People have always been remembered for what others say of them, and usually it is their failures which remain. I donât put much stock in what other people say and even if Iâm not remembered for them I know my successes will outlast them all.
The Basics
âNameâ
âNickname(s)â
âAgeâ
âRaceâ
Gensai (secretly a dwarf)
âGenderâ
Female
âSexualityâ
Heterosexual
âAppearanceâ
Vanessa was raised working the forge with her father and after almost a full century of hard work have hammered and tempered her body into a prime example of the results of hard work. Due to standing well over the heads of her kin by easily two foot or more at 6â4â she is rarely described as stocky but rather a more slender build with ample curves to her frame. Her skin is pale and smooth, giving the appearance of being polished marble that is warm to the touch. Her face is beautiful but with a single scar across her lips from a hunting expedition in the wild lands below the mountain. While others beyond the dwarven clans may have a use for cosmetics to enhance their beauty Vanessa has little need nor desire for such things to enhance her natural look as she doesnât put much stock in looks but rather what youâre capable of. Her hair is a dark red with lighter streaks throughout and hangs down around her shoulders, framing her face perfectly save when she ties it behind her. Her eyes are a sharp and piercing grey flecked with faint specks of orange, though when she brings forth fire the orange spreads and her entire eyes become bring orange with red pupils as if on fire.
Vanessa usually wears light armour or working clothes due to her life in the forge and due to her design the two are one and the same so she is defended at the forge should she need it, even though her father said she was being over prepared. Over this she has a full suit of leathered chainmail and platemail sections that form her complete armour.
She has two short swords sheathed above the curve of her arse that she can draw backhanded, as well as two larger swords across her back.
Inner Mechanisms
âPersonalityâ
Vanessa is a somewhat singularly minded girl, in that she can become obsessed with something to the exclusion of all others. But at the same time she can become quite manic and dart between a dozen things in as many seconds as her interest flits back and forth due to discovering something new. A no-nonsense girl she rarely tailors her words to spare feelings or lessen the blow of her observations, primarily as sheâs had very little cause to learn such during the rare times she had dealings with other people. While she is very loyal to her family she doesnât have much of a view on those beyond that save her wolf and creations; this has resulted in her placing a greater value on the existence of her wolf and the things she makes or indeed the work of any great artifice than she does on other humanoids.
âLikesâ
â„ Storms, thunder and lightning
â„ Sound of rain and wind
â„ Fire and the sun
â„ Working materials with fire and heat
â„ Reading
â„ Walking
âDislikesâ
â Being different
â Water. Very Much So. This includes seafood and fish in general.
â Idiocy
â A lack of skill or understanding of the world
â Unsolvable problems
â Un-attainable knowledge or understanding
â Heights, and or being disconnected from the ground
Combat
âEquipment and Personal Objectsâ
Moralltach The Flame Bladed This weapon is fearsome to behold, a sword made of tempered adamantine and shaped to have a undulating blade that has given it the look of being on fire, though whether it is simply a trick of the metal or actuality Is unknown. The blade itself is easily described as a BihĂ€nder with a The name given blade means âGreat Furyâ due to the length of the sword being 5â5â in total, and 10â of that belonging to the hilt alone.
Beagalltach, The Hunters A pair of small thin shortswords made of a tempered alloy to create strong but lightweight blades. While inferior to a blade of pure adamantine these 2 feet long swords are still deadly and much easier to manoeuvre in close quarters than their larger brother is. The name given the pair of blades means âLittle Furyâ
Narya A sword her Fathers forged her as a gift when she came of age. This longsword was forged from Adamantine with a heart of living fire beating at its core, its surface covered in simple runes and marks of strength and focus If the sword truly contains fire or it is simply a trick of the design is a mystery only Vanessaâs father knows, though it does seem to glow as if in the heat of the forge when she wields it.
