Profile
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Info
Nendara Etheran
26 - They/She - Demi-fae - Bisexual
Security Clearance Level: 0 - Specialization: N/A
#LRL14 - Original World
△ Kind, patient when they need to be, empathetic to a point, loyal to whomever they deem to be their “pack”
▷ Socially awkward, guarded, endlessly curious, carefully adventurous, tends to sniff people in greeting, very tactile with friends, light on their feet
▽ Sensitive to bigotry and bullying of any kind and more likely to be impulsive in those instances; somewhat easily overstimulated by loud noises and harsh chemical smells; hates small, confined spaces, especially if they can’t get out and may go a bit feral in their attempt to escape
About
Nendara is a demi-fae from a dying world who is seeking adventure and lost in more ways than one. Growing up in the relative isolation of the forest fostered a spirit for travel, new experiences, and the desire to make new friends. Generally more comfortable with the world’s flora and fauna, they like to stretch that comfort zone whenever and however they can, be it dungeon delving, cliff diving, or braving the local noisy festival. Traveling to another world entirely would be an awfully big adventure.
Typical Appearance
HEIGHT: 5’4” - WEIGHT: 130ish lbs - EYE COLOR: Hazel, golden-brown in the middle and grey-green on the edges - HAIR COLOR: reddish brown
Nendara stands at about 5'6" with a wiry, if somewhat compact frame. Their skin is a tawny beige with coral undertones and smattering of freckles. Long, reddish-brown hair is usually tied in a messy, low ponytail, with haphazardly cut bangs framing their face. Their eyes are hazel, golden brown in the middle and greyish green around the outside of the irises. Their ears are pointed. Faint plant-like patterns can be seen across their bare skin - if they’re ever clean enough for the marks to be seen.
Gear & Extras
Their usual outfit is an eclectic mix of clothing from better times and whatever rags they’ve been able to salvage: a soiled undershirt, a worn tunic, tattered pants and mismatched boots, one of which is held together by cloth rag strips. A thick poncho and cloak help keep them warm and relatively dry, as well as making them appear larger than are. They also have leather bracers to help when they do archery and cloth wrapped around their knees to support less comfortable hunting or tracking positions.
A hefty belt keeps most of her things organized: pouches of helpful plants, herbs, and seeds, a panflute, and a knife. They also rarely go anywhere without their trusty bow and a quiver of arrows, as well as a staff made from the heart of the Heart Tree from their home forest.
Original World - Original Character
Art Credit: SleepyCatdragon
▲ Flora’s Blessing
As long as they have the energy for it, Nendara has the ability to create, shape, and manipulate plants. They can cause plants to grow, move/attack, rise from the soil and “walk,” mutate plants, give some plants limited sentience, and revive withered or dead plants. This includes part of plants like branches, stems, thorns, petals, and pollen. This power can be used for defense, offense, and support. This also includes the ability to talk to and understand plants. Passively, Nendara tends to smell like clean earth and whatever native plant life lives in a given area, and they’ll often give off more soothing floral scents when anxious.
▲ Fauna’s Blessing
For longer than they’ve realized, Nendara has had the ability to speak to, understand, and shapechange into different creatures. The shapechanging is a newer ability that still needs much practice and takes a lot of energy, but they’ve been partially changing their vocal chords to perfectly mimic animals since they were young. This is not required for them to communicate with animals, but it was something they enjoyed being able to do. Shapechanging quirk: each creature looks a little more planty than they should. (Ex: fur looks more like grass or feathers like leaves, etc)
▲ Fae Blood
Being part fae makes Nendara a little hardier than most. They’re not immune to any given type of damage, but they’re able to take a few more hits than the average human. They can sense magic to a degree (strong magic usually either gives off a smell, a hum, or gives them goosebumps). Magic suffuses their very being, enriching their vitality and helping with (most) healing.
▲ Survivor
In addition to their powers, Nendara knows how to use their bow, staff, and dagger well enough to have survived natural dangers in their forest home. Territorial skirmishes were not uncommon amongst outsiders and Nendara has had to defend themself against enemy folk as well. Not the most skilled fighter by any means, but they’re scrappy and they’ve made it this far.
▼ Fae Allergies
Being part fae has it’s disadvantages. Namely, sensitivity to silver, iron, and salt. Their human blood helps a little so they’re not egregiously burned by these materials, but prolonged contact is still uncomfortable and may leave a painful mark. Injuries caused by these materials definitely take longer to heal. And just don’t use too much salt in cooking, because only crazy people do that and ignore other perfectly reasonable spices.
▼ Human Enough
Nendara can be hurt by anything that would hurt a normal human. It might take a little longer than it would for the average human, but Nendara can be worn down, injured, and mortally wounded. Regular human strength and agility.
▼ Anti-magic Fields
Because magic is part of their existence, a distinct lack of magic or deliberate blocking or siphoning of magic causes Nendara to feel very drained and overall ill. Prolonged exposure to such an effect would severely weaken them.
History
Nendara is the product of love between a forest fae and a nomadic human on one of his tribes' yearly pilgrimages to the forest fae's sacred grove. They'd gotten to know each other over the years, and acceptance grew to fondness to something much greater.
Most of the other forest fae of the sacred grove did not approve of the union; it broke centuries of tradition, and they saw it as the humans stealing something that didn't belong to them. Most of the human's tribe was very supportive of the union; many hands made light work, and it couldn't hurt to have a forest spirit on their side!
The couple's surprise demi-fae baby was another matter entirely. About half the fae of the sacred grove were still against the concept entirely, but the other half recognized that they were still part fae. For that matter, life was deemed precious in all its forms, so the baby should be given a chance. They just didn't want the baby to go far.
The two groups were in the process of deciding how to handle things when they became the casualties of an outside force's fight over land rights. Nendara's father's people fought to protect the grove and fell, while the fae of the grove did what they could but were largely defeated, and those who survived retreated deeper into the woods in fear and shame.
With the death of their parents, Nendara ended up in the care of their mother's friend, who set off on her own to raise this child away from the other grove dwellers and their strict rules. Flora and fauna would be Nendara’s teachers, and they grew up to be quite the wild child. Over time, their curiosity of the outside world grew strong enough for them to venture out on their own. Interacting with people was hard but they learned to get along with some of them, acting as a guide through trickier parts of their forest home. That’s how they met and befriended the dragon’s acolyte. The acolyte’s stories of her own adventures only spurred Nendara on more.
Ready for adventure, Nendara eventually left the forest entirely and had a whole slew of adventures with new and fast friends: the blacksmith's apprentice, the wind weaver, the royal librarian, the stone-shaper, the gem gardener, the wayward prince, the tomboy princess, the talented mage, and the mischievous sorceress. They were all young, impetuous, and ready to change the world!
However, the world turned out to be harsher than any of them could have anticipated, and as the magic that supported the world first began to corrupt then wane, the vitality of the world faded with it. They were kids. They did what they could. But it wasn't enough. Nations called their people home and held them close, hoping to survive whatever would come to pass together. That meant the separation of Nendara and their friends as they traveled to their respective homes to continue to help however they could; Nendara went back to the forest, tending to the Heart Tree at its core and watching the vitality of everything they held dear slowly fade away.
When a magical portal opened up near them, Nendara believed it to be the work of the talented mage or the mischievous sorceress. They quickly gathered whatever they might need before jumping through, hoping it would lead them to their friends and hoping it meant a brighter future lay in store for them all.
