The Muse of Eru

The Prince of Eternia

Oooo, beasties. -Deliberates-

The Prince of Eternia

I refined Rayna a bit and changed her picture. Still not exactly what I was envisioning, but better.

The Prince of Eternia

Rayna

Name: Rayna Cessair
Age: 32
Race: Genivan
Role: Beastmaster

Appearance: Standing at 5’9”, Rayna is lean and lithe in appearance. Her skin is a rich brown, her irises a brown dark enough to appear black, and her dark hair falls in dense, wayward curls to mid-back. Her bearing is proud, demanding, and somewhat domineering. Her features rarely reveal much expression, but have strong and clear lines.

Picture

Still looking around.
Something like this, I suppose:

Personality: Rayna is, in many ways, much like the beasts she treats. Her moods change like quicksilver, though she has long since learned to obscure the telltale symptoms of emotions. She feels more than others - more rage, more euphoria, more sorrow. She is never merely upset or pleased, but rather tumbles into the extremes. Her anger, when it comes, strikes hard and fast and leaves devastation in its wake. It is not merely the cutting edge of her tongue that others need to worry about, in such instances.

Despite these polar moods, to others she is a quiet, reserved woman who offers the least amount of information necessary and responds to questions in a dry, literal matter that often frustrates others. She strives to keep her emotions contained, occasionally disappearing for days due to the efforts required. In a crowded room, she easily becomes hard to notice - and perhaps would be all but invisible but for her reputation as beastmaster. Despite the title seeming self-explanatory, the position itself and the eccentric people who have ended up taking up the role have always inspired wariness and curiosity. Rayna is no less an oddity, but her closed expression do not welcome questions.

The intensity of her stare and her ability to give an individual her undivided attention makes it difficult for other humans to interact with her, resulting in a seclusion that while not initially sought after, has become welcome and comfortable. She is slow to trust, considering humans the most devious of beasts. Her instincts, closely listened to and heeded, are uncanny and rarely lead her astray.

Skills:
- Animal behavior and training
- Animal husbandry
- Animal medical care
- Hunting
- Tracking
- Archery
- Swordplay

Weapon:
- Bow: recurve, 50lb draw weight
- Short sword: well-used, worn, and much beloved for many more uses than squabbles.
- Various beasties

Armor: Leathers are Rayna’s choice of armor - she is not a warrior and does not need nor want the weight of metal weighing her down and announcing her every move. Her ability to move with ease, speed, and silence are all what allow her to work best with beasts. She usually wears muted shades of grey, brown, and green.

Notable Possessions:
- Few small knives for dressing, wood whittling, dining, etc.
- Leather purse including such things as medicinal herbs, forceps, rope, needle and gut string, and similar small useful items
- A pair of large canines

Brief History: Rayna was born to a Genivan who had migrated to Aloya early in her pregnancy by way of an escort. Rayna had a fairly simple, normal childhood. If it was strange that she had an uncanny knack for understanding, communicating, and working with animals, her mother never said. The eccentric woman had come from the depths of the jungle because Rayna’s abilities were something foreseen - it was why Aloya had been necessary, after all. The loss of her tribe and the security of her home for the harsh climate of Aloya and the far less inclusive people was the price paid to put Rayne on her path as foretold.

Rayna grew up with a hundred small traditions and superstitions, a stern and demanding mother, and a schedule that required her to work hard to keep their farm afloat. This came in handy as Rayna's temperamental nature and wild moods flowered with the passing of years - the strict routines kept her busy, exercised, and secure. Rayna's erratic, violent temper was a trait known to her mother and was therefore handled quickly and fiercely. Every strong outburst was countered until Rayna learned to hide her emotions if she couldn't avoid them altogether - and that was a feat frequently beyond her abilities.

When she was old enough that her mother felt they could travel, she was taken to Eternia for education. The natural climate of Eternia appealed to Rayna and seemed to flame her innate abilities all the brighter - her merely useful skills became something worth noticing - welcomed by some, feared by others. She became something of a word-of-mouth animal doctor, behaviorist, and trainer, but Rayna wished for far more than that.

She was noticed by the royal family when she was 16 years of age - a strain of something highly contagious and potentially fatal swept through the stables, resulting in the deaths of several prized steeds before the obscure “animal doctor” was called in. Although she could not save every single horse, Rayna was able to stop the spreading of the virus by initiating a severe quarantine and working tirelessly to stabilize the animals. She soon found a cure to what ended up being a mutated strain of a virus she had seen back in Aloya. Her calm efficiency, take-charge behavior, and success resulted in her being offered several more jobs at the palace. After she had sufficiently proved herself, Rayna was brought in as the beastmaster’s apprentice. Two years later, the old goat elected to retire and left her in charge.

The Lord of the Rings: The Age of Men

Mmmm, Éomer.

The Lord of the Rings: The Age of Men

Tired, tired and thirsty. A long, jagged scratch across her cheek stung sharply in the close, humid air, and several bruised muscles murmured with each step. The woman who stopped to catch her breath chose not to lean against a tree for comfort, or even to sit down - it was all too dangerous now. Slender hands fidgeted, curling around her sword’s hilt or stroking the strap of her quiver. Anything to keep moving, to stay awake. The last time she had closed her eyes to catch just a few minutes of sleep, she had woken to a crazed, snarling creature rifling through her belongings. He had been emaciated and limping, but some feral energy had lent him strength and speed. Nehanda had fended him off and taken his life, but she hadn’t come away unscathed. Nor did she feel wholly justified in the killing, upon surveying the man crumpled at her feet. She had composed his body in a more dignified position and left him behind, sorely wishing he’d had some water on his person.

