SushiboatforoneJan 22, 2018Jan 22, 2018 at 05:29 AM
#1
image no longer hosted — https://i.imgur.com/xLLuR7w.png[/img]Zalya Alamor | 19 | Cisgendered Woman | Bisexual | The Lady Sign | Elsweyr | Lawful Good | Just Wants Friends
image no longer hosted — https://i.imgur.com/MonED9X.png[/img]
image no longer hosted — https://i.imgur.com/0FCLpRa.png[/img]Art by DangerWasp
image no longer hosted — https://i.imgur.com/0yLTPyH.png[/img]
Two things are immediately apparent when looking at Zalya. The first is that she has the build of an underfed twig, standing at a full height of 5’2. The second is that she is missing her right arm just below the elbow. An ugly curled scar at the base of the residual limb suggests that her arm was lost within the past year, and huge, canine tooth shaped marks on her shoulder, and ankle leave a hint as to what may have taken it. Despite her apparent scars, Zalya keeps herself well maintained and cleaned. Her hair and fur is smooth and soft, and almost always smells of lavender. Her bright blue eyes and pink nose stand out against her black fur, making both look bigger than they actually are.
The white flowers in Zalya’s hair speak to her predisposition towards bright colors. She can often be seen in whites, eggshell browns, and lavender clothes. There’s a rural sort of modesty to the clothing that she wears. She always wears a carved wooden amulet of Mara around her neck. It is simple, but means a lot to her. When surprised or worried, she can be seen rubbing it between her thumb and index finger. She doesn’t take up much space, both in her size, and the way she stands. Her one arm tends to stay close to her core. Her tamrielic is good, but it doesn’t sound like her first language. She has a clear Khajiiti accent, though some of her words almost sound Nibenese.
Morality: Zalya has a very strong code of morals, defined both by religious values, and the values imposed on her in her childhood. She sees the world in black and white, and strives to be the best person she can be, even when it would set her back significantly. She values compassion and kindness, associating the divinity of Mara with everyday acts of love in the community. She will share food, invite strangers into her home, and show mercy to those who wrong her.
Zalya has a willing naivety. She always sees the best in people, going as far as to ignore past wrongdoings and warning signs. She is unquestioningly trusting, and will go out of her way to accommodate others. This often gets her into trouble, and leaves her as an emotional doormat for those who would take advantage of her. This sort of practiced ignorance extends to her politics. She believes what she’s told, and has full trust in the system as it is presented to her. To her, local authorities have authority because that’s what is right and political leaders always know best, because if they didn’t, how could they have become political leaders in the first place? Even when presented with evidence contradictory to her world view, she defaults to any perceived authority.
Likes: Zalya is faithful to the khajiiti interpretation of Mara, and as such, she values community, motherhood, and family above all else. She has a predisposition towards sweet foods, fish, and moonsugar, which she considers sacred. Zalya has a love for flowers, and has a particular fondness for white flowers. Lilies and daisies tend to be her favorite.
Dislikes: Zalya dislikes conflict. She’ll often keep her opinions to herself to make a conversation go smoother. She’s got a strong distaste for violence, and won’t ever condone it. She’ll drink alcohol, but like any nineteen year old, she doesn’t like the taste. She considers skooma to be a corruption of moonsuger, and will never tolerate it’s production, use, or even reference in casual conversation.
Fears: Zalya is terrified of supernatural creatures. She hates werewolves in particular, and will turn in anyone she suspects is cursed. On a less primal level, Zalya has a near debilitating social anxiety. She freezes up in new places, and will default to apologizing for her behavior, even when she’s not doing anything wrong.
Jendra: Zalya’s mother worked several jobs throughout Zalya’s childhood to maintain the families middle class lifestyle. She focused in hospitality jobs, working at several of inns during the busy seasons. Because she always worked late, Zalya had a better relationship with her during her early childhood, and lost touch with her as a teenager. Nevertheless loved her mother, and considers her a hero. Zalya lost contact with her mother following an outbreak of the Knahaten Flu.
Mhor’Do: Zalya’s father was a caravan guard for years, later becoming part of the local watch in Rimmen before ultimately pusing to relocate the family following the arrival of the Akaviri in 572 2E. Mhor’Do was an affable figure in Zalya’s life, and was a primary motivator for Zalya to join the local temple. Zalya lost contact with her father during an outbreak of the Knahaten Flu.
Jecirey:Among her brothers, Jecirey is the closest in age to Zalya, but is still a full seven years older than her. Described by his friends as a ‘confident schmooze’ Jecirey was an important role model in Zalya’s childhood. As an adult, Jecirey married young, and now owns a small, but successful moonsuger farm in southern Elsweyr.
Furron (Deceased): Furron was eleven years older than Zalya, and as a child, tended to resent her for getting more attention than him. Furron was the most likely to get into trouble. He had a strong sense of masculinity, and in his late teens, was a very successful hunter. Zalya ended up growing closer to Furron when he left his family home to work with Hykie. Furron was killed by a werewolf while visiting Zalya in Valenwood.
