Appearance
A woman of fairly normal appearance, Mikkeyla stands at 5'6'' and weighs around 140 lbs. She has regular features and somewhat pale skin that easily tans during summer.
Her cheekbones are well defined, but rather than the classical delicate beauty her visage is somewhat androgynous, with a strong narrow chin, dark eyebrows and a straight nose.
The most prominent of her traits are perhaps the honey colored blond hair that hangs to her waist in a thick loose braid, as well as the pale gray eyes.
Sporting broad hips and a somewhat modest bust, the young woman has long legs and a slender waist, shaped my many years of hard labor on the fields of Syliras as well as household-chores.
Due to an accident with a sickle as a child, Mikkeyla has a deep scar across the right calf; the injury didn't endanger her life, but the lack of sufficient healer aid caused the tendons in the leg to contract. Because of this she limps quite heavily, and cannot run very well. |
Personality
Calm and patient by nature, a life of hard work and few surprises has made her serious and somewhat suspicious towards change. Reserved and seemingly cold when faced with the curiosity of others, her family and close friends know her as a warm, kind-hearted woman that gives more than she have to without expecting anything in return.
Mikkeyla is a hard worker that places her attention heavily on her family and the life closest to her. As her father is often treated with scorn and poorly hidden contempt by the other villagers and even more so from the Syliran Knights due to his work as bounty hunter, she has come to hold a grudge against the order. Her attitude also affects those that place themselves above the hard-working farmers; knowing fully well that it is their labor that feeds the city of Syliras, she can't stand for the attitude of them being inferior. This has lead to her often simply refusing to acknowledge those of higher status, prejudice making her blind to the fact that all people with money aren't the same. |
HistoryMikkeyla Rivver was born early one summer morning in the year of 491 AV, into a loving family that inhabited a small cottage situated within the Mithryn Outpost, close to the city of Syliras. She was a peaceful child that enjoyed quiet games, and while she at times seemed to be a bit lonely she never complained about it. She was the only child in her age-group as she grew up, the small settlement sporting both younger and older children but none that was suitable for her to play with. As her father Toran Rivver, a bounty hunter serving at the Starcleaver bounty service often was forced to leave the home for extended periods of time, Mikkeyla grew up in the care of her mother Kayla, and grandmother Mirena, the two women she was named after.  The girl was put to work already from an early age, with smaller tasks like weaving ribbons, combing raw wool they bought from shepherds or pulling weeds in the garden. As she grew older she was taught how to spin and weave, the names and treatment of plants, and she was allowed to help out in the small kitchen. Everyones hands was necessary for the small family to function and survive, no task was too small or unimportant enough to be left alone. She still had plenty of time to play, however, and used to love running over the fields, chasing dragonflies or sneaking after frogs along the river banks. Mikkeyla was generally a careful little girl, thorough with telling everyone where she was going and when she would come back, and because of that she was let out in the nature around the walled village. The adults knew where she was, after all. When she was eight years old, the girl ended up in an accident where she tripped on a sickle that had been left out in a field. She received a deep cut over her right calf and bled profusely, so much that her parents feared for her life. The injury was stitched together by a local herbalist and the bleeding stopped, but due to lack of sufficient knowledge in healing or medicine the leg was allowed to heal on its own, the girl kept still as not to risk the large injury to open up again. Mikkeyla had to spend the rest of summer and a good deal of that fall indoors, and once she was deemed healed enough to finally walk around again... She wasn't able to. The sickle had injured a tendon deep within the leg, and as a result she couldn't move the foot or bend the knee like before. Only slowly and with stubborn patience did the girl learn to walk again, the leg giving in a little as she moved about. She would never regain full movement within the leg, and still walks with a limp, for the most part incapable of running or any faster movements. Now forced to live closer to home, the girl buried herself within the lush garden that surrounded the cottage. Wishing to help the child find something that made her useful, her mother and grandmother started to teach her about gardening and the use of herbs to treat smaller ailments. She was given a patch of the garden to do what she wanted with, and slowly a deep passion for plants and cultivation awakened within her. Soon it became hard to tear her away from the flowers and small shrubs, Mikkeyla preferred being outdoors from the tasks that called within the house. More than once her mother found her outside in the morning, sleeping amongst the flowers with earth in her hair and the chemise damp from dew. Time passed by slowly. Summers came and went, the hard toil on the fields exchanged for long winters of concentrated work, all with the purpose of bringing a few extra Mizas to the house and to put food on the table. While able to fill their bellies regularly the family rarely had any coin to spare, and there simply wasn't room for slacking off or daydreaming.  