Nehanda lifted her head, nostrils flaring as she caught a new scent. Her dark eyes flitted through the trees, hoping to see the familiar garb of one of her companions. No such luck, she realized with more dashed hope - she hadn’t seen them for several days, by her vague and increasingly inaccurate estimation. The forest had defied their skills as rangers, hiding the sky from them and stealing any hint of a breeze. The trees were eerie and seemed to murmur, leaving Nehanda feeling unusually off-kilter. She had the sensation of being followed, but despite backtracking and trying to hunt down her hunter, she never found a sign to justify her paranoia.

I’ve found something now, she thought with a mixture of relief and wariness. She followed the scent of sweat and blood, body crouching lower with each step until she was moving almost soundlessly though the underbrush. She stepped lightly on the outer edges of her feet, letting them roll inward for a solid footing - unless something was felt, at which point she could shift her weight rather than putting it down and potentially breaking a twig or dry leaf. In this way she had hunted animals, and it worked now just as well for slipping up unnoticed. An elf would hear her, she knew, but she wasn’t afraid of elves.

A booted foot swept over a tangle of branches, settling confidently on a patch of dirt instead. Knees soft and bent, Nehanda slipped around yet another tree. Voices found home in her ears, both the fairer bell-tone of an Elf and the rougher one that belonged to a male. She couldn’t see them yet, but she wasn’t so thirsty as to rush forward into such a tense meeting. Sinking into her haunches, Nehanda rested her forearms on her knees with her hands dangling between. She didn’t concern herself with pulling her sword or nocking an arrow, but the fingers of her right hand grazed a bejeweled handle thrusting up from her boot.

The Lord of the Rings: The Age of Men

Nehanda

Name: Nehanda "Luinrildë"

Age: 28

Race: Race of Men - Haradrim, Gondorian

Sex: Female

Personality: Having known the pains of prejudices, Nehanda is often quiet and careful with her words. She shies from excessive company and forms infrequent, but very strong bonds - all of which has contributed to her being an ideal candidate for Ithilien's guard. Her loyalty, if given, does not weaken or fail. She is not without humor and has a subtle, stubborn tendency towards optimism.

Appearance: 5'5", lean of build and almost "boyish" at a glance. Dark hair, given to curl, and brown skin are trademarks of her mother's origins: Harad. The only thing that she seems to physically claim from her father are blue eyes and finer features.

Backstory: Once there was Fuinur, a Black Númenórean who served Sauron and ruled over the Haradrim - some served him because to do otherwise was to embrace torture or death. Some, however, served him happily and fanatically: they were the tools he used against the less willing tribes across Harad. One such tribe, the Madaki, gave their women to Fuinur and many children were born of his dark bloodline. When Sauron returned, the Madaki tribe once more stepped up to answer his call.

The remnants of the Madaki tribe - women, children, elders - did not do well in the wake of Sauron's defeat. Their fervor for his success and Fuinur's strong genetics in their features caused them to be even more reviled by the other tribes. Once considered a boon to share such blood, it became a curse. Eventually, in FA 180, a Madaki woman named Aminah left her homelands for better circumstances and ended up in Gondor. She married a man there and among her brood of children was a girl she named Nehanda. Lingering prejudices against the Haradrim spurred their father into giving them more accepted names, and Nehanda was called Luinrildë beyond the doors of their home - a name inspired by the hue of her eyes.

Once grown enough to venture out on her own, Nehanda made her way to Ithilien and learned the ways of those there - both those of mankind and elvenkind. It was in that way that she became something of a ranger and entered Ithilien's guard. She was not one of those that stood out for excessive bravery or prowess with a sword, but proved herself a worthy member by having sharp instincts and an innate ease with the wilderness. From there, she joined a group of several elves and men who thought her skills could be put to good use for various expeditions. Eventually Mirkwood fell under their uneasy regard.

Reason for investigating the silent colony?:
The Ithilien rangers, once captained by Faramir, have only grown in prowess since the introduction of Elvenkind to their region. Despite Ithilien being its own principality, it still serves Gondor - thus, the rangers are not strictly limited to the borders of Ithilien and ultimately answer to King Eldarion.
With spiders spotted and the attacks on the road, King Eldarion began receiving pressure to find a potential source. Scouts began trickling out, expanding their nets and bringing back the increasingly foul news. Naturally, Dôr-min-Taur falling silent roused concern. Elves residing in Ithilien offered to lead the scouting troop to Dôr-min-Taur, driven by fear for their kinfolk, and Nehanda was among several Ithilien rangers selected to go.

Other:
Although she does not have any affinity for a specific weapon, Nehanda bears the trademarks of any ranger in clothing, gear, and weaponry. Her sword is plain and well worn, her bow of worthy quality but otherwise nondescript. It is only the dagger that has any apparent value, a relic her mother gave her. Despite its age, the blade has an ornate handle that still gleams richly and holds a fierce edge. She keeps it well hidden on her person after an Elf took excessive interest in the blade and pondered over its origins.

The Lord of the Rings: The Age of Men

Whoops. Somehow that got chopped off when I copied the CS over. Fixed.

The Lord of the Rings: The Age of Men

Okay, I made a few small edits but nothing big. Verdict?

Another Romantic Adventure Awaits!

Hey! I'm interested in playing as a female Beastmaster - Beastmistress sounds weird, hah.

The Lord of the Rings: The Age of Men

Hihi!

Sorry, I do a pet-sitting business on the side and it's been crazy due to the holiday. Nehanda is essentially done, but I may fill her out a little - but I also like the mystery of a threadbare history.

I'm about dead today (fireworks and dogs? What's not to love?!), but I'll be able to get to it Thursday or at latest, Friday.