Skalthyri Raske (crashcrashburn_) wrote, @ 2012-09-18 06:20:00 |
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Entry tags: | #out of character |
Tell me, would you kill to save a life?
c h a r a c t e r
Name: Skalthyri Raske, goes by “Thyri” and “Kaly” (only the captain calls her the latter)
Age: 32
Birthday: 7 Uiscea in 3981
Race: ungifted human
Social Class: commoner; pirate
Physical Description: Kaly is a striking woman, topping out at a staggering 5’10”, which is abnormally tall when it comes to other women her age. Beyond that, her coloring is also quite noticeable. She has bronze-toned skin with dark brown hair that hangs straight to just the bottom of her shoulder blades, with a fringe of straight bangs that shadows her forehead. When she’s out in the salt air for long enough, her hair takes on a natural wave, curling from the mist. Her eyes, the most striking part of her face, are a piercing shade of ice blue. They can look both menacing and cold, or happy and dancing, depending on her mood and those around her. Her eyes are cradled by high cheekbones that connect to a strong jaw, with a soft, sumptuous mouth. She’s often seen smirking or grimacing, but her face stays guarded more often than not. Her height supports a frame that boasts solid muscles, putting her weight closer to 160 lbs than 150. Her build is that of a fighter, as most of her life saw combat of some sort. For years, Kaly had gone without her armor, but has recently taken to wearing it again. Instead of the heavy plated armor she was accustomed to as a warrior of Árdghal, she has switched to a lighter plated leather version to offer her better mobility on deck. She carries an assortment of weapons on her at all times, whether its the dagger in her boot, to the sword belt on her hip, and the chakram she’s fond of sharpening.
Personality: One word that would best describe this woman would be “fierce.” To those that do not know Skalthyri well, she comes off as superior and stern. It comes with the territory of being the captain’s first mate and enforcer, so she keeps to that. She is both quick to speak and lash out as she is to laugh and boast with the rest of the crew, but there is always an edge to everything she does. She seems to always be on guard and has taken on the protection of her captain like it is a sacred duty. She is tolerable when orders are being followed, but the moment someone steps out of line, they’ll get a taste of her temper. Her anger flares hot and fast and dies just as easily once it is either sated by action, or soothed by a word from her captain. Kaly keeps most everyone at arm’s length, save Morgance. She is very much the soldier, still, and believes that a life devoted to duty is the life for her. She is in a much better mood whenever she feels she is being useful, but you wouldn’t know it unless she wanted you to. She has a keen ability to feel out the members of the crew, much like she did with the other members of the Ardghal army, and she uses this to discern what sort of tact would work best with whom. She can be exceedingly persuasive when she sees the merit in using that rather than shouting or intimidating, so she definitely plays this up when she needs to. She has a sarcastic sense of humor and sometimes her wit is a little more towards the dry side, but she can appreciate humor in all its forms. Most of what you can read about Skalthryi’s mood or thoughts are seen in her non-verbal communication, as she is not exactly the most verbose woman at times. She sees the merit of a well thought-out sentence rather than a monologue, within reason. She speaks when she’s passionate about something, and only if she sees the value in doing so. Idle chatter sometimes strikes her the wrong way and sends her into one of her moods.
When it comes to her relationship with her captain, Morgance, Kaly shows almost a completely different side. She is warm and approachable, without exactly the same edge that she normally carries about her for the benefit of the crew. There is still an edge to her, it just is remarkably softened in Morgance’ presence. She slips easily into a more relaxed way of speaking and acting when the two of them are alone, and slips just as easily back into the role of enforcer when she needs to. Without much of an effort, Kaly transforms into a more passionate, easy going person, and she feels like she is more closely like “her old self” when she’s with Morgance. She is given more to laughter and smiles when she’s relaxed in this way, her guard dropping for the most part. Her sense of humor flexes as well, and because a little bit more lighthearted, lending way to more laughter.
Sexuality: Homosexual
Religious Devotion: Kaly struggles daily with her beliefs, but it could be said that she leans more towards believing in the Keeper’s influence in her life. It isn’t that she doesn’t believe in the Creator, she just doesn’t happen to think that she’s worthy of her grace. She does her best to pray when she thinks of it, and only keeps up any semblance of it because of Morgance’s influence.
