Name: Nyika
Age: 15
Gender: Female
Species: Terran
Position: True Neutral
Powers/Abilities/Techniques/Skills:[/b]: Nyika can talk to animals.[/ul]
[/b]: Nyika can hear the cries of a planet, listening to the plants and earth communicating with each other. Sometimes they talk to her and she has the ability to speak back. If the earth is compliant, she will be able to will the earth to her needs, though that is not to say she can move mountains or uproot trees. With proper care she can give life back to a dying plant or make a flower bloom.[/ul]
[/b]: As well as being able to listen to the planet, Nyika can hear exceptionally well and can see in very dark conditions. Her pawpads are also very quiet when stalking.[/ul]
[/b]: Nyika and Kali have their own unique way of communicating, developed as toddlers and built upon the language of nature. They are the only ones that can understand each other when speaking in this dialect. It will be indicated by speech set in parenthesis:
("I want to tell you something!") Nyika said to Kali.[/ul]
Weapon/Items:[/b]: Nyika has retractable claws, giving her greater control when running and superior climbing abilities. They are razor sharp and rather deadly.[/ul]
[/b]: Nyika has a primitive dagger that she uses when on hunts and for culinary purposes.[/ul]
Picture: Art done by Glacies Clover:
glaciesclover.deviantart.com/Appearance: Nyika has a rather small frame, standing at only 5'2", though living her life surviving in the woodlands has given her a lithe and toned body, weighing in at about 107 pounds. She wears rather primitive dress, that being a short halter top tied by strings in the back and a short sarong tied around her waist. Both articles are of an earthy tone of color and are frayed with use. Over it all she wears a large hooded cloak that she uses to conceal herself when on the hunt. Like her clothing, the edges are frayed from use and constant brushing from the dirt and underbrush.
Her hands and feet have taken the form of cat-like paws, complete with retractable claws, and it is for this reason that she does not wear shoes. Her extremities are much larger than normal to accommodate the difference, and allow her to run with much more control than a human as well as give her superior climbing ability. Golden fur extends from her paws up her forearm and lower leg, and have ocelot markings with dark spots and stripes.
A pair of cat-like ears rest atop her head and also have the ocelot markings her arms and legs possess. They have the full range of movement as a cat's, and can perk up, swivel back, and pin down depending on her mood. They are nestled in a crop of dirty blonde dreadlocks that were grown naturally, and are long enough to extend past her shoulder blades and chest.
She also has tribal markings from birthmarks related to her fur, appearing as dark tattoos. Two vertical stripes fall from her forehead to the inside of her golden eyes with irises slit like those of a cat's, while two horizontal stripes lay on each side of her face, one from her eyes to her temples, and the other from her cheeks to the back of her jaws. A few ocelot markings are arranged on her flanks and body as compliment.
One last thing to note of Nyika is that she possesses a large, fluffy kitteh tail, also in the ocelot markings. Her sarong is wrapped around the base, keeping decency but also giving her room to swish her tail, which she frequently does when deep in thought, or playing, or angry, or annoyed, or expressing basically any emotion ever.
Other miscellaneous things to note are a wooden bangle that hangs on her left wrist, as well as a jade necklace around her neck. She also has a hemp choker and a hemp necklace that sits between the choker and jade stone. It has few wooden beads and gemstones woven in. Other primitive jewelry decorate her body, such as a hemp bands on her arms, a stone anklet and a wooden tail brace. When she smiles, a pair of pronounced canines show through.
Personality: Nyika has an incredibly introverted personality. Shy and demure, Nyika would much rather be left to her own devices than be subjugated to the attention and demands of her tribe. Being the first true mystic her tribe has seen in over one hundred years, Nyika has had to take on an overwhelming sense of responsibility at a very young age. She was never allowed a childhood and this made her bitter and resentful to her peers who were allowed to gambol and play while she was forced to provide advice and wisdom—neither of which she felt she had much of—to the elders of the tribe.