When Mikkeyla reached her fourteenth year, her mother discovered that she was pregnant once again. The young girl was happy about the news and shared the excitement, and plans began to pass among the members of the small family to extend the cottage, build another room to better accommodate the growing family. Toran took up more work in order to bring in more money, and as the seasons progressed everything seemed to be working fine. When time of labor came, however, things began to look grim. It was winter and an unusually severe snowstorm swept in from the sea, hindering the midwife from reaching the village and trapped Toran in Syliras, rendering him unable to get back home. The birth was dragged out painfully long, the child was turned backwards in the womb and wouldn't be turned around no matter what Mirena tried. The distraught Mikkeyla was forced to witness how her mother slowly lost her strength, threatening to loose both her own life and the child. As a last desperate measure she was given a strong concoction of different medicinal herbs that would force the birth to proceed. In the end, it turned out the be too much for the exhausted woman and she died at the break of dawn, her newborn son following after her to Dira only bells after. Her father was devastated when he came home and learned about what had happened. He remained at home with his mother and daughter for the rest of the winter, joining them in their grief and attempts at keeping the household working. Come spring he quickly grew restless though, unable to overcome the loss of his wife; he soon returned to his work, and as the years moved on Toran became an increasingly rare sight at the Rivver cottage. Only the occasional letter would come from the Evantide Tower, along with a pouch of Mizas; they were sporadic and came with long interruptions, and Mikkeyla always doubted that all of the messages arrived as they should.  Somehow, life moved on. The hole left within the family remained unfilled, but with time the sorrow was blunted and the girl and her grandmother carried on as good as they could. Now lacking both man and able woman around the house, eyes of the higher ups within Syliras began to turn towards them. Their ability to keep up with the heavy farming was questioned, offers to come and live within the city was made so that a full family could move into the cottage. The Rivver women refused, however. At the age of fifteen Mikkeyla began to take up more and more of the work on the fields as well as within the home, in order to spare her grandmother and make sure that their home wouldn't be taken away from them. During winters she would learn what she could from her grandmother about herbs and potions, and when opportunity arose they would sell salves and small concoctions at fairs, somehow bringing in enough money to avoid debt.  And like that, life carried on slowly. Years passed slowly with hard work and concerns shaping the girl into a woman. Always having been a kind person, life also taught Mikkeyla to be serious and keep her thoughts close to herself. The eagerness of the nearby city to replace her family with more workers along with the tight security that was kept around the village slowly brought the young woman to resent the Knights and the well-borne people of Syliras, that didn't seem to care about anything besides Mizas and getting food into their own stomachs. Living with a growing feeling of being closed in, Mikkeyla immerses herself in work and the care of her aging grandmother, quietly hoping for a miracle that will make it possible for her to remain in the cottage even when she ends up alone... |
Family:
Mother:
Kayla Rivver (Garrent) Born 468 AV. Honey-blond hair, blue eyes. A slender built, slightly fragile health.
Kayla Garrent was born in Zeltiva. Her father was a blacksmith, her mother owned a well-off tavern in the same building. She was an only child, and received a good education. Loving boats and the sea, she had a strong fascination towards the Svefra, and spent much time talking to the ones she met, also learning their language.
When Kayla was 17 years old, a fire started in the smithy one night, and spread quickly to the rest of the house. Her parents were killed, and Kayla was spared only because she wasn't home when it happened; she had sneaked out after bedtime to spend time with some of her Svefra friends.
Devastated and with no possessions, no money and no other relatives, the young woman took up on an offer from the Svefra to travel with them. She spent a year on the sea along with her friends, until one day, they went in to harbor at Syliras to stock up on supplies. There she stumbled into Toran Rivver, a local farmer that was in the city in errands. They befriended each other, and when time came for the Svefra to set sail again... Kayla remained behind. She married Toran and moved in with him and his aging mother, taking up farming in his stead.
