Taraja

General:
E-mail (OPTIONAL): xaiotanris [AT] yahoo . com

Alt Name: Taraja

Full Name: Khmet Taraja a'Kshan'dor sul'Baharan
Lady Taraja a'Kshan'dor of the Family Baharan

Kshan is the general term for a magic user in her homeland, Al'akshim. The a' denotes a respected female from the magic community, while te' would denote a respected male. The suffix 'dor is her specific Order in the magic society, which is Green. The full title of a'Kshan'dor is translated as Sister Kshan of Green, Kshan having no direct translation though could be (wrongly) changed to words like mage or wizard or cleric. Her symbol is a right facing silver crescent with a green gem completing the circle. Male would simply reverse the crescent, and color it golden, with any colored gem inside, depending on the Order. The prefix sul' is for “of the House -” Khmet is her status in the Baharan house, being of a higher ranking Lady of the Court, a title she gained by being born into the Baharan house.

OOC marks info you can read but will not translate into RP (until experienced, of course).
IC marks info you can read and immediately use in RP.

First Impressions (IC): An odd elf to be seen out of her sand-swept homeland, Taraja cuts an elegant figure at 5'4'', a respectably average height for a desert elf female. Her hair touches the middle of her back in auburn curls, providing a pleasing color-contrast with her green-flecked golden eyes, eyes that slant upwards in a wide almond shape. Her ears are pointed like her other distant elven brethren, though they are shorter, a touch more rounded, and wider; her skin is also distinguished from the other races, being a golden olive color. Her favored cloak is a silky forest green that completely envelopes her body; silver borders the cloth in a a rippling intricate pattern of a wide leafed desert vine, interwoven in a dizzying endless knot, all encased in a thin border of woven gold. This cloak is cinched at her sternum with a glittering silver crescent that seems to be made into a full circle by a high quality green gem. Below the relatively nondescript cloak she wears a type of faux-underbust corset, a deep crushed velvety green with a triangular panel in the front framed by silver and having exotic golden filigree laced all across it. At the top is a silvery ruffle which frames her bosom, that being covered in crushed velvet green as well, with the filigree once again creating a swirling pattern. Shoulders are bare except for three green off-the-shoulder loops and two straps, both straps being attached by serpentine pieces of golden metal. Golden chains dangle nearly a hand down from the base of the corset, a whole rainbow of metal shaped into shells and lacquered brilliantly hang there, clinking softly as she moves. Her skirt, though actually a dress that continues up under the corset to join her brassiere, is the crushed green of her other clothing articles. The hem of the skirt starts below her hipbone on the left and swoops down diagonally to just go below the knee on the right, and it has a border just the same as the vine pattern on the cloak, though the gold border is as wide as her smallest finger this time. Silver cord laces her skirt on the left, the loops continuing under her corset while the extra laces dangle down her outer thigh, a silver moon is on the end of both cords. Her pants are billowed, starting closer to her hips and extending to below her knees where they are tucked into tighter cloth bands, both bands were solid silver with the vine design in gold this time. Her pants were a sandy gold color, made of a light fabric that was just vaguely translucent. Her thin, opaque, forest green socks went under the cloth braces as well and on her feet were laced green slippers with small accents in silver were each lace met shoe. Around her neck she wore silver chained necklace bearing the right facing silver crescent with a green gem completing it. Her upper arms had a silver band encircling them just above her elbows, completely solid but impossible to remove from her body without misshaping them. They were without detail but on the unseeable inside were the oaths she had taken upon becoming a full Kshan, oaths that were written in an ancient tongue. Her hands bore gold rings on the middle fingers, both with obvious writing in her own language on the outside and in, and gold sinuous serpent detailed bracelets sat delicately on her wrists. Two gold chains extended from each bracelet and ring to the back of her hand, securely supporting an opalescent white design that seemed to be woven by detail oriented spiders into the shape of a fang, the point facing her fingers. Resting on her forehead is a dangling green gemstone, supported by a silver chain that wove back into her hair, out of sight but still safely secure.