Having been gifted the ability to hear the sounds and calls of nature, the constant noise has ruptured whatever nerves the girl has left. The ever present cries and wails of plant life, the bickering and shouts of animals, the whispers that constantly plague her has made Nyika jittery and skittish. Without a mentor, Nyika was never taught how to repress these noises and calls, and as such she does not know how to ignore them. She has trouble sleeping, for the earth doesn't stop after the sun sets, and her rest is usually kept in fits and snatches of sheer exhaustion. As such, she is often not paying attention, and one must shout or throw things in order to get her attention.
Despite this, she loves her tribe very much and has grown into a loving and caring soul, wishing to help and provide companionship and counsel even if she thinks she does a poor job of it. Despite her shortcomings she has garnered a massive amount of respect from her tribe simply by being. Though they could never truly understand what she is subjected to, they at least understand her role and the hardship she goes through, unable to shut out the constant cries of the planet. They see it in the drooping eyelids, the nodding head, the ears laid flat against her head, and the constant absentminded disposition she holds.
Original World: Tamerra II
Tamerra is a world ruled by the four elements: earth, wind, fire, and water. Long ago, when the elements lived in harmony with each other, the world's shepherd, man, tended to the land. One day, the people sought to control the elements, dividing themselves into four groups with one group devoted entirely to the study of one element.
As time passed and the Ancestors' mastery of the elements grew, the people started to morph, their bodies taking on certain traits of their elements: those that studied air grew wings and learned how to control the air currents; those that studied earth grew fur and learned how to talk to nature; those that studied fire grew something and learned how to manipulate light; and those that studied water grew gills and learned how to shapeshift.
Time passed and eventually the races fell out of touch with their element. Without shepherds to make use of the elemental power, the world became unstable and threatened to collapse. It was at this point four scions, one from each race, gathered together and used their power to prevent the world from utter destruction, although what they really did was simply create an alternate reality of their world.
Thus began the mass migration to Tamerra II. Those that were left behind remained in Tamerra I, which became known as the "Spiritual Realm". Some creatures were able to find access to Tamerra II, but access was always temporary and they vanished soon afterwards. The races that resided in Tamerra II began to recognize this link to their former world, and so learned the concept of summoning, sharing bonds between themselves and a "visitor" and reopening the Gateway symbol left behind once a "visitor" left. These visitors became known as "Guardians", as through this shared bond, Guardians acted as protectors of their Summoner.
Centuries passed and like before, the races grew away from Guardians, leaving their visitations as a sort of legend. Guardians, as well, began to forget how to access Tamerra II. Every so often, a Guardian would find access to the plane, but the races soon forgot what they were, and their visitations were treated as will-o'-the-wisps.
Current World: Traverse Town
History: To examine Nyika's history, one must first know the history of her world. When the scions created the alternate realm of Tamerra II and set forth the mass migration into this new land, not all creatures and plants were gathered. Tamerra I continued to live despite its collapse, and while the Elements were no longer bound in harmony and the world was set in a near inhospitable state, life will always find a way. Though centuries passed and the people of Tamerra II forgot the lore and their origin, Tamerra I continued to survive, plants finding root, animals fighting for survival, a volatile ecosystem continuing to hold on to its last strands of life.
Though Tamerra I was dying, it was not yet deceased, and the corrupted lifestream of the planet cried and wailed for its people to return and set right what had been wronged. It was this ghostly wailing that plagued the mystics of the Terran tribes, the Earth folk that had the ability to communicate with nature and the lifestream of their planet. Unable to determine the source of the wailing, for it transgressed physical planes, they were haunted by their old planet's cries and ill-suited to provide the balance it so desperately needed. Without a way to ease its suffering, one by one the mystics went insane, committing suicides and murders just to end their suffering or appease the haunts. Their bloodline thinned and mystics became more scarce over the years. Occasionally one would surface, and though their coming was heralded in great rejoicing, they never lived long enough to bring the great prosperity to the tribe that was expected of them.