Armour Vanessaâs armour is essentially a double layer of heavier plates over a lighter leather suit. The basic clothes are hard wearing and tough enough to be able to withstand heat and damage but with very little in the way of metal protection as they are more for everyday use and can deflect a glancing blow but very little for a direct hit. When the additional layers of leather padding are added along with mithril chainmail and engraved adamantine plate with gold engraving and trim however it becomes quite resistant. The armour itself is runed and marked with words of good fortune and good omen. It bears the marks of her family and her trade as well as intricate designs of her own making which primarily bear the sign of dragons or other aspects of fire. Many of the runes on her armour, especially those on her shoulders are well worn marks of protection against magic and harm; granting her resistance to magical attacks for a time till they are overwhelmed and must be re-empowered, however the amount they can absorb or deflect is dependent on what is used against them and how they deal with it. This means that If they absorb the magic they can put it to use in other ways whereas deflecting it is less mana consuming but grants nothing in return and can injure those around her.
Rune Stones A gift from her parents when she was very young, a set of rune carves stones consisting of precious gems and polished rocks which are used in the art of portent. While they may or may not actually foretell the future they are still a tool of meditation and guidance from her clanâs ancestors.
âAbilitiesâ
Elemental Blood Vanessa is one of the last Gensai, descendants from the great primordial elementals that once thrived across the world. Her power is a barely perceptible shadow in comparison to her ancestors but is still potent in its own right. Her body changes with her emotions as her elemental heritage comes to fore, with her flesh becoming stronger as she maintains her calm and clarity but when her emotions become unchained in anger or rage her body begins to engulf itself in the fire that rages within her. For the most part this strikes a balance with the fire usually in favour but her body maintains itâs more earthly qualities while being wreathed in flames. Eventually her skin will break and crack as the fire becomes uncontrolled and the aftermath can be quite painful to mend and heal. However usually her hair or eyes will ignite as she channels her magic, allowing her to shroud her weapons or armour in flames, though this isnât to say that any fire would have this effect on her skin. For example she can resist great temperatures and exposure to naked flames as well as being submerged in lava for prolonged periods of time. Also while it may very well be possible for her to develop this to the point where she can control fire and such as any mage she has either never tried to do so or has very little interest in it. Her control of fire is limited to her touch and her body only, but even then she is still trying to understand itâs extent.
Runesmith Her taught her the ancient language of the dwarven smiths, and the secrets hidden within. Words have power and if used correctly they are potent weapons. She is able to imbue weapons and armour with magical properties that are either permanent or temporary depending on the purpose and how much mana she puts into it. She knows a great deal of the runes and their purpose but some she is unable to make work for long or easily due to conflicting domains of influence or incompatibility. If assisted she could use otherâs knowledge of magic to act as a source from which to craft a rune and imbue it with magic, though this would require more focus to make longer lasting but just as easy to create a timed or delayed activation.
âStrengthsâ
Vanessa is a master blacksmith by trade and has spent much of her life learning how to temper and shape almost every metal known to her kin.
Endurance While Vanessa may not be the swiftest of people she more than makes up for this in strength and determination. Her flesh as has been described looks akin to marble; this isnât simply a metaphor even if many believe it to be so. When struck her skin takes on a hardness similar to that of marble for the duration of the impact. Her skin reacts quicker to blunt impacts than to slashing or piercing by solidifying and deflecting the impact; and due to the thickness of her armour it allows her body a moment or two longer to adjust to incoming injury.
Combat Prowess Something her father taught her was if youâre going to make something then youâd better know how to use it. And to this end he made sure that she was at least capable with every weapon or armour she could forge and knew there strengthâs and weaknesses at a glance or at least after inspection. Her primary fighting though is based around swords as those were her favourite, though she made sure to master the use of hammers and axes as well to not dishonour Mahal. She learned basic archery and axe throwing but rarely makes use of them, same goes for polearms and such.
âWeaknessesâ
NaĂŻve Vanessa has led a relatively sheltered life and her understanding of other people is very basic. As such she can be quite trusting to a fault and always believes in others. However her view towards those who show an âinterestâ in her tends to cause her to put her guard up slightly.
Aquaphobia While she can stand small amounts of water and rain she usually has to fight herself in order to maintain her composure. When needed for hygiene she can sometimes force herself to use water but more often than not will usually try to scour her body with heat instead. Due to her physiology she has trouble swimming and is much less buoyant than other humanoids and quite often sinks quickly.
