and sleeps with it at her side. There have been several times where she's risked her life to save it, much to the surprise and incredulity of her allies.
When it comes to maintaining things, (her hair, her books, her equipment, etc etc) Nani is a ritualistic person. She does things a certain way, in a certain order, and it helps her relax. She has enough chaos in her life, she doesn't need extra added by her own actions.
When Nanine is at a difficult decision and can't find the right way to go, no matter which way she looks at it, she'll fall back on the tradition of her family. Emphasis on loyalty and doing what's best for the Empire. It hasn't lead her astray yet, and she prays it never will.
Deeply inquisitive, especially of magic, Nani leaps at the opportunity to learn something new. It doesn't matter if it's an utterly useless piece of information, she will appreciate and enjoy it. She could listen for hours to a potter, a blacksmith, a shoemaker, or any expert on anything.
Whenever she's drawing, or focusing on something particularly hard, Nani has a tendency to block the world out and unconsciously plays with her magic. Fire swirls around in her palm, lighting twitches between her finger tips, etc etc. She's not sure what it does, but it helps her concentrate. In general, she finds magic deeply comforting, reaching out to it and her connection with it in times of fear, anger, or worry, soothing herself.
She strives to be cheerful and easy going, having had enough of strife and tension amongst allies in her life to last her until the day she dies. Forever an optimist, Nanine is always looking for the silver lining. She has been down the other path, the crushing despair and cold outlook. She's afraid that if she goes down that path again, she might never come back.
The loss of her family and friends over the course of her conflict filled life has instilled a deep fear in Nani about losing others close to her. While she tries to reassure herself that her friends can take care of themselves, she still finds herself making protective moves, even if they're unwanted. Staying close to them in battle, keeping an eye on them at all times, so on so forth. If for some reason they're going into a dangerous situation that she can't follow, she will fervently pray for their safety.
At times, Nanine will find someone or something particularly interesting, powerful, or beautiful, and strive to commit it to her memory. This leads to her unconsciously staring at someone or something for minutes on end, attempting to commit every minuscule detail. When asked or prodded about it, she'll snap back to reality and get deeply embarrassed.
Misc.:
-Nani has eidetic memory, allowing her to recall people, objects, events, and places she's seen in almost perfect detail (including senses other than just sight). She uses this to draw images of events or things she's seen from memory, filling her journals with sights both wondrous and tragic.
-Nani has a large knowledge of the Daedra (from Lord to servant), having been studying them extensively since she was a child.
-Nanine has a working knowledge of the Thalmor and their historical machinations, all that is public knowledge and available in books.
-Nanine has a general knowledge of most of the wars in recent Tamriel history, focusing on the wars the Empire and the Dominion participated in.
-Having been at it from the age of five, Nani is very good at drawing and painting when she's got the chance. She prefers to draw things she's seen, rather than from her imagination, recreating them in her journals in flawless detail.
-She wants to write her own book, but is struggling with a story idea and where to start.
-Nanine can't carry a tune to save her life and has a bad singing voice, something she is acutely aware of. Whenever group singing comes around, she contents her self to quiet muttering or humming. Unless she is drunk, that is. Then she will shamelessly belt out the lyrics in her horrid voice, much to the regret of those around her and her own regret after she wakes up.
-Nanine is familiar with wounds and the damage they do, and how to best care for them without magic or potions. She can't perform surgery, but she can patch you up till someone who can is able to get to you.
-Nanine hates pirates (and by extension every other kind of outlaw) with every fiber of her being. They took everything from her, and in her eyes all of them are murderous bastards who only deserve to be put to the sword.
-Nani has utter faith in the Empire. They are the source of Order in Tamriel, and firmly believes that without them being strong the world will descend into chaos.
-Nanine is a very light sleeper, a habit she developed after several night ambushes by Stormcloaks.
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