Hykie: Hykie may have been more of a parent to Zalya than her actual parents were. Being thirteen years older than Zalya, Hykie was often left in charge of the house, and with raising a young Zalya. Hykie was a friendly figure in public, but was ultimately an introverted person, and on occasion resented all the responsibility thrust upon him as a child. In his mid twenties, he joined a small fishing company, working mostly in the Topel Bay. He later recruited Furron, and the two left to start their own company.
Beware of Meta
Zalya was born the youngest of three in what would become Rimmen. She was something of a surprise for her parents, though she was by no means unloved. Her father was a native from a nomadic Anequinian tribe, while her mother came from a large family in Sechal. This sort of diversity became a common thread throughout her upbringing. During her early years, she grew up in the city, being raised partly by her parents, and partly by her older brothers. The city was filled with all manner of traders and caravans. Zalya grew up bilingual, speaking both Ta’agra, and a Nibonese sounding Tamrielic. She learned to read and write Ta’agra, but never Tamrielic. She was always a quiet child, and would focus more on her own imaginary games rather than making friends. She was very rarely without some sort of supervision, either from her brothers, or from her parents.
In 2E 572, Akaviri began to arrive in Rimmen, driving the family to relocate to a small, but growing town on the coast of the Topal Bay. The town was a well travelled, walled off port. It was new enough to not exist on many old maps, but growing in a way that suggested that were it to continue, it could have become a small thriving city. Even though Zalya was young during the move, she always considered Rimmen her home, and didn’t really fit in with the seafaring culture of her new home. Slowly but surely, her older brothers began to move out of the house, leaving her at home alone with her parents by the time she was a teenager.
Zalya’s teenage years were awkward. She grew up late, and didn’t have very many friends. She had trouble finding her place in the growing city. In an effort to get her out of the house, her father suggested that she join the local temple. Zalya found a home with the moonpriests, making the first real friends she’d ever had at the temple. Her religion became her life during her mid-teens, and she found that she was particularly fond of Mara. By her late teens, she was organizing and actively participating in temple driven community work, and undertaking short pilgrimages to local sacred sites.
Zalya had fully intended on becoming a priestess in her local community, but never found the time. When she was eighteen she participated in a six month long pilgrimage to Rawl’ka and the surrounding area. On her way home, she found that the city she had grown up in had been quarantined due to an outbreak of the Knahaten Flu. With nowhere else to go, she began to travel dominion lands. After spending some time with Jeicirey on his farm, and stopping at temples in Elsweyr, she found her way into Valenwood. She had only meant to stay a few days in the town of Vulkwasten, but a job offer at the local tavern, and a warm bed ended up keeping her there far longer.
While in town, she met and fell in love with Chays, a former Dominion soldier who had lost his squad. Chays joined the local guard while Zalya worked at the tavern. The two grew very close, very quickly, and Zalya had begun to believe that she would stay in Vulkwasten permanently. Before any serious talk of relocating could be made, Chays was killed while protecting the town from werewolves. Zalya was left heartbroken, and ended up contacting Chays’ family. She returned to Elsweyr for a month to grieve, but found her way back to Vulkwasten to spread the word of Mara.
Though she had some bad memories associated with the town, Zalya began to use Vulkwasten as a stopping point while she searched for her place in the world. She made a few acquaintances in town, and while she was away often, she thought of Vulkwasten as a sort of home. She still didn't plan on staying permanently, but fate, and Hircine had different plans for her. On the roads outside of town, she was attacked by a newly turned werewolf. She lost her arm in the struggle, and nearly died, but she was left alive for just long enough for help to arrive.
Zalya was bed bound for the next month, which gave her the chance to grow closer to the townsfolk. She was met with sympathy, tenderness, and an uncomfortable amount of pity. Once she was on her feet again, she decided to follow in the footsteps of her father, and her former boyfriend, and join the town guard. During the early days of her training, Furron arrived from Valyn Harbor to spend the week with Zalya. He rented a small, homely cave north of town to serve as a home for his newly settled sister, and to be a place for him to stop while fishing the Abecean Sea.
As Zalya settled into town, she took walks in the early mornings. One morning, on her way to the beach, she followed a piglet off of the path, encountering Thelin, an old friend who had left town after being outed as a vampire. The reunion was brief and tense, ending with Zalya running off deep into the jungle, where she was lost for several days. While searching for her, Furron was cornered, and killed by a werewolf who had been living in town, and hunting in the forests by Vulkwasten. Zalya was found just a few days later by Nammu, who forced her to sell her claws for a guide home.
Furron was found just a few days later. The autopsy was performed by the same man who had killed him. Zalya was told that he was killed by wild animals, and she believed it. After taking several days off to grieve, she returned to her job, her dedication to the town renewed. While investigating the case, a fellow guard found the piglet that Zalya had chased off the path, and gave it to her as a ‘sorry your life sucks’ present. Zalya spent the next month, working with the guard, and living with her piglet, trying to figure out her place in Vulkwasten, and in life.
image no longer hosted — https://i.imgur.com/0yLTPyH.png[/img]Art of Zalya
Edited Jan 22, 2018 at 07:00 AM by 0
RaccoonismJan 22, 2018