Nere Ashorn
A young adventurer who follows the Celestial faith, Nere has dedicated her life to defending the innocent above all else. Runic tattoos cover her body, both a testament to her faith and a conduit of her magic. She is a polite woman who prefers diplomacy over violence, but is not afraid to go against those with nefarious intentions.
Appearance
Dark blue eyes are set into an angular face, Sleek black hair is always in a perpetual state of coming half out of the braid, no matter when she's last brushed it. Nere prefers leather and cloth to anything metal, her standard gear including a thickly padded gambeson and sturdy boots. She doesn't appear to carry any weapons on her when traveling, only a small hunting knife better suited to cleaning dinner than combat. Peeking out from under her armor is a latticework of tattoos, magic runes and leylines embedded into her skin. These aren't as noticeable as one might think, until they start glowing.
Skills and Abilities
Nere's magical abilities hinge on a combination of Rune magic, and Divine magic. She prays to Tychan, one of the Celestial gods, daily, and appears to be in his favor. What might twist and corrupt a more ambitious mage is kept in check by Nere's unwavering will. She puts her own body at risk not out of a lust for power, but out of a desire to protect others. Her magic is self-contained, and the consequences of it her own to bear.
Walking Armory - Each one of Nere's tattoos on her body corresponds to a weapon that can be summoned and wielded. The weapons themselves do not have any inherent magical properties - they are physical objects that can chip and break like any other.
Diplomat's Persistence - Nere possesses an unnatural level of stamina, both physically and on a magical level. Whether or not Nere's source of strength is from divine blessing or merely rigorous training is up for debate.
Polyglot - While not exactly fluent herself, Nere is able to understand most of Arethil's spoken languages. She also picks up runes and other magical scripts at an impressive rate. This is a boon from her patron god Tychan, and would disappear if she ever fell from his favor.
Menacing - Through a mysterious misadventure, Nere has recently come into ownership of the Phobis Stone.
Burning Sigil - Two new runes mark the backs of Nere's hands, freshly welted scars instead of the smooth ink of the rest of her work. Borrowed from the dragon-blooded priests of Thagretis, these runes can turn blood explosive and cause a burst of fire. The detonation of the blood is naturally delayed by a few seconds. Nere can extend this duration to a few minutes, but it takes all of her concentration.
Mend Metal - By writing runes upon its surface, Nere can reforge fractured metal or stone back to its original strength.
Diplomat's Persistence - Nere possesses an unnatural level of stamina, both physically and on a magical level. Whether or not Nere's source of strength is from divine blessing or merely rigorous training is up for debate.
Polyglot - While not exactly fluent herself, Nere is able to understand most of Arethil's spoken languages. She also picks up runes and other magical scripts at an impressive rate. This is a boon from her patron god Tychan, and would disappear if she ever fell from his favor.
Menacing - Through a mysterious misadventure, Nere has recently come into ownership of the Phobis Stone.
Burning Sigil - Two new runes mark the backs of Nere's hands, freshly welted scars instead of the smooth ink of the rest of her work. Borrowed from the dragon-blooded priests of Thagretis, these runes can turn blood explosive and cause a burst of fire. The detonation of the blood is naturally delayed by a few seconds. Nere can extend this duration to a few minutes, but it takes all of her concentration.
Mend Metal - By writing runes upon its surface, Nere can reforge fractured metal or stone back to its original strength.
Personality
One might think that a woman covered in tattoos would be intimidating, but most of the time Nere manages to come across as unassuming, or at least good natured. She has a calming presence, well-spoken with an even tempo. Language is important to her, the weight of first impressions laying heavy on her mind. Sometimes she weighs her words for too long, bringing awkward pauses and complicated responses to otherwise simple conversations.
Biography & Lore
Nere comes from humble, but comfortable origins. Her father was a merchant of middling success and her mother was a College graduate, learned in the magical arts. They both left the city to try and settle the wilder areas outside of Alliria, hoping to help establish a reliable trade route through the Bayou Garramarisma. Nere was born within the twisting forests of the Bayou, in one of the handful of villages not populated by pirates and predators. She considers her upbringing to be fairly average, and doesn't think to mention it most of the time. In reality she grew up fighting back against the evils of the swamp, narrowly avoiding deadly run-ins with twisted criminals and dark magics on a regular basis. This has irrevocably shaped her, body and mind, and she's developed a strong sense of justice in her few short years. She's also collected several, several weapons highly effective in teaching any unsavory persons a permanent lesson. After diplomacy fails, of course.