Sofanna
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2023 2:40 pm
Can Be Removed When You're Done! wrote:
Before you start!!
You might want to read through Idalos History to give you an idea of the world in which your character resides.
Also, check out the Creating Your PC area of our wiki.
If you want to use a graphic / boxcode for your CS, the code for that is kept here but a boxcode like this is not a requirement.
In order to begin playing, you need to complete THE FIRST TWO posts of this CS. You do this by editing these posts - that's the little pencil icon in the top right of the post.
You'll see a number of "boxes" just like this one throughout this CS. When you are confident that you are done or sure you no longer need them - you can remove them. Deleting everything fromtoCode: Select all
[quote=will do just that!Code: Select all
/quote]
Basics
Race: Mixed Race (Human/Mixed Race [Human/Avriel])
Date of Birth: 54 Ymiden 706
Languages Spoken:Fluent = Common. Broken = Atvian
Appearance
Standing tall at roughly 5’8”, Sofanna gives off an elegant but resolute aura. At first glance, the eyes might be drawn to her stranger traits, specifically the crow-like plumes melded between the strands of her long velvet hair and deep black eyes signifying an Avriel somewhere in her lineage and contrasting starkly with her pale skin.
Her lithe dancer’s build belies a core of wiry muscle, favouring toward her legs. Those with a mind to observe in a social setting her might notice her well balanced posture, favouring of weight toward the balls of her feet and casual slight turn of her feet in everyday life.
While her garb can vary, she favors flowing clothes that generate the appearance of continuous motion, and darker colours that match her hair and eyes, or blues that reflect the colours of the sky paired with contrasting tones.
Personality
Playful and Free-Spirited, Sofanna views the world in a mix of curiousity and yearning. Outwardly, she projects a warm and carefree demenour, enjoying the spotlight and thriving on positive attention, but with those she feels more comfortable with, she’ll sometimes let the mask drop. When it does, she’ll often appear more quiet, thoughtful and introspective.
She loves beauty and endeavours to see it in whatever form it manifests. From the colours of a landscape, to the rhythm of a tune, to the benevolence of a good neighbour. Deep down she’s deeply sentimental, especially toward those who have done her kindness with no perceived self-benefit, something that often conflicts with her innate desire to see new horizons.
Drawn to movement, she strongly dislikes stagnation. She feels frustrated when she feels as though nothing is changing, and feels deeply uncomfortable when made to feel as though she has no control over herself. She also dislikes pointless cruelty, especially toward the vulnerable, but even to a lesser degree people who might be seen to have earned it.
Background
Sofanna was born in the Arid city of Nashaki to a courtesan named Talyra and an unknown Father. Caring for her daughter as best she could, Talyra began training her from a young age for the more respectable profession of a dancer. Beyond that, her duties generally involved helping with the various trialtime chores that went into the maintenance of the establishment Talyra worked and lived at. While quite busy between her chores and studies, she’d often find time to herself in the mornings while the other inhabitants slept.
Outside of her duties, once her mother felt confident in her ability to hide the signs of her non-human heritage Sofanna enjoyed her excursions to the city, finding the rich contrasting colours that decorated the trade districts beautiful, and greatly enjoying the attention her slightly unusual features garnered her, especially among the merchants of the market district on those few trials her mother saw fit to gift her with some coin to spend at her own discretion. Though ultimately somewhat happy, an innate sense of wanderlust and curiosity left her feeling restless, so she didn’t argue when at one point in Sofanna’s teenage arcs as she was nearing adulthood, her mother declared in a panic that they would be leaving.
Though she hadn’t known at the time, an Avriel had been asking about her and her mother had decided to take what money she had been able to save and flee to the neighbouring Eternal Empire. The Empire was true to its reputation welcoming of accepting a pair of foreigners as citizens. Throughout the next arc, with Sofanna now old enough to handle the dancing, Talyra and Sofanna travelled throughout the region as performers in various establishments until the novelty of their foreign performances ran out with the local clients before moving on to find a new stage on which to play.