Crafting Limitations Despite being an artist when it comes to her work and being able to imbue her weapons with powerful magic Vanessaâs knowledge of the wider ranges of magic is limited and focused primarily on fire based evocation. And for the most part she is only able to attune temporary enhancements to her work the form of runes from other schools, but her knowledge of said runes is small and she can only empower a few to maintain an almost permanent enchant. Despite this she is constantly seeking to expand her knowledge and improve her skill.
Magical Power Despite her natural abilities she does lack a more in the way of active magic, with most of her magic being in the form of runes and enchantment on her armour rather than being cast. This can be as much a strength as a weakness.
Background
âRegionâ
The mountains of XrekâDhar are home to several of the largest clan holdings of the dwarves and deep beneath the southern range of those mountains lies the greatest city of their making. The hallowed halls of Barad-Dun have been home to these people for generations since the dwarves first carved out stone. The chambers beneath the earth are filled with fire and the glitter of gemstones which illuminate the beautiful artistic carvings and artwork that line the walls of the kingdom below the ice-capped mountains. The lakes that rest northwards of XrekâDhar are funnelled deep within, used to cool and feed the people and metals below, as well as to help them grow crops and such. The city itself may be below ground but it has entire swayves of land nestled among its peaks where sunlight touches the landscape allowing for farms to thrive above while different crops are tended below. The main focus of their kingdom is the forges of Barad-Dun, which stretch for hundreds of miles with thousands of dwarves working day and night to create the most wondrous of inventions and tools the world has ever seen.
From these forges have came new metals and minerals that those above have never heard of nor seen; great golems which stand 10 feet tall to protect and patrol their kingdom, weapons made of the strongest metals that cannot be bested, armour to shun any wound, yet this new metal that the humans have begun to work worries the dwarves. Something they do not understand nor know about is of great concern to them and thus they attend the meeting of people in order to decide what must be done. Because if there is one thing a dwarf understands is that nothing is invincible or indestructible, no matter how often they describe their own masterworks as such they all know the flaw that cracks the strongest metal or the hardest stone.
The dwarves themselves are a deeply religious and strong people, focused on their culture and family above all else. They revere the land around them as their Earth Mother, PalĂșrien and the fire that burns at her heart as their Father, Mahal the Maker. Their legends speak of these two and within the dwarven community many of their cities are formed of a duality with the natural world the crafted one with structures that the dwarves of build around existing landmarks or trees and plants grown around forges and rivers of fire.
âRelationshipsâ
Vanessa was an only child so she never had any of the sibling rivalry that others may suffer or revel in, though she did have several cousins that tried their best to avoid her more as they got older, especially since she grew when they didnât and towered over them.
Margus & Antera Runehammer - Vanessaâ parents, who are on the verge of reaching their middling age, have done everything they can to encourage and protect their daughter. Her father is the Forge-Lord of the Barad-Dun Mountains, and the master smith of the clans within its fortress. While her mother is a druidic priestess who helps to watch over the nurturing of the newborns within the city, as well as making sure that the people and plants below thrive in equal measure.
Kairos - A [url=http://i756.photobucket.com/albums/xx209/TheTerranFabricator/RolePlayGateway/Mana/f9b91b33ee5489c5c7fb9fa73a28c7f1_zpsf935e6da.jpg]creation[/Img] of Vanessa, that she created when she was in her early sixties; using a mechanical, clockwork powered construct to house a core made from a living fire elemental which has become bonded to her and refuses to leave her side.
Lycus â Her clandom is known for keeping and training various animals to serve them in many different ways but aged Dire Wolves, sometimes nicknamed earthborn wolves have always been one of the symbolic animals tied with their heritage with the earth, creatures as much a part of the land as the dwarves themselves and much longer lives than their smaller cousins. Vanessaâs father made sure that when she was learning to fight and forge that not long after studying both she learned to take care of her own. Theyâve been almost inseparable for the better part of sixty years and like his mistress, Lycus is still in his prime.
Jortharm - The Iron Father. King of the Barad-Dun dwarven clans, and enemy to all who proclaim themselves king of any dwarf. Vanessaâs grandfather has ruled justly for over a thousand years and his father before him for thousands more back to the early days. Has become somewhat detached from events as time goes on.
Grygus - Her uncle (fathers younger brother) and currently next in the line of succession for the throne, currently whispers into the ear of the king.
âHistoryâ
WIP
