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The scent of moist earth;
the texture and taste of sea-salt;
a rhythmic drum-beat on the wind.
A scruff with dark skin, scattered generously with freckles and thick with the salt of the sea. Her charcoal-hued hair is usually a long, tangled mane of course waves, which a few dreads have woven their way into. Within a petite face her nose is pierced with silver studs and rings in each nostril; her lips are chapped and full; her jaw, cheekbones and brow-bone are wide and defined; her eyebrows thick & brooding. Her 5'7" frame is toned and toughened by life at sea, at 170lbs her natural pear-shape is skewed by her swimmer's shoulders. There's an enduring strength in those calloused hands, yet she's agile and sharp. Ta'arif wears light fabrics in faded, muted hues, tending towards bare feet in woven sandals, bone and silver jewellery, and furs and oversized scarfs in colder climates. Her Biqaj traits are in her subtly pointed ears; thick, silver blood that tones her skin with a silver glow in moonlight; eyes that shift hue with the position of the sun and moon, and her mood. The eyes possess the ability to instinctively recognize star constellations and understand a sense of direction out at sea.
Ever since she first glimpsed of the stars and was told tales of Xiur, the Biqaj keenly seeks to hear more of the immortal. She believes it is the alignment of the stars that governs her luck and fate.
Ashan
Spring, Spirituality, Freedom
Ta'arif naturally aligns with Ashan in living her life with spirituality and freedom. Celebrating her birth-trial in His season, the Biqaj sends a prayer and pours a libation to the immortal every arc.
U'frek
Navigation, Water, Auroras
Father of her people, U'frek will always have a cherished place in her heart.
Vri
Death, Sadness, Remembrance, Love
Regarded with a solemn salute of respect, believing death brings meaning to life.
Last edited by Ta'arif on Wed May 17, 2017 10:13 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 431
Agriculture: Crafting a floating seaweed raft (SP)
Agriculture: Seaweed harvesting (PG)
Biqaj culture: Children of U'frek, navigators of the sea (SP)
Field Craft: Signs for fresh water (SP)
Navigation: By the stars (SP)
Seafaring: Sailing a sloop (SP)
Storytelling: Telling tales beneath the stars (PG)
Storytelling: Tales of the Immortals (PG)
Swimming: Breath control (PG)
Swimming: Diving for seaweed (PG)
Last edited by Ta'arif on Wed May 17, 2017 10:34 pm, edited 3 times in total. word count: 103
with a mainsail & jib rigged fore & aft, with a small hold & living quarters under deck. It is painted roughly in a sun-and-sea-faded lavendar-grey hue and is named
Laja
meaning 'Refuge'.
[columns=2]Linen Hammock
Small anchor
Gangplank
Small oak table
Beach-wood chair
Large oak chest
6 Wooden Plates
2 Eating knives
Fish smoker
Lantern[/columns]
SLOOP DEBT
: 300GN
POSSESSIONS
[columns=2]
Prized Possession
Aquamarine & Silver Anklet inherited from her mother, who Ta'arif never knew, she is never seen without it
Weapons
Kukri Knife & scabbard
Clothing
2 Silver nose studs
2 Silver nose rings
Faded-green harem trousers
Beige cotton shirt
Undergarments
Simple braided sandals
Large undyed wool scarf
Vanity
Soap
Bone brush
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Tools
1 Map of the coast of Ne'haer
1 Tinderbox
1 Waterskin
1 Compass
1 Spyglass
1 Small fishing net
Pantry
1 Week’s worth of dried food rations
[/columns]
LEDGER
717 REBIRTH CYCLE
Seafarer Starter
+25G
25G
2 silver nose-studs
-4G
21G
2 silver nose-rings
-4G
17G
Sturdy ankle boots (SP)
+8S
17G 8S
Simple braided sandals
-4S
17G 4S
Large undyed wool scarf
-2G 7S 5C
14G 6S 5C
Last edited by Ta'arif on Wed May 17, 2017 10:25 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 198
ASHAN 700
Ta'arif was born in Ne'haer, into the clan Nji'Ryn. Her mother died in childbirth & Ta'arif was cherished by her father.
ASHAN 700 to ASHAN 710
Ta'arif grows into the Biqaj sea-life with spirit. Her father is a navigator who works closely with land merchants and shipwrights as part of the port trade business. He is a gruff man with a scruffy beard, hearty laughter and kind eyes. He dotes on his only daughter and takes her wherever he goes. In his shadow she learns a little of the power of charisma in persuasion, the art of negotiation and bartering. At night-times, when he is not map-making or plotting shipment routes, he indulges Ta in telling her fantastic stories. Her favourites are of Xiur. Many a night Ta clambers the ship's mast, cultivating strength and endurance in her limbs, where she settles on the highest beams, honing her balance, and maps the constellations with awe.
ASHAN 713 to ZI'IDA 716
As Ta'arif grows into her own sense of self & spirituality, she begins to ask her father what her mother was like. Her father becomes quiet, sad, nostalgic, and tells her that her mother was a free-spirit, and that he was lucky and blessed to have caught her love. He tells her that her mother was deeply spiritual, a fortune-teller who read the stars for superstitious merchants and travelers. Ta'arif begins to have mysterious dreams about walking among the stars, and catching glimpses of Xiur in thick jungles and in under-ocean caverns. Ta feels the pull of her own destiny, though she knows not what.
VHALAR 716
With this sense of wanting in her life, Ta'arif finds refuge in working her hands in seaweed growing and harvesting. While she spends her days tending to a humble seaweed raft, this elusive sense of purpose takes root and embeds itself in her. Deeply in her bones she believes her destiny lies out in Idalos. After a heart-felt, tearful conversation with her father, he concedes that she is her mother's daughter, and that she must go where the wind and currents take her. He offers her an old sloop, which her mother and father were once promised on, conceived Ta on, and lived on. He begs that she waits for Ashan for her journey.
ZI'IDA 717
Ta'arif feels an itch in her feet she cannot explain and rashly decides to embark on her journey at Vhalar's end. Relying on her strength, her enduring core, and her mysterious faith, Ta'arif sets out for Scalvoris.
ASHAN 717
Ta'arif arrives in Scalvoris. Her story unfolds...
MEMORIES
STARTING QUEST
Pegasus wrote:Arriving in Scalvoris was a major relief. In Almund you hear many tales of the Pirate Lords and their time in control of the island. The people here are real story tellers and one which particularly takes your attention is of a woman who runs a place called "The Bones" ~ a fortune teller who speaks of a future seen in the bones. One of the dock workers says that, last time he visited Efah, the fortune teller told him that he would a Biqaj girl who arrived alone and seeks her future and her past. Efah told him to tell the Biqaj that there are many secrets to be discovered and that she should visit.
Could Efah mean you?
Last edited by Ta'arif on Wed May 17, 2017 10:23 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 582