Personality (OOC): Serene is the easiest way to describe Taraja. She is highly aloof and seemingly ageless, her face and features showing a wild mix of ages at every glance. Very rarely could she be considered motherly, though there are times when her serenity can reach out in a disguised gesture of compassion. She will listen to what others say and listen even closer to what they mean between the lines, all while seeming composed. Having been raised in a cutthroat political society and then transferring to an even more subtle and dangerous Kshan society, she has a way of hearing what people may not know they are saying, and furthermore, she can speak one sentence while fully intending another. She is a ruthless interrogator when she has to be, but her demeanor could suggest a sweeter disposition as she can be a genuinely gentle person, though this trait is overshadowed by her trained serenity. She has a special romantic affinity for females, males often considered second, though a long term relationship is virtually impossible with her being of an expanded lifespan, unless it is another Kshan. She doesn't avoid being with someone, she just knows to not let it rule her life, forced into seeing it as a pastime if it is with someone who is not a Kshan. She likes to meddle in politics and problems, whether to solve them or deepen them, and always plays the fly on the wall. She does not like to take full power or responsibility for her actions, she will rather play the one whispering into the ruler's ear, whether the general public knows or not. Raised how she was, she enjoys pulling the strings.

History (OOC/IC depending on what your character has been educated in- this is a far away land with certain language, custom and race barriers!): Desert elves are highly fickle and narcissistic. Wars have broken in their land over issues as simple as a difference in dress. Being born into the Baharan house in their capitol city, Karan, only amplified the tense relationships between their people to her. Since she could speak she had been able to recognize the cold undercurrents in the oligarchic city. Houses were constantly fighting, be it with wealth, words, or power. Having been born into power and money, when it was discovered she had potential to be a Kshan, she was immediately sent to the Dramyr a'Kshan, the Palace of Lady Kshans. She knew the struggles with magic would end up separating her from her friends and family- it would extend her life past the average century marker to three hundred or even more. Magic use for desert elves also smoothed their faces bodies to a permanent agelessness- the only time age even slightly showed would be in the slight possibility for graying hair. Being labeled as a magic user in this land was a high privilege, very few could make it compared to other lands, and with this privilege and scarcity would come an inherent fear and awe from the non-magical populace. The desert elf race is not particularly prone to magic, it would crop up randomly throughout the population. When it was found that a child had ability, they were sent off to the main city to learn, for if they could not learn there was a high chance they'd either destroy themselves or create massive disasters around them. These students had to learn the meaning of entering into the Dramyrs- once they enter those walls as a student, they lived by the rules of the Dramyr. Even if they were sent out early due to incompetence, they were still under their rules and any breaking of them would be dealt with swiftly. Taraja was not incompetent, to say the least, and grew strong under their guidance. The fact the capitol is a port city as well as being located at the mouth of their life source, the Karan'edar (River Karan), there is always a good sized population of foreigners, be they visitors, ambassadors, or merchants. This access to the outside oceanic world made the city and country wealthy and provided the citizens, at least in the urban centers, with a lower sense of racism than the more nomadic and truer to the elven nature of prejudice common people. Magic users were generally frowned on if they were in open positions of power in the houses, a dislike and fear of overt tyranny that stretched back to time immemorable when more barbaric Kshans had led wars both civil and internationally that took heavy advantage of the non-magic users. The Dramyrs are segregated between male and female, a trait Taraja actually liked, causing a bit of a rift between the two groups. They did work together and did have their own sitting rulers, but the inherent differences between male and female magic amongst desert elves has kept them apart. This separation is also influenced by the general youth of initiates and how any romantic distractions could ruin the teachings. It is a powerful and vastly influential group to be in. To be a Kshan in other countries that are connected with the city is an easy way into the upper echelons of society in foreign lands, providing ample opportunities to gain a relatively cushy lifestyle as private tutors, royal librarians, generals, advisers, and more. Taraja has taken her Kshan of the Green Order status to expand the Dramyr's knowledge of the world by exploring.