However, eventually something extremely fortuitous happened, she made a friend. While working Korlasir, she was going for her daily run, she ran into an older woman who had been doing the same. Though she had initially been moving slower she couldn’t help trying to keep pace and picked up her pace to try to match her. Eventually she tired and couldn’t help slowing, eventually losing sight of her spontaneous competition. However, the next trial at the same time their paths crossed again and the pattern repeated, on the third trial, the mysterious woman cast her a smile as they bumped into each other again before returning to their individual training.
By the tenth trial she’d made a little progress, getting further before falling behind again, and this time when she finally failed, her competitor also slowed to match her pace, introducing herself as Isara, a mercenary. She’d enjoyed the company and been impressed with Sofanna’s performance for her age. They chatted a bit as they matched pace and when Sofanna mentioned that she was a dancer, Isara mentioned that she’d dabbled in it a bit as part of her combat training and invited her to come practice with her while in Korlasir.
Sofanna did take her up on the offer and they got on quite well, and by the end of the cycle when Talyra felt that they’d fully played out the city’s taverns and inns for the time being, Sofanna mentioned that they’d have to move on soon, but would be returning the same cycle next arc. When the time came, Isara also came to watch in the evenings when she wasn’t otherwise busy and the two resumed their shared conditioning and socialisation, chatting about their experiences in their work, and even giving each other advice from their own unique backgrounds.
As Sofanna and Talyra were about to leave the city once again, Isara made her an offer. She saw potential in her, and offered an apprenticeship. It was only now that she let slip a truth that she’d concealed. She was a mage.
Feeling conflicted, Sofanna went back to her mother and talked with her about it, worried that the cost of losing her would cause problems, her mother on the other hand was ecstatic to hear her daughter’s opportunity to improve her lot, urging her to take the woman up on the offer and reassuring her that for the time being they could probably go back to some of the spots in the city they’d played longest ago in the city for the time being, and that as a good musician, she had plenty of opportunities.
With her mother’s blessing, Sofanna accepted and her apprenticeship began somewhat unexcitingly. She assisted the Isara in her more bureaucratic tasks, joining in her physical conditioning, and observing as she practiced her magic and explained academically the nature of it. However as the season ended, things intensified. One day Isara took Sofanna out of the city and ordered her to dig a pit, a grave for her old life. Sofanna had been taught how the initiation process worked during her lessons, so she knew what to expect, but with each shovel of dirt, she felt uneasy, it was one last test of resolve before it would be too late to turn back.
Fighting back against her fear, Sofanna dug the pit in which she’d be buried, and when the time came, dropped down into it, holding back tears as the dirt fell from Isara filling it once more.
She couldn’t see, she couldn’t breath, she could barely hear. Only feel the soil all around her, seeping in. Instinctively she tried to struggle free, but couldn’t bear the weight of the world. She wanted to cry out, but even if someone would listen, the taste of dirt on her lips stopped her, a reminder that to do so would only fill her mouth. For many long trills she panicked before her training returned to her and she remembered that she would need to reach out to the elements to protect her, not verbally or physically, but on a deeper level. In the depth of her terror, she emotionally screamed to the earth to let her go, trying to command it. It barely seemed to move, in fact, it felt as though it was holding her tighter than it had before.
As her breath gave out, and on the verge of unconsciousness, Sofanna stopped fighting. She’d give anything for another breath of air. It came. Impossibly seeping through imperceptible gaps in the soil, fresh air made its way into her nose and into her lungs. She could breath again, and though she still couldn’t move, she nonetheless cried out in thanks. Able to breath once more, she calmed herself before trying to pull herself through the earth once again. Gently requesting the earth to loosen its hold, it seemed to comply, softening at her touch just enough that she could move once more. Finally clawing her way out of her grave, Sofanna found Isara smiling proudly at her. She’d passed.
Having passed her initiation, Isara has slowly intensified Sofanna’s initiation, adding practical magical tasks to her regimen and taking her on more jobs, though she still prefers to keep her away from tasks involving active combat.