Nyika was one such. She was born to the Terran tribe of Kymau, second of a pair of twins, the first being Kali. The two were an inseperable duo, and learned how to walk, run, climb, and talk together. They excelled quickly, reaching landmarks at an earlier age than most kittehns did. The elders of the tribe noticed this, deeming them gifted, which was partly true, for it was the earth and animals teaching the twins while no one was looking. It was the way they communicated with each other in their special twin dialect, unnatural from other kittehn mews, using the words they were taught from nature and the lifestream to speak with each other privately. It was the way they tended to keep to themselves, stealing away to explore the underbrush and the canopy above that the elders began to notice the way the earth seemed to bend to their needs, a stray branch catching a false step, bringing back flowers that should not have been in season, and having a special affinity for the woodland creatures around them that they realized just what the twins were and the innate power they held. Soon thereafter Kali and Nyika were designated as Mystics of the tribe.
While it had been over one hundred years since the last mystic was known in the tribe, the elders still subjected them to mystic training, hoping to hone their connections with nature and teach them the balance so necessary for their survival. While they both excelled at the makeshift arrangements (no mystic had been trained in over one hundred years), it was clear that Nyika and Kali took to their power differently. Nyika became very quiet, keeping to herself, while Kali's extroverted disposition seemed not to change. Nyika's ears, more often than not, were kept flattened against her head, and she would wake screaming from nightmares that she could not explain.
For as they grew and their ability became stronger and more refined, the twins were subjugated to the ghostly wails of their old planet's dying lifestream. While Kali's outgoing personality seemed to handle the wails as well as she could, Nyika's introverted disposition had a more difficult time suppressing these howls. Riddled with nightmares and plagued throughout the day, Nyika slowly began creeping into a sort of madness, losing touch with herself and her surroundings. The tribe became worried, keeping special watch over her, for though it had been nearly one hundred years since the last mystic, they knew the stories of madness and the death that came with it. While Kali was deemed sane enough to be sent off to hunt with the hunters, Nyika was kept under a close eye by the elders, providing nature's wisdom when she could and becoming trained in the ways of an herbalist and seer. Every once in a while, though, she would give them the slip, following her sister's prodding to come with her on the hunts. It was Kali's intent to keep her own eye on her sister, understanding what the elders did not, and trying to keep her sister from losing touch with herself entirely by keeping her active and sane.
Time passed and eventually they were allowed on the Elders' Council, though they were kept secret from other tribes. The elders understood their importance and their value, and feared that if word got out that the Kymau tribe were hosting not one, but two mystics, war would come upon them and the twins would be separated. This was to be tested after the twins turned twelve, when a loose tongue had let slip the very thing that the elders sought to hide. It was not long before battle came upon them, led by a tribe claiming to have Mystics of their own. Despite being told to hide in the woodlands, Kali rushed off to battle, Nyika following in her wake.
Amidst the fight and confusion, it was when the twins called to the earth that tipped the battle to their favor, as it became clear that these new Mystics were nothing more than false idols. Following the aftermath, the twins were given new importance and physical seats on the Elders' Council. Kali took a shine to this, though Nyika felt more pressure on her to perform than ever before, and continued to lose touch with herself.
A few more years passed and despite Nyika's shortcomings, Kali seemed to excel in her role and the two were considered true Mystics. Suspicion began to arise, however, villagers wondering why the twins were so different when they came from the same womb. These were not fraternal twins, but identical, so shouldn't Kali struggle as her sister did? Suspicion and doubt grew, and some began to suspect that Kali was feeding off of Nyika, or channeling the madness into her. It began tearing the tribe apart, this darkness in the villagers' hearts. The elders and the twins tried to assure them this was not the case, until one fateful day when the Heartless arrived.
The tribe fought as best they could, but the attack was overwhelming. The villagers began blaming Kali and Nyika for bringing this plague upon them, and though the elders had supported them throughout the doubt and suspicion, they too turned on the twins. They believed Nyika and her sister to be the cause of the attack, failing to provide the balance expected of a mystic. Casting them out of the tribe, Kali and Nyika fought the invasion alone in the wilderness, hoping to survive.
Role Playing Sample: Zephyr!!
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