Why/How is your character in Skuldhellir (OOC): Taraja was on a personal quest to expand the range of eyes and ears her fellow Kshan would have. She rode through the desert, occasionally taking ferries up the river Karan'edar, but mostly taking the time to gain some information on the counties, people, customs, and politics that she passed. After she exited the borders of her large nation, as well as reaching the slightly more vegetated lands north, she passed around the mountains where her people's river originated. Here, outside of the influence of the sand, she began to hear stories of things in the north. Granted, she had already a previous knowledge of the going-ons of the non-desert dwellers due to her education and just passed knowledge from her sister Kshans, but the fact that the stories were so far south in warmer lands made her take a mental note. Along the way she did meet up or at least hear of fellow Kshans, both male and female, who had passed through, giving her more drive to reach places her people have not seen. Going as due north as possible, she began to hear more urgent and personal stories of a strange cold, but nothing decisive. Her sisters back home would contact her through heavy Scrying methods; she was not the strongest in it so she could not initiate it over such vast distances, but she is strong enough to hold up her end and send messages. As the land grew colder, she actually witnessed natural snow for the first time, prompting her to purchase a heavier, though still green, cloak. As she found a cold, but still running, river, she met a ferryman who was just about to go south. His boat was filled with rattled people, destined for the deep south, away from all the supposed 'terror' and the omnipresent theme of 'cold'. She decided to join them for a ways, listening to their stories and even performing what mediocre healing she could for those affected by what they were escaping. Mostly it was unintelligible whimpering or feverish stories that made little sense. She took notes on what they were saying, seeing similarities and, frankly, feeling a little startled inside, though she maintained her perfected outward serenity. Down they went and soon the ferry gained too many people for her to work calmly; there were fights on deck and all through the night people would be crying for some reason or another. Consulting the ferryman, she stopped at Skuldhellir; its relative landlocked isolation was a good way to study the comings and goings of the riverfolk. A few bonuses followed, one being that this was a place known for its mines, it had a well kept magical community, and no Kshan were said to have been here, making her a pioneer for her people. Messages from her sisters were few, the massive distance was a tough obstacle to overcome, but she dug in and began to observe, still puzzling over what the terrorized migrants from the north had told her.


Magic (OPTIONAL):
---Max Preps (1-10): 10

---Schools:
Abjuration: 5
Covering the full range of this protective magic group, includes things such as barriers and auras.
Divination: 2
Seeing what is not there, spying, scrying, speaking to all living beings.
Evocation: 3
Generally focusing on the Air element, it encompasses the full range, from destructive spells to walls to weaponry. Can channel a spell through a weapon to give it that attribute, such as a fiery blade or frozen arrow.

Strengths:
---Natural:
Quick Learner: Since she was young she picked up on topics and subtleties rapidly, a trait that helped her excel in her schooling.
Heat Endurance: As a desert elf, she has a natural high tolerance for high heat, both dry and humid.
Hearing: Her hearing is improved due to her elvish nature.
Sight: She has sharp sight due to her elvish nature.
Meddler: She takes interest in finding out information and will do anything to get what she wants. She is not naïve about it, she is just a manipulator and it can make her seem very two-faced. Victims of this will often find it hard to prove her wrong.

---Learned/Acquired:
Multiple Languages: She is passable in most of the seafaring ones that would visit her city. She has excellent common, desert elven, and elven, moderate dwarf and dark elf. Ancient desert elf is another excellent, ancient elf and dark elf is okay. Though she had formal training in the most common forms of these languages, she would have a somewhat difficult time with regional dialects and in general conversation. Common, desert elven, and elven are her three that would come off well in conversation, elven being the only one slightly lacking.
Serenity: She is preternaturally serene and calm. Completely and at all times. Any break in this is rare. She governs her emotions well.
Weapons: She was taught some weapon techniques as a youth, nothing extensive, but she can use them. (Only if she were to conjure them.)

---Supernatural:
Ageless: She will appear as lacking a direct number to her age due to magic use.
Extended Life: She will live at least double the age of her non-magical desert elf counterparts, if not triple or more.
Gem: The green stone on her forehead allows the wearer to see the auras of magic users around her. When someone is not casting a spell the aura seen is mute and will only generally describe the strength of the person and some characteristics they are strong in. When a spell is being cast the aura grows stronger in favor of the type of spell being cast. It only works if worn and anyone can wear it, though non-magic users would perceive it differently. Different races would also perceive it differently, possibly not to the intended effect. It is something that has been specifically enchanted for her as a Green Kshan. It also helps in their communicating through divination long distances. Sometimes is used by her as a focusing agent if she for some reason needs to.