History: Like most girls born in the kingdom of Árdghal, Skalthyri was immediately thrown into battle training. Her mother and father, Meiraina and Andres Raske, were commoners in Lightlake, the city where Thyri was born. Her mother before her was a fine warrior in both the army and the navy of Árdghal, and she was exceedingly proud of the quick progress that her firstborn daughter made in her training, even as a child. Almost seven years after Thyri was born, her parents had another daughter, Eadlynna, and then in another two years, a son, named Aldric. Eadlynna was immediately thrown into training like Skalthyri before her, but she did not take to it as easily as Kaly did. The elder sister did all she could to help her, even going so far as to spend all her spare time training with her, but Eadlynna never improved. She simply didn’t have the same spirit that Meiraina and Skalthyri did; she was gentle and given more to quiet and peace than the warlike and outspoken women in her family. Rather than let her founder, Kaly did all she could to stand up for her to their mother. Most of their life passed in this way, Kaly continuously taking Eadlynna’s side and attempting to help her grow as a warrior. While Skalthyri was lifted in the ranks easily into adulthood, her younger sister did not do as well. Aldric, however, took to fighting more than the middle child, much to Meiraina’s chagrin. The dynamic in their family was not traditional in the least, but Skalthyri did all she could to make her mother proud as the eldest daughter. It didn’t take Kaly long at all to become a sergeant in the army, though she did much better on land than she did as a soldier in the navy.
Time passed, and as Skalthyri was nearing full adulthood and her martial career was beginning to make her known and recognized by many of the leaders of the kingdom’s army, Eadlynna fell to the wayside. She did as best she could, but she eventually married another commoner, a man by the name of Matthias Lorne, a blacksmith. He was kind to her at first, but soon became very controlling in the face of Eadlynna’s weakness. As Skalthyri was gaining influence as a warrior and tactician, her involvement in keeping an eye on her sister flagged in the face of her marriage -- she would be busy with that, and she would be much better suited to bearing daughters than to fighting. Perhaps her children would help redeem her. That was Skalthyri’s mistake. Many years passed and each time she visited with her sister, she seemed alright, although she became much more withdrawn and quiet than ever before. One night, Eadlynna burst into Skalthyri’s room in the barracks, trailing her children with her, blood and bruises covering her body. Eadlynna had been gifted this whole time, and had been hiding the abuse she was suffering at the hands of her husband. Now that she had children, and Matthias had taken to beating them as well as her, she had had enough. She explained that she had tried to stand up to him, finding that fighter spirit at last when it came to protecting her daughter and her son, and Matthias had retaliated. Without another word, Skalthyri slipped on her armor and left Eadlynna in the care of the healer.
Once she reached Eadlynna’s home, Skalthyri found Matthias pacing the house in a fury over Eadlynna leaving and taking his children. After a brief altercation, Skalthyri drew her sword against Matthias and made quick work of killing him, barely even batting an eye. It wasn’t until an hour or so later that the shock of what she had done caught up with her -- as well as the town guards. Skalthyri fled the city, stealing a horse and making for the port of Árdghal. When it came to protecting her sister, her resolve never wavered, but her position in the army was forfeit. Not wanting to stick around to see just what would happen to her -- Skalthyri was a survivalist at heart -- she found a reputable looking ship in the harbor and bartered passage aboard. Little did she know that she had walked right onto a pirate ship, captained by a woman named Morgance MacNamara. It didn’t take long for her to figure it out once they ship left the port -- thus saving her life. As much as she struggled with the fact, she still felt she owed the captain a life debt, and sought about repaying that, doing odds and ends on the ship for a few months. It rubbed her the wrong way that she had been fooled, but soon she began to see a different side to the crew than before -- and after almost a year sailing with Morgance, an unlikely friendship bloomed out of the ingrained hatred that Skalthyri had been born to. Instead of feeling like she owed Morgance, she saw just how valuable her skills were to the captain and decided to stay on the ship as the captain’s enforcer.
Roughly seven years had passed since Skalthyri stepped onto the Copper Rose and while it felt as though the thought that she had become a pirate should have bothered her, Kaly doesn’t see it that way at all. She still feels as though she owes Morgance her life, but the two of them grew to be very close over the years. Morgance eventually even made Skalthyri her first mate, including her in all the major decisions involving their courses and operations. Kaly adapted to life on the seas eventually, fully embracing the choice that had led her to the friendship she now treasures above anything else. Wherever her captain sails, Skalthyri will be there to back her up, her fiercest and most loyal protector.