Since Toran had to be away quite a lot due to his extra work for the Starcleaver service, she often felt alone and spoke many times of the sea, that she missed greatly. Eventually though she became pregnant with Mikkeyla and seemed to settle down better on the farm. The care for her daughter and the hard work on the fields came to consume her and eased the loneliness she felt whenever her husband was away.
Kayla lost her life in childbirth at the mid of winter year 505 AV, then 37 years old.
Father:
Toran Rivver, born 463 AV. Brown hair, gray eyes. He is a broad shouldered and muscular man with a scar running over the left cheek, as well as several others scattered over the body. Often absent from the home, since he is working as bounty hunter under the Starcleaver bounty service.
Toran was born in the cottage that has been his home ever since. He grew up to be a farmer, but held a strong fascination and admiration towards the Syliran Knights during his growth. He spent two years training with the Squires, but upon the death of his father he was forced to return to the cottage, to aid his mother and make sure that they could stay in their home. Often during winters he would pick up stray jobs as caravan guard, and was eventually recruited by the Starcleaver bounty service to help track down and bring back fugitives of the law. This work has come to dominate his time, and after meeting and marrying Kayla he has left the larger parts of the farming duties to the women of his family, to instead ensure their income through other means. While it pains him to be away from the ones he loves, after the death of his wife and unborn child he seems unable to linger in the home for too long, as his loss still haunts him.
Grandmother:
Mirena Rivver (Sirr). Once dark hair, now heavily grizzled, blue eyes. An elderly woman of 63 years, her health is weakening and more and more of the chores of the house are passed over to spare her body. Wise from a long life and mild of temper, the lady is liked by many in the small village, and renown for her herbal remedies and delicious honey cookies.
Mirena was born in Syliras and has lived in and around the city all her life. She was the oldest daughter in a family of six, and had to begin take responsibility for bringing in Miza's early on. As her family ran a tavern under the patronage of the Knights, they were fairly well off, without for that matter being rich.
Marrying late, she was 25 years old when she caught the eye of Ferrik Rivver, a farmer from the Mithryn Outpost. They courted for about a year, after which Mirena moved with him to his cottage. They had three children, of which two died from illness before the age of five. Their last child, Toran, was brought up and probably became slightly overprotected as he was their last hope and most beloved treasure.
Ferrik died in Spring 474 AV during a particularly severe flooding of the nearby river that threatened to reach the houses of the little village, to the despair of his wife who loved him deeply. Unable to manage the heavy work on the fields by herself, she was forced to pull her teenage son away from training with the Knights, and worked alongside him to maintain the house, work the fields and bring in enough Miza's to lead a decent life. She was delighted when her son later brought home Kayla as his wife, and extended her generous love to the young woman as if she was her own daughter. This love was also poured in abundance over Mikkeyla when she was born, as the only grandchild. When her daughter in law died in childbirth a few years later, Mirena took it incredibly hard. Her health began to deteriorate from then on, and while she did her best to support her granddaughter it was soon clear that the work was becoming too heavy for the woman.
In present day she mostly contributes with her knowledge in matters concerning the cottage, farming, gardening and whatever ailment the villagers might have. She is often asked to babysit children while their parents are out on the fields, and does so gladly. Mirena is a kind-hearted woman with a will of steel, who gently and with much love tries to pressure her now adult grandchild into finding a husband and starting a family. She wants nothing more than to see her only remaining relative happy and safe, and she is as worried as Mikkeyla about what will happen the day she no longer will be around... |
Knowledge
Skills
Lore
- Useful plants and herbs
- Having Knights for Neighbors
Languages
| Language | Understanding | Reference | | Common | Fluent | SP | | Fratava | Basic | SP | | Pavi | Poor | SP |
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Housing
Furniture: - Hearth
- Bed
- Table
- Chairs
- Chest of Drawers
- Cupboard (average)
- Shelves (average)
- Armchair (average)
- Carpets
- Chest
- Loom
A small building standing at the outskirts of the Mithryn Outpost, the Rivver home has stood for generations, being one of the oldest houses in the village. It is a white one-room cottage with a heavy thatched roof, surrounded by a patch of earth that has been filled to the brim with plants.  Everything from turnips, leek, onions and pie-plants to common medicinal herbs crowds the soil. Along with them grow some plants used for dye, flowers kept for their color and lovely scent - and also quite a lot of roses in hues from pale white to bright yellow and crimson red. The women of the Rivver family has always been known to have a knack for gardening, and there is no doubt that the caretaker of the lush garden truly loves their task.