Weaknesses:
Cold: She is weak to cold. She has a personal dislike of cold as well as having a physical handicap to it. She will not show it, due to her serenity but she is affected by it. She can get physically drained by the cold and depending on circumstances it will affect her performance with magic.
Closed: She is reserved in how she communicates. She speaks as indirectly as possible while avoiding outright lies. This sometimes convoluted way of acting and talking sometimes make her seem unlikable. Her personal opinions are generally muted by this.
Exotic (At least where she is now): Being different will always draw attention.
Personal Ties: She does not get personal if she can help it, making her seem somewhat fluid with the side she's taking, making her unpredictable. This is also contributed by her extended life, she generally won't get close because there is some fear in her that she will hurt herself.
Meddling: Her pet love of getting her feet wet and fingers dirty in local and national affairs could potentially hurt her or her reputation.
Agelessness:: Probably would be chalked up as a desert elf trait by those who don't know, it is a horribly obvious marker that makes her a target of prejudice and potential harm to those who know.
Vanity: She has tried hard to escape her vain ways that is a trademark of her people but it is hard to fully remove it. She tries though! Honestly!!
Oaths: Can only use her magic for defense if it will harm. Can not tell a straight lie. Can not use spells above her ability, would need permission specifically by her superiors. Can not make a weapon for others, even in defense. Can not use a man made object as a weapon.
Physical: She is physically weak. Never having been engaged physically except as a pretense for a cultural lesson, such as simple weapons when she was young and old excursions into the desert. She gets winded easily and is not strong for lifting objects or resisting someone.

Please please please ask questions and recommendations and stuffs~
I am trying to really make her and where she comes from concrete enough so that if another wants to rp someone from there they can go off of this as a good reference!
Thank you <3

I...I...I wil not say anything but my oppinion...I would think, that Miss Long Name, could...use...some...more...weaknesses? 16 strengths vs. 3 weaknesses. That...seems..a bit...off...I'mgoingtogethammeredIjustknowit~

Yeah ): I actually do plan on adding more I just don't know what buuu

I'm going to tell you right now: I didn't read anything until the strengths and weaknesses. WAY TMI for me--maybe not for others, but I thrive on conciseness. :P

STRENGTHS
-Magic: 10 + 3 = 13
-Quick Learner: 1
-Heat Endurance: 1 (it's usually not too hot in SH)
-Hearing: 2
-Sight: 2
-Meddler: 0
-Multiple Languages: 1
-Dancing: 1
-Serenity: 0
-Weapons: 3
-Ageless: 0
-Extended Life: 0
-Enforced Cloak: 2-5 (to what extent does this work? Could you describe further?)
-Gem: 1

WEAKNESSES
-Cold: 3
-Closed: 0
-Exotic: 0-1

Totals:
27-29 vs. 3-4

Wowee, we have some work to do. :P I would suggest getting rid of the magical protection cloak and adding weaknesses like "lack of strength" or "frail." Personality quirks like "closed" tend to not count as much as physical weaknesses, because these numbers are meant to measure continuity impact and battle balance. But other than that I'm not sure. Perhaps a weakness to some kind of particular magic or addiction?

Yar ;_; I knowwww I hate it. But I hope I made it better?

Psst, they like it when you rub their stomachs...wait...wrong advice...erhem, they like it when you post what you changed so they don't have to reread your application. True story.

Lots of infos are fine, but applications are generally about seeing how balanced your character is, not how complex! Personally I didn't read any of the text walls either, at least, not for purposes of numbering and balance. (A good place to put all that kind of thing is the Character Info forum after acceptance!)

STRENGTHS
1. Magic: 13
2. Quick learner: 1
3. Heat endurance: 1
4. Hearing: 1
5. Sight: 1
6. Meddler: 1

7. Multiple languages: 1
8. Serenity: 2
9. Weapons: 1

10. Ageless: 0
11. Extended life: 1
12. Aura gem: 1

WEAKNESSES
1. Cold: 2
2. Closed: 0
3. Exotic: 1 (I'll give you one point here for the prejudice magic-users face in Skuld.)
4. Lack of personal ties: 0
5. Meddling: 1
6. Agelessness: 0
7. Vanity: 1
8. Oaths: 5
9. Physically weak: 3

Strengths Total: 24
Weaknesses Total: 13

Much improved, but you've still got an 11 point gap, there. You'll need to come up with some weaknesses to fill at least 6-7 more points for her to be balanced. :V

Also, yes, when you make your changes, could you please make a post describing what you changed? It makes things go a lot quicker.

Thanks! C:

Oh derp, she's an elf. :3 Since SH is so anti-elf, that would be a 2-point weakness for me.

Oh gurd point!

That brings the totals I came up with her to 24 for strengths and 15 for weaknesses--still needs at least 4 points worth of extra weaknesses to achieve numerical balance, though. Fortunately, that shouldn't be too difficult to come up with!

I need to get off my ass and look over apps again. >8C

And I like this. Another abjurer is nice too see. Materos will have a time talking to this one.

Although, I guess I agree with the mediators here. A few more weaknesses would be nice. But I like what I see.

Do we know where Taraja is? Is she planning on coming back, or what?

Moving this. It can be revived if she returns. :)