Special Skills/Abilities/Powers: As a trained member of the Árdghal army, Kaly is proficient in most common martial weapons, as well as a few strange ones. Most notably, she carries a circular metal disk that has a handle that bisects the center with sharpened edges called a chakram. She’s deadly with it, and she’s also very gifted with a sword. She can ride horseback easily and naturally, and is decent at mounted combat, should the need ever arise again.
Personal Weaknesses:
Murderer and Deserter: Skalthyri will always see her act as both necessary and damning. She needed to protect her sister, and while she doesn’t regret how she went about it, she does feel a huge ocean of regret over leaving her kingdom and her position in its army. She knows that if she were ever to return to Árdghal then her life very well may be forfeited at most, and imprisoned and punished at the least. In the back of her mind, this eats away at her, for many reasons. She can never go home to see her family and she can never again lead warriors into battle in the Árdghal army. And her sister, who she basically gave up her life for? She can never really see her again either, or risk sending her correspondence to see how she’s fairing now that Matthias is out of the picture. It’s a lonely life, and its no wonder that eventually Skalthyri gave in and embraced her new life as a pirate.
Pirate: Skalthryi has become that which she had been raised to loathe, and while she has truly embraced it, there is still that small part of her that will always feel the slightest edge of regret. She is hunted, not only for being a murderer, but for her new profession. True, her captain is adept at disguising her ship for what it really is, but how long can that last? The Copper Rose is a very recognizable ship, and Kaly thinks its only a matter of time before they are caught or their way of life is challenged. She does what she can to help out in all things she can, but she knows that even her skills as a warrior wouldn’t be much if they were attacked outright.
Oh Captain, My Captain: Kaly’s friendship with Morgance came out of nowhere, if you ask her, but when it did, she didn’t really stop it from happening. She is drawn to her captain, for saving her life and for many things. She sees so much good in Morgance, and she feels like it is her job to protect her, despite the fact that she knows that she is quite capable of taking care of herself. She admires her for her strength and does all she can to help support her decisions, acting as only a first mate can around her captain. Their friendship is plain for any to see, but only when the two of them are alone does the edge of responsibility and duty fall away, leaving behind a deeper, stronger connection. Skalthyri has absolutely no idea that she is attracted to Morgance, and has been for some time. Their friendship grew and strengthened over time and through experiences, and it would take a lot for Kaly to realize just exactly how she feels about her. She would, however, do anything to protect Morgance, even including giving her life.
Personal Strengths:
First Mate: Skalthyri found her niche in life, truly she did. Even more so than her prowess as a warrior, Kaly is just damned gifted when it comes to helping Morgance manage her ship. Her knowledge from her time learning to be a part of Árdghal’s navy has greatly helped her, as well as her abilities as a tactician. She is exceedingly persuasive when she needs to be, but when that doesn’t work, a sharp word and just a little bit (or a lot) of intimidation does the trick just as well, if not better. Whatever Kaly has to do to get their work done, whether it's keeping the ship in tip-top shape, to planning a bit of a raid on a merchant ship, she is efficient and quick-witted. She is an asset to her captain and she knows it, and wears that pride about her like she wears her armor.
Warrior: Skalthyri is pretty deadly in combat, and that comes from spending almost her entire life with a weapon in her hands. She has training in nearly every martial weapon and has a pretty good ability to think on her feet and used improvised weapons if she ever gets disarmed, though that is unlikely. She’s most proficient with fighting crowds, but she’s no less deadly when it comes to one-on-one. She has quick reflexes and while she has solid muscles with the strength to support them, she is faster than she is strong, by far. She is always training and practicing to keep her abilities sharp -- she never knows when she might need to fight to defend her crew and her captain. While she understands that Morgance prefers to do things with as little violence as possible, Kaly is not the squeamish type and will come to blows if she sees the opportunity to end a conflict quickly.
Family:
Meiraina Raske: mother, warrior
Andres Raske: father, merchant
Eadlynna Lorne: younger sister, gifted wizard
Aldric Raske: younger brother, warrior
Martin and Ester Lorne: Eadlynna’s children
Living Conditions: on the Copper Rose, or wherever they make port
Occupation: Pirate, First mate to Captain Morgance on the Copper Rose, former soldier in the Árdghal army.
PB: Lucy Lawless