The cottage is somewhat small for a family of three and there have been plans made to extend the house and add a bedroom as well as a small bathing chamber. There is a severe lack of Miza to put into that project however, and those plans continue to remain just that for now.
While small and somewhat cramped, the interior of the cottage is bright and homely. One of the walls are completely dominated by the large stone hearth that is the main source of light and warmth, and has been given space enough to cook, warm water for wash and laundry and also to sit by in cold winters.
The other walls are plastered and painted white to help what little light that seeps in through the windows brighten the room. In the rough ceiling the supporting beams arch uncovered and brings a warm, earthbound feeling to the home, as well as providing a support for hooks and hangers. The stone floor has been covered with thick rugs for the sake of warmth and isolation. A table has been placed under one of the windows, with one chair set closest to the hearth and a chest of drawers situated on the other. The surface is normally covered with glass bottles and jars filled with oil or tinctures, containers for salves and vats with herbs, fresh or dried that are to be used for cooking or herbal remedies. Some potted plants are kept by the window.
On the opposite wall sits a smaller end table, a comfortable armchair and several baskets filled with wool, spun yarn and different sets of half-finished knot-works, ribbons and clothes in need of patching.
At the far side of the room stands a broad bed covered with blankets, a cupboard filled with linen and porcelain, and on the wall hangs shelves with more jars and containers for poultices and potions. Tucked in tight between the wall and the bed is a small loom, just big enough to weave sashes and towels, as well as narrow strips of fabric. The room is filled with a fresh scent of herbs and flowers, wool and food. The hearth is almost always lit with a fire no matter the time of year, except for the hottest periods in the middle of summer when the fire only lits for cooking or heating water for cleaning. The room is well kept and clean, and while the furniture isn't the most fancy, they are sturdy and well kept.
Equipment
Backpack which contains:
- 1 Set of Toiletries (comb, brush, razor, soap)
- 1 Eating knife
- Flint & Steel
- Food for a week
Clothing
- Apron (leather)
- Blouse (white, linen)
- Cloak, Hooded (gray, wool)
- Dress (blue, average)
- Skirt (brown, peasant)
- Stockings (wool)
- Shoes (leather)
Other Items
- 4 Baskets
- 2 Buckets
- 1 Herbalist/Botanist ToolkitIncludes all the tools needed for growing, maintaining and harvesting herbs as well as various other plants such as flowers, fruits and vegetables (a small collection of varying sized pots and containers, a small set of cutting/grinding tools, a sampling of seeds for common plants and herbs).
- 1 Jug (clay)
- 4 Mugs (clay)
- 1 Sewing KitSmall leather kit containing fabric sheers, assorted needles, a thimble, spool of thread, glue, small pencil and a few sheets of paper, assorted buttons, tailor's tape all for general sewing and fabric repair and a piece of folded paper baring basic instructions for a variety of sewing techniques.
- 1 Waterskin
- 1 Woodsmans AxeAn axe typically used to cut timber or firewood.
Heirloom
- NecklaceBelonged to her mother, who claimed to have received it during her travels with the Svefra. Some doubt can be placed on the validity of her ownership (gold, engraved and inlaid with pearls. Worth 40 GM)
 Ser is a one year old male cat that was picked up by Mikkeyla when she went in to Syliras for a market day. Left as the only one not taken from the litter, she couldn't resist buying the little kitten and ended up taking him home. He keeps rats and mice away from the house and is spoiled silly by his owner, who named him after the Knights because of the stroppy attitude the cat has gained. He is a beloved member of the little family, and a favorite of the younger kids in the village since he can be coaxed into playing with them for a while. It's not nearly as popular when he takes a nap in Mikkeyla's herbs or leaves mice 'presents' on the doorstep... |
Ledger
| Earned (through here) | Spent (on this) | Remaining | | 100 GM (SP) | 8 SM (Average Dress) | 99 GM, 2 SM | | - | 72 gm, 8 sm, 11 cm (Furniture + Cat) | 26 GM, 3 SM, 89 CM |
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by Mikkeyla on September 26th, 2011, 9:26 pm 
