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Merevaika
Human, drykas
Female
21
34 Spring 495
Endrykas
Wilderness guide
Pavi, fluent
Common, basic
Human, drykas
Female
21
34 Spring 495
Endrykas
Wilderness guide
Pavi, fluent
Common, basic
"There is no trail that they follow,
No path that can be seen,
There they travel, horse and rider,
Upon the endless blowing green. "
Appearance
Merevaika has been through so much. Her body has been battered and bruised many times; her mind left scarred by events she's been through. She is still the same woman, but isn't all the same. All those years have only made her rougher, not smoother, wilderness ingrained in her from the time she is free in it.
The wild makes her beautiful. Her arms and legs are well defined, muscular but still slender. On her worse days, the muscles give way to skinniness, unavoidable in the environment she lives in. But the woman needs strength to survive, toned from riding and archery that is essential. Pride runs deep in the Drykas, Merevaika holding her head high and standing tall, taller than most. She moves with the fluidity of wild animal, but a careful could notice the limps and the strained arm movements caused by recent injury.
Her hair once bore the weight of the past, but everything is gone now. Cut with deliberate meaning, not for appearance, it is scraggly, windswept, unbrushed. A few waves remain of the long locks, now falling to her shoulders. It is almost always left loose to fly in the wind - to see it tied back suggests that something unusual is at play. Behind the hair are angry features, tightened from a softer past. Her chin is well defined, her cheekbones clear and her cheeks hollower. Scars lightly trace her skin, scrapes too, showing that not everything is perfect.
The most stunning and memorable features are her eyes. Piercing green, they are always watching. Some have said they stare into their soul, others say they seem to see everything. The colour is strong, rippled with all the shades of grass and her home. She seems to never blink, except when she does, never closing her eyes to miss something. Yet the green eyes are nothing compared to the contrast of red sunbursts, glowing red as blood. They spiral out from her irises, unmissable. If one were to ask, however, she would simply stare them down until they decided to forget the question, or learn the hard way.
Her clothes are dark and practical, made for hunting, riding and staying unseen. Dresses are unusual to find in her wardrobe, as are clothes made from fine materials or finely embroidered. During the winter and colder days, she nearly always wears a cloak to cover herself, but in the summer season she is more likely to be found in leather leggings and a sleeveless shirt, showing off her windmarks.
Tattooed upon her left shoulder is the image of a horse, Eryunt, and her dog, Denviel. This was done on her bonding to Eryunt, her strider. It no longer holds the same pride for her as she is now on the outside, but reminds her of her heritage and her home. To her, it is now less of a mark of the culture but of the strider.Another marking on her skin is the tattoo hidden from sight, golden antlers on her thigh. They enable the transformation from human to elk. In that form, she looks like an ordinary elk - a copper brown colour with darker fur on her neck. She is slightly larger than the average elk. Her eyes, now more brown, still have the strange red sunbursts. On her thigh, the antlers remained, only faded, a more tarnished gold that is only noticed in sunlight.
Before 89th Winter 515 :
Concept
Merevaika feels wild and free, letting her feelings and spur of the moment ideas rule her life. Although often compared as reckless, Merevaika has found herself maturing, the hardships and carefreeness starting to work out badly. She understands the concept of family, realising its worth, but the Drykas still prefers doing her own thing, not wanting responsibility of others. She lives her life without depending on anyone but herself and her animals, but every now and then Merevaika wishes she did have someone to rely on. She has no respect for law and order, so several methods she uses to acquire things aren't too legal, sometimes resulting in bad consequences. Still, this hasn't deterred her.
Merevaika has spent several years living alone, with only the most necessary human contact in order to survive. She is awkward in social situations, seeing them as pointless unless she gets something out, and so Merevaika spends her cunning on thinking up ways to exploit acquaintances. Despite this, Merevaika has recently grown out of her shell, realising the benefit of a friend she doesn't exploit the minute she meets.
History
Merevaika was the first child of her father's second wife, and one of the oldest. She was often remarked as being the most similar to her father, and he often spoiled her, trying to teach her the way to survive.
The pavillion was doing well, the Ankal having two wives and many children. However, one winter a terrible flu got the pavillion, and there were no skilled enough healers. Help was sent out, but the messengers killed by glassbeaks. Only four remained: Merevaika, her older half sister, her father's first wife and her infant son. The latter two returned to the wife's previous pavillion, but her half sister stayed with Merevaika until she met a man to marry.
Merevaika decided that she would stay in Endrykas, and live her life alone, something she always wanted to do. She then settled into her place as a traveller and thief. At times, she longs for the familiarity of family, but then she remembers how free it is without them. She travels with the city, and occasionally with other traders or travellers, who want her help crossing the Sea of Grass. She can list an ally and an enemy in anywhere in Cyphrus, with a history of pickpocketing and of helping those in need.
Injuries
| Date | Description | Current status |
| 66th | Bruises and aches | Will be sore until 70th |
| 67th | Broken nose | Set, healing |
| 67th | Stab wound across midsection | Tended to and stitched; riding before 77th will result in stitches undoing, riding before 87th will lead to muscle pain over winter. |
| 67th | Bruises and aches | Treated, will go completely by the